Federal Bureau of Investigation Hosts IT Triple S Industry Day

Published: April 30, 2018

Cloud ComputingCybersecurityFBIInformation TechnologyInformation TechnologyDOJJustice and Public SafetyOpportunitiesTelecommunications

“Super-Secret” contract to get complete makeover, including multiple procurement tracks, an extended period of performance, a reduced ceiling value, and a name change.

UPDATE: July 19, 2019: The Federal Bureau of Investigation released the Final Solicitation for the Information Technology Enterprise Contract Services (ITECS) requirement.  It is available to GSA Schedule 70 contract holders under SINs 132-40, 132-44, 132-45, 132-62, 132-60F, 132-51, 132-61, and 132-53.  The identification number remains RFQ1363852.

Questions and comments on the Final Solicitation are due by 12:01 PM ET on July 26, 2019 and should be e-mailed to ITECS@fbi.gov.

Quotes are due by 12:01 PM ET on August 19, 2019. 

Deltek is tracking this opportunity under GovWin IQ Opportunity Report # 108142, INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY ENTERPRISE CONTRACT SUPPORT (ITECS).

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UPDATE: MAY 2, 2019:  The Federal Bureau of Investigation released the Draft Solicitation for the Information Technology Enterprise Contract Services (ITECS) requirement.  It is available to GSA Schedule 70 contract holders under SINs 132-40, 132-51, 132-53, 132-60F, 132-61, and 132-62. The identification number is RFQ1363852.

Questions on the Draft Solicitation must be received by 12:01 PM ET on May 13, 2019 and should be e-mailed to ITECS@fbi.gov.

A Vendor Day remains planned for June 4-5, 2019 in Jacksonville, FL.  Interested vendors who wish to attend must register by 12:01 PM ET on May 13, 2019.

Though an estimated Solicitation release date was not provided, Quotes may be due by July 1, 2019.  Deltek expects the final due date will be determined with the release of the Solicitation.

Other items of note for interested vendors:

  • The FBI continues to expect this will be a multiple award, Blanket Purchase Agreement (BPA) in accordance with Federal Acquisition Regulation (FAR) Subpart 8.405-3, Blanket Purchase Agreements (BPAs)
  • All Task Orders (TO) issued under this BPA will be either Time-and-Material (T&M), Labor Hour (LH) or Firm Fixed Price (FFP)
  • Work is expected to be performed at FBI facilities in:
    • Washington DC
    • Northern Virginia
    • Pocatello, ID
    • Huntsville, AL
    • Clarksburg, WV
  • Support at any FBI or DOJ Site may be required throughout the life of this BPA
  • The period of performance is expected to be five (5) years, consisting of a one-year base and four (4) one-year options
  • A total of thirty (30) awards are expected – 20 awards for large businesses and 10 awards for small businesses

Deltek is tracking this opportunity under GovWin IQ Opportunity Report # 108142, INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY ENTERPRISE CONTRACT SUPPORT (ITECS).

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UPDATE: APRIL 12, 2019:  Additional information concerning the upcoming Information Technology Enterprise Contract Support (ITECS) Industry Day was released earlier today.  The Industry Day remains scheduled for June 4-5, 2019.  However, the location has changed from Clarksburg, WV to Jacksonville, FL.  The change was made because it is the same location for the scheduled CJIS Advisory Policy Board (APB) meeting which is taking place.  The FBI has decided to hold the ITECS Industry Day in the evening and separate from the already existing APB activities.

In order to attend the ITECS Industry Day, vendors will be expected to submit an Intent to Bid.  More information concerning registration and the procedure for submitting an Intent to Bid are expected to be provided with the Draft Solicitation.

Previously, the Contracting Office indicated that the Draft Solicitation would be released on or about April 29, 2019.  Deltek believes this time frame remains unchanged.  

No questions or comments from interested vendors are being accepted by the Contracting Office.

Deltek is tracking this opportunity under GovWin IQ Opportunity Report # 108142, INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY ENTERPRISE CONTRACT SUPPORT (ITECS).

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UPDATE: APRIL 1, 2019:  On March 28, 2019, a Justification & Approval document was released by the Contracting Office for the purpose of extending the period of performance of the incumbent IT Triple S contracts for an additional year.  The contracts are now expected to expire at the end of April 2020.  Additional information, including a modified procurement schedule, was released the following day.

The Federal Bureau of Investigation decided to rename the follow-on requirement Information Technology Enterprise Contract Support (ITECS).  ITECS is currently in the process of being approved, although the procurement process encountered several unexpected delays.  This was due in part to a high level of interest from industry, changes in the acquisition strategy, and the 35-day partial government shutdown.  An additional delay of more than two months occurred, resulting in the following revised procurement schedule:

Release Draft Solicitation – April 29, 2019

Questions and Notification of Intent to Bid Due Date – May 13, 2019

Vendor Day to be held at CJIS in Clarksburg, WV – June 4-5, 2019 (More information is expected to be forthcoming)

ITECS Estimated Award Timeframe – Q1 FY2020

Deltek is tracking this opportunity under GovWin IQ Opportunity Report # 108142, INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY ENTERPRISE CONTRACT SUPPORT (ITECS)

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UPDATE: DECEMBER 3, 2018:  A status update and modified procurement schedule was released by the Contracting Office.  The schedule is provided for planning purposes for interested vendors.  The FBI will attempt to meet all of the following deadlines.  However, some variations should be anticipated:

Release Draft Solicitation – January 11, 2019

Questions due from Industry – January 18, 2019

Release Final Solicitation – February 1, 2019

Deltek is tracking this opportunity under GovWin IQ Opportunity Report # 108142, FBI INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY SUPPLIES AND SUPPORT SERVICES (IT TRIPLE S) (IT-SSS)

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UPDATE: OCTOBER 12, 2018:  A status update and modified acquisition strategy were released by the Contracting Office.  Key points include:

  • The FBI intends to execute a Blanket Purchase Agreement off of GSA Schedule 70 in accordance with Federal Acquisition Regulation (FAR) Part 8.  
    • The previous strategy of a Full and Open Competition is no longer under consideration base on the results of the market research.
  • The track structure strategy is still under consideration.  Realignment of the proposed technical tracks is set to define areas based on Capability Model Service areas and match the Technology Business Management (TBM).
    • TBM is a valued-management framework instituted by Chief Information Officers, Chief Technology Officers, and other technology leaders.  
  • The proposed realigned tracks include:
    • End User Services 
    • Business Application Services 
    • Delivery Services 
    • Platform Services 
    • Infrastructure Services 
    • Emerging Services
  • Currently, the FBI anticipates that 15-22 awards will be made for each of the tracks.  
    • 10-15 awards are expected for large businesses and 5-7 are expected for small businesses.  
    • The FBI will reserve the right to increase or decrease these numbers as necessary to meet their needs.
  • Each vendor will have to meet the evaluation criteria per track to receive an award on that track.
  • The criteria for evaluation will be the same for large businesses and small businesses.  
  • The Contracting Office did not provide a revised procurement schedule with this status update.
  • Jeffrey Markovich remains the primary point of contact, although the FBI will not answer any questions regarding the upcoming procurement.  

The Acquisition Milestone Schedule is updated as follows:

Acquisition Milestones:

Original Date:

Revised / Actual Date:

Status as of 10/12/2018:

Vendor Survey with Current BPA Holders

01/29/2018

01/29/2018

Complete

Vendor Survey Responses Due

02/06/2018

02/06/2018

Complete

RFI to Industry

04/09/2018

04/11/2018

Complete, but the DSOW was not included

RFI Responses

n/a

04/20/2018

Complete

Industry Day Registration

n/a

04/20/2018

Complete

CJIS Vendor Day

04/25/2018

 04/25/2018

Complete

Industry Day - Washington, DC

05/02/2018

04/30/2018

Complete

Release Final Solicitation

08/17/2018

11/2018 (Deltek Estimate)

Revised

Awards

03/01/2019

03/2019 (Deltek Estimate)

Revised

Deltek is tracking this opportunity under GovWin IQ Opportunity Report # 108142, FBI INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY SUPPLIES AND SUPPORT SERVICES (IT TRIPLE S) (IT-SSS)

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APRIL 30, 2018:

Representatives from over 440 companies met at the Ronald Reagan Building and International Trade Center for the Information Technology Supplies and Support Services (IT Triple S) Industry Day.  An additional 100 companies had the opportunity to participate in the event via Lync.  Most of the IT Triple S incumbent contractors were in attendance.

Remaining consistent with the increased transparency seen in the past month, the FBI’s panel of procurement officials provided an overview of the state of the market research process, the current acquisition strategy, some historical data, tips for interested vendors, and the current procurement milestone schedule.  The FBI’s desired outcome is for this contract vehicle to become the primary method of procurement for future IT support services.

Market Research Process:

The FBI confirmed they remain in the market research phase of the procurement process.  Over 270 responses were received from the Request for Information (RFI) and the review process remains ongoing.  They are still interested in receiving feedback and suggestions from interested vendors.

Current Acquisition Strategy:

During the presentation, the FBI highlighted the anticipated acquisition strategy.  Because the “supplies” component of Triple S is removed, they are interested in a new name for this requirement and invited interested vendors to submit their suggestions for the new name and acronym.

It was repeatedly stressed that the acquisition strategy is still being considered and no final decisions are made:

  • A Full and Open/Unrestricted competition type is anticipated
  • Evaluations are ongoing regarding the use of contract vehicles, including Best-In-Class
  • An IDIQ contract-type is planned, consisting of a ten-year period of performance, with a one-year base and nine one-year options
  • The projecting ceiling value is undetermined, although $5 billion is a possibility
  • Performance based incentives are under consideration
  • An On-Ramp/Off-Ramp is under consideration
  • There is interest in moving away from a Low Price Technically Acceptable (LPTA) approach
  • Joint Ventures are being considered for Proposal submissions
  • A competitive range for Proposals is likely, due to the anticipated high volume of submissions

Procurement Tracks:

The total number of tracks remains under consideration.  Initially, the FBI envisioned a total of twelve tracks for this requirement.  The following nine were presented at the Industry Day:

  • Agile/Development
  • Operations & Maintenance
  • Engineering
  • IT Consulting / IT Subject Matter Experts (SMEs)
  • Telecomm
  • IT Scientific Services
  • Call Center & IT Help Desk
  • Cyber Security
  • IT Security Services

Previously, Cloud and Cabling services were included as tracks.  The FBI is looking to incorporate cloud services into some of the other tracks and is currently looking at other procurement options for cabling-related requirements.  

In order to be awarded a prime contract, interested vendors must demonstrate they meet the necessary criteria for any and all tracks they wish to pursue.  There is no limit to the number of tracks a vendor may submit a Proposal for.  It is currently anticipated they will need to submit one Proposal per track.  Each track is expected to have its own evaluation criteria and evaluation team.  Approximately twelve vendors are anticipated to be awarded prime contracts for each track.  However, the exact number will depend on the quality of submitted Proposals.

Currently, it is expected that some of the task orders that are procured and awarded may be small business set-asides.  However, it is not anticipated that specific tracks will be completely set-aside for small businesses.  The FBI is looking to make sure that the scope of each track is broad enough to ensure that each task order is procured through a single track, rather than multiple ones.

The FBI indicated that discussions were held about the possibility of existing IT contracts being incorporated into this requirement, although no specific information was provided regarding which contracts were under consideration.

Procurement History:

IT Triple S consists of 46 contracts awarded in 2010, a majority of which went to small businesses.  The ceiling value was $30 billion with an eight year period of performance.  The FBI confirmed that only $2 billion in funding was awarded through the vehicle, consisting of over 230 task orders.  On average, a total of 3 to 4 quotes were received for each task order, with specific contractors being invited to submit quotes.  The procurement process for task orders under IT Triple S were streamlined, taking approximately 6 to 8 weeks for an award to be made.

Tips for Interested Vendors:

The FBI offered the following tips based on lessons learned from IT Triple S.  Generally these tips relate to submitting Proposals for task orders that are procured through the vehicle:

  • When submitting pricing data, make sure that the information is both accurate and complete
  • Don’t submit a Proposal for a specific task order under your track(s) just because you’re invited to submit one
  • When preparing a Proposal for a task order, make sure that you submit a reasonable price for the required work
  • Don’t submit a Proposal for a task order knowing that you are unable to satisfy the key personnel requirements
  • Make certain that you demonstrate that you can meet the requirement in your Proposal, but take the time to submit alternative quotes or plans which you think might provide innovation

The Acquisition Milestone Schedule is updated as follows:

Acquisition Milestones:

Original Date:

Revised / Actual Date:

Status as of 04/30/2018:

Vendor Survey with Current BPA Holders

01/29/2018

01/29/2018

Complete

Vendor Survey Responses Due

02/06/2018

02/06/2018

Complete

RFI to Industry

04/09/2018

04/11/2018

Complete, but the DSOW was not included

RFI Responses

n/a

04/20/2018

Complete

Industry Day Registration

n/a

04/20/2018

Complete

CJIS Vendor Day

04/25/2018

 04/25/2018

Complete

Industry Day - Washington, DC

05/02/2018

04/30/2018

Complete

Finalize SOW

05/16/2018 – 05/31/2018

 

Unchanged

Release Draft SOW

07/13/2018

 06/15/2018

Revised

Release Final SOW

n/a

 07/31/2018

New Date

Release Final Solicitation

08/17/2018

 

Unchanged

Proposals Due

10/05/2018

 

Unchanged

Awards

03/01/2019

 

Unchanged

Deltek is tracking this opportunity under GovWin IQ Opportunity Report # 108142, FBI INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY SUPPLIES AND SUPPORT SERVICES (IT TRIPLE S) (IT-SSS)