DHS Plans Multi-Award Enterprise Financial System Integration

The Department of Homeland Security has issued a Request for Information for an upcoming procurement to obtain system integration support services to facilitate the transition of multiple legacy financial, procurement and contract writing, and asset valuation systems into a new integrated financial information technology solution. The planned solicitation for the DHS Enterprise Financial System Integrator (EFIS) will be for a multiple award blanket purchase agreement under the General Services Administration IT Schedule 70 contract. DHS says the EFSI procurement is the companion procurement to the DHS Headquarters Enterprise Financial Management Systems (EFiMIS) procurement to obtain a software solution to support the Office of the Chief Financial Officer Financial Systems Modernization program. DHS also plans to host an industry day on the EFSI and EFiMS requirements. Sol. No. 70RDAD19RFI000003. Respond by July 24. Contact: Cynthia Aki, contracting officer, [email protected]

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CBP Seeks Support for Cloud Services Provider

Customs and Border Protection has issued a Request for Information seeking market research to help it develop an acquisition strategy to acquire services from a cloud services provider. The agency wants to determine contractor interest in providing the services, contractor ability to perform the work, expected alliances and teaming arrangements, and rough cost estimates for each area of interest in its statement of objectives. Sol. No. CBPRFI20190710. Respond by Aug. 1. Contact: Eva Shaw-Taylor, [email protected], 202-344-2874.

Secret Service to Host IT Small Business Industry Day

The Secret Service Procurement Division will host a small business information technology day on July 24 on behalf of the chief information officer. The CIO provides applications development, email exchange, IT governance, radios, cyber security, voice telephone, software, wireless devices and more. The event will be held in Washington, D.C. Sol. No. 0724019. Respond by July 24. Contact: Kimberly Witcher, procurement analyst, [email protected], 202-406-9683.

DHS S&T Opens $35M Funding Opportunity for Counterterrorism Center of Excellence

The Department of Homeland Security Science and Technology Directorate has opened $35 million in funding opportunities for a new DHS Center of Excellence (COE) for Terrorism Prevention and Counterterrorism Research (TPCR). S&T invites accredited U.S. colleges and universities to submit proposals as the center lead or as an individual partner to work with the lead institution in support of the center’s activities. The TPCR will research and develop solutions to support DHS counterterrorism operations, including solutions that help prevent terror attacks by countering the radicalization of people and their mobilization to violence. “By partnering with universities, S&T delivers practical results by developing multidisciplinary, customer-driven solutions while training the next generation of homeland security experts,” says William Bryan, acting chief of S&T. “Once awarded, this CEO will leverage emerging technologies and analytic techniques to provide innovative solutions for preventing and countering terrorism.” The $35 million is for 10 years. S&T will host a webinar on the opportunity on Aug. 6 at 3 p.m. The webinar can be accessed at: https://share.dhs.gov/rwo6kbeg53be/. Bids are due by Sept. 6. Visit: http://www.grants.gov/.

CBP Seeks Commercial Solutions for Ground Detection System

Customs and Border Protection has issued a solicitation for a commercially available solution to detect and identify all cross-border intrusions between ports of entry without being affected by man-made or natural blind spots and obstacles. Under solicitation for the Linear Ground Detection System (LGDS) program, the agency seeks solution briefs addressing a subsurface and surface, air or space technology to provide a persistent, all-terrain, all-climate surveillance capability along the U.S. northern and southern borders with real-time communication to one or more U.S. Border Patrol command and control facilities. CBP wants a scalable system architecture that can also interface with third party command and control systems as well as existing agency systems. The LGDS must also be able to discriminate between human, animal and vehicle targets. The solicitation was issued through a non-traditional acquisition called a Commercial Solutions Opening, a new acquisition mechanism that provides a streamlined acquisition process and simplified contract terms for efficiency and less administrative burden. The CSO Pilot Program is aimed at generating interest from start-up companies and other non-traditional companies as well as traditional firms in competing for the work. Sol. No. CSOP-BP-GS-000002. Respond by Aug. 1. Contact: Peter Giambone, contract specialist, [email protected], 202-505-5708.

DHS Sticking with FirstSource

The Department of Homeland Security has decided to keep its FirstSource contract vehicle, which it uses to procure information technology commodities, solutions and services from small businesses. DHS Procurement Chief Soraya Correa in a July 15 letter to “industry partners” says that given the “great success” with FirstSource II, FirstSource III will be established with set-aside tracks for each of the five socio-economic categories. The letter, posted in the federal procurement opportunities website, says that DHS is still working out the scope of the new contract vehicle and timelines for release and will continue to engage with industry on it. Correa also says that her team is working with the White House Office of Management and Budget to ensure FirstSource III meets the agency’s guidance on category management.

DHS S&T Releases RFPs for Coast Guard, CBP Needs

The Department of Homeland Security Science and Technology Directorate Office of University Programs has released two Requests for Proposals (RFPs) for research projects to meet Coast Guard and Customs and Border Protection mission needs. The combined value for the work is $820,000. The Coast Guard program is Improving Leeway Drift Data for the Search and Rescue Optimal Planning System to improve search patterns to account for the relative motion between the search unit and the drifting object ($487,000). The Utilizing Forecasting Models for Pest or Agriculture Quarantine Smuggling Trends for CBP is worth up to $333,980 and seeks innovative uses of the data the agency collects during port of entry inspections to better predict and mitigate pest threats approaching the U.S. S&T is issuing the RFPs through its partnership with the Minority Serving Institution Research and Development Consortium. The RFPs are available at: http://www.msrdconsortium.org/uscg2019rrpp/ and http://www.msrdconsortium.org/cbp2019rrpp/.

DHS Issues RFI for Information Assurance Compliance System

The Department of Homeland Security Office of the Chief Information Officer has issued a Request for Information to request sources, data and white pages from interested parties that can provide the requirements for the Information Assurance Compliance System (IACS). DHS uses the IACS to develop, maintain and monitory Security Authorization Packages for all Sensitive but Unclassified Systems. A separate instance of IACS is used as a repository for system at the Secret level and the Top Secret level. Sol. No. 70RTAC19RFI000004. Respond by July 31. Contact: Michael Lipperini, contract specialist, [email protected].