Pre-Solicitation Notice/Update: $50M+ TSA Enterprise ISSO Program Services RFP

Updated May 15, 2024

DHS continues to push this RFP to the right and the latest word is that the solicitation for this multi-year contract to provide Information Systems Security Officer (ISSO) support services for systems throughout various offices within the Transportation Security Administration will now be going out in early June. It is still expected to go out to GSA MAS Schedule Highly Adaptive Cybersecurity Services (HACS) Primes as a SB set-aside action. FY ’24 is coming to a close soon, so there is reason to believe that patience will pay off with an RFP soon. The resulting contract is tentatively scheduled to start this September.

Updated December 14, 2023

TSA-focused small businesses will want to take notice as the latest word out of DHS is that the RFP for the next iteration of this 5-year Transportation Security Administration contract will once again be set aside for small business AND it will be released on GSA MAS on the HACS SIN, NOT CIO-SP3 SB. There were 7 bidders the last time this contract came up for competition and this latest change ensures that the competition will be equally as fierce. The RFP is tentatively set to be released in early to mid-January, so there is little time to scramble and team. More details below.

Posted July 20, 2023

The recent word out of DHS that they plan to release an RFP in late 2023 related to the recompete of this multi-year contract to provide Information Systems Security Officer (ISSO) support services for systems throughout various offices within the Transportation Security Administration will and should be of great interest to established TSA vendors, current CIO-SP3 contract holders and potential CIO-SP4 awardees

A focus for the next iteration of this Enterprise ISSO Program Services contract is to provide the agency with a diverse set of technical security expertise to achieve FISMA compliance, to include providing the agency with ISSO Enterprise Centralized Management Support; ISSO Services for TSA Systems; Enterprise ISSO and System Owner Training Services; Enterprise Reporting Support Services; and Enterprise RMF Readiness and Quality Documentation Reviews. TSA currently maintains an inventory of approximately 115 FISMA systems. 

The predecessor contract, which was awarded to Quasars (a longtime partner to TSA) in 2020 was competed as a small business set-aside action on the CIO-SP3 GWAC, drawing 7 bidders. That contract had an initial projected value of $30M over four years (contract award details and spend to date for 70T03020F6NPIE008 can be found here), but with the demand for ISSO support services and enterprise reporting and training at TSA growing at approximately 20 percent per year, the potential value of this next contract, which is expected to be 5 years in duration, is expected to be significantly higher.  

The specific acquisition details for the forthcoming RFP are still in the works. The agency has stated they tentatively plan to release the RFP in December of 2023, but they have not determined if it will be a small business set-aside action at this time. Several firms, large and small are known to be actively working to influence the acquisition strategy, and the latest news out of NITAAC that award of CIO-SP4 is still very much up in the air with CIO-SP3 and CIO-SP3 SB extended through April of 2024 only muddies the waters further. More will be shared here if and when it becomes official.  

Key Points of Contact to Know (Current or Past) 

• Carey Inman, TSA – Carey.Inman@tsa.dhs.gov 
• Kristine Pruy, TSA – Kristine.Pruy@tsa.dhs.gov 
• Sean Murphy, Contract Specialist, TSA 
• Aaron Roye, Branch Manager – Governance, Risk, and Compliance, TSA 
• Robert Boone, Small Business Specialist, TSA 
• Margaret Butler, Small Business Specialist, TSA 
• Vamsee Bachu, CEO/Managing Director, Quasars 

Pro Tip 1: When viewing relevant Federal staff on LinkedIn – mutual connections you have can be an indicator of a potential partner or competitor 

Looking for an IT and consulting firm to partner with at TSA? Click Here   You can filter the list by several key indicators, including socio-economic status, NAICS, Contract vehicle, etc.  

Firms drawing the most attention:  Updated December 15, 2023

Included below is a list of the small companies we have noted as drawing the most views by Government and industry leaders on the OrangeSlices AI consultant directory since the beginning of 2023 and that bring direct past performance and/or related relationships in support of TSA.     

• RELI Group **
• Innovative Management Concepts, Inc. (IMC) **
• Maximus **
• Dev Technology Group **
• Alpha Omega Integration **
• Agility Technologies
• Dynamis
• ITC Federal **
• DOMA Technologies
• Systems Integration, Inc. (SII) 
• Akira
• Quasars
• Total Systems Technologies Corporation (TSTC)
• ASRC Federal
• Swingtech Consulting
• MetaPhase Consulting **
• Strativia
• JCS Solutions
• Bravium Consulting
• Partner Forces **
• Derivative
• Intellect Solutions
• Arch Systems
• Steel Point Solutions
• AXIS Management Group (AXIS)
• DullesSystems

** An Elev8 GovCon Honoree, noted for a corporate culture that demonstrates excellence, making the company a beacon for talent, for partners, and for clients.      

We cannot and will not speculate here as to the reasons for the increased interest, but whether it is a company evaluating them as a potential partner; a federal acquisition leader doing their due diligence; or a consultant weighing their next job move, this group of companies has been receiving increased interest.     

Pro Tip – If you are a small business with capabilities and socio-economic status that might support this or any related effort, comment below and let others know you are interested. Comments are some of the most viewed portions of any article.  

70T03020F6NPIE008F2023062768, Office of Management and Budget (OMB) Memos M-10-28, M-14-03, M-16-04; – National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) Special Publications (SP); – NIST Federal Information Processing Standards (FIPS) Publications; and – DHS Policy Directives 4300A and 4300B. 

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