Updated December 5, 2023
8(a) STARS III Primes should take notice as the latest word out of DHS is that the recompetes for this pair of Department of Homeland Security United States Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) DevSecOps and Information Technology (IT) software development support contracts are slated to come out soon., but there have been some significant developments in the acquisition strategy for the small business RFP.
The unrestricted RFP is expected out next week, with the solicitation still expected to be released on GSA MAS.
However, the small business RFP, now renamed Enhanced Yield Assistance and Support (EYAS), is now slated to be released on 8(a) STARS III, not GSA MAS. The RFP is not expected to be released until late January. This move allowed the agency to check Yes on the “Strategic Sourcing Vehicle” box.
Updated September 13, 2023
We expect to see a packed house at the recently announced industry day to be held later this month. Companies will no doubt be gathering to get more information and to provide feedback on this pair of Department of Homeland Security contracts that will consist of teams to provide development, security, and operations (DevSecOps) services to support the United States Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) Information Technology (IT) software development delivery services primarily for VIS (Verification Information System). If you plan to attend in person, you will want to register ASAP. Details on the industry day, as well as a draft PWS, can be found here.
The two contracts that will be covered at the industry day include FALCON and FALCON SB, the small business counterpart to this contract.
FALCON Small Business – There is still a bit of time to help influence the direction for the competition of this 5-year contract, as the RFP is not expected to be released until December. This is a recompete of the ASDOV contract currently held by A Square Group. This contract is tentatively set to go out on GSA MAS as a small business set-aside action, but USCIS has been clear that they are still conducting market research on this requirement.
Key Points of Contact for FALCON SB (Current and Past)
- Jessica Bernard, Deputy Chief, Verification Branch, USCIS – r.bernard@uscis.dhs.gov
- Rhonda Canell, Lead Contracting Officer, USCIS – l.canell@uscis.dhs.gov
- Stuart Sellears, Supervisory Contract Specialist, USCIS
- Danielle Hubbard, Small Business Specialist – Danielle.L.Hubbard@uscis.dhs.gov
- Heather Niquette, Small Business Specialist – V.Niquette@uscis.dhs.gov
FALCON – We covered this contract below in late August. The only significant changes are the addition of the industry day and Draft PWS, as well as the statement from USCIS that they remain conducting market research, and that are looking forward to discussing and receiving feedback on this requirement. More will be shared on these two procurements as they are available post-event.
Added August 29, 2023
It appears that the RFP for this 5-year FALCON contract to provide development, security, and operations (DevSecOps) services to support United States Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) Information Technology (IT) system delivery primarily VIS (Verification Information System) is set to go out in early FY 2024. More details, key points of contact and related data are included below.
The FALCON contract is a direct follow-on to a $49M joint application management, operations, and nextgen (JAMON) contract which was awarded to Slalom just last month without competition citing urgency.
In July, USCIS posted a limited source justification detailing a requirement to award a sole source order to Slalom to provide development, security, and operations (DevSecOps) services to support United States Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) Information Technology (IT) system delivery primarily VIS (Verification Information System). The stated rationale detailed that due to “issues experienced by the program office … the program office is in need for Slalom, the previous incumbent, to continue to provide critical expertise which they’ve been providing for the past 3.5 years.” … “The current VIPER task order is set to expire on July 11, 2023 … a separate twelve-month sole source will bridge the gap between the end of VIPER … and awarding this as a competed requirement in fiscal year 2024.” … “The government intends to procure new agile development services in the future to support IRNSD in FY24. The program and OCON have issued an sources sought notice via SAM.gov to ensure that in future acquisitions that the same type of support, thus eliminating the barriers to competition.” See the Limited-Sources Justification (LSJ) here.
The RFP for FALCON is expected to come out in late October as unrestricted competition on GSA MAS. The teams on this contract will be performing operations and maintenance activities and standardizing complex, large-scale, Internet-facing websites and IT systems will be located in an Amazon Web Services (AWS) cloud environment using forward-thinking, modern, open source technologies and managed cloud services with heavy customer engagement.
The competition is expected to be fierce, with companies, both small and large, working to influence the acquisition strategy.
Key Points of Contact for FALCON (Current and Past)
- Jessica Bernard, Deputy Chief, Verification Branch, USCIS – jessica.r.bernard@uscis.dhs.gov
- Rhonda Canell, Lead Contracting Officer, USCIS – rhonda.l.canell@uscis.dhs.gov
- Stuart Sellears, Supervisory Contract Specialist, USCIS
- Ben Hanner, Principal, Slalom
- Andrew Whitley, Solutions Architect, Slalom
Related
- Contract Award: $49.4M USCIS JAMON – Joint Application Management, Operations and Nextgen
- Slalom beats out 12 to win 3-year $96M VER Futures contract – see contract details and spend to date for contract 70SBUR19F00000029 here.
- Case Study: Slalom wins 3-year contract focused on modernizing the agency’s cloud-based systems including the public-facing E-Verify and SAVE systems
- $100M+ DHS USCIS Architecture, DevSecOps and Cloud Engineering Services Opportunity
- RFP Schedule pushed up for $50M+ DHS USCIS Data Strategy Support Services (DSSS) contract
- A dozen 2024 DHS USCIS RFP/RFQs expected to draw a crowd
- DHS Ponders standing up New Multiple-Award BPA for high performing DevSecOps teams
- 8(a), WOSB, HUBZone and SDVOSBs eye planned expansion of $1.5+ Billion DHS PACTS IDIQ
- Congressional Budget Justification Fiscal Year (FY) 2024 – DHS
- OS AI Feature: Four Emerging GovCon IT Companies that are Ripe and Ready to Roll in 2023 at DHS, DHA, VA, HHS and Treasury
- 20 DHS USCIS Focused 8(a) Small Businesses drawing attention as we enter 2023
- 10 Top RFP/RFQ Targets in 2023 at DHS USCIS
- New Small Business Alliances formed for some leading GovCon companies in FY 2022
- OS AI Resource: Grading the Federal Agency Opportunity Forecasts for fiscal year (FY) 2023
- 20 Federal National Security Focused Woman-Owned Small Businesses making big noise as we enter FY 2023
- Dozens of newly formed WOSB JVs will impact the 2023 Federal competitive landscape from CMS and VA to DHS, IRS, and DOD
- Bookmark It: OS AI GovCon Segment National Security IT and Consulting
Need a Partner? DHS USCIS Focused Consulting Firms drawing the most attention:
To support any companies looking for partners, included below is a list of the large and small business IT partners 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 USCIS.
- BridgePhase
- TechSur
- REI Systems **
- Pluribus Digital
- Zen Strategics
- Anika Systems
- Excella
- INADEV **
- Slalom
- Analytica
- Steampunk
- Capital Technology Group (CTG)
- Aretec/Aretec SBD JV
- ITC Federal **
- Akira
- Partner Forces
- Softrams **
- Leidos
- Dev Technology Group **
- CVP
- A Square Group **
- Alpha Omega Integration **
- IntelliBridge
- MetaPhase **
- CGI Federal **
- Accenture
- ICF **
- AVER
- Gunnison Consulting Group
- Sev1Tech
- Sciolex
- PRISM
- VerticalApps **
- Navitas Business Consulting
- Effectual
- Amivero **
- Solutions By Design (SBD)
- ADG Tech Consulting
- iTech AG **
- Disruptive Solutions
- GDIT **
** 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.
Looking to identify some of the top small and large partners supporting DHS USCIS? Click Here You can filter the list by several key indicators, to include socio-economic status, NAICS, Contract vehicle, etc.
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