R -- R -- ON-LINE AUTOMATED VALUATION OF RESIDENTAL REAL ESTATE

Notice Date

July 3, 2001

Contracting Office

Department of the Treasury, Internal Revenue Service (IRS), National Office Procurement (A:P), 6009 Oxon Hill Road, Suite 700, Oxon Hill, MD, 20745

ZIP Code

20745

Solicitation Number

TIRNO-01-Q-00172

Response Due

July 20, 2001

Point of Contact

Helen Carmona, Contract Specialist, Phone 202-283-1514, Fax 202-283-1514, Email helen.d.carmona@irs.gov -- Helen Carmona, Contract Specialist, Phone 202-283-1514, Fax 202-283-1514, Email helen.d.carmona@irs.gov

Description

This is a combined synopsis/RFQ for commercial items prepared in accordance with the format in Subparts 12 & 13, as supplemented with additional information included in this Notice. This notice constitutes the only RFQ; proposals are being requested via this notice; a separate solicitation will not be issued. The IRS seeks contractor services to provide on-line automated valuation of residential real estate in the major population centers of the US. The North American Industry Classification System code is 531320; the small business size standard is $1.5 million. The RFQ number is TIRNO-01-Q-00172. A fixed-rate, indefinite delivery/indefinite quantity, task order contract will be awarded from this RFQ. The guaranteed min is $10,000/max is $750,000 per contract YR. Offers are due 3:00 PM, EST, FRI. JULY 20, 2001; at Rm. 700 at the above address. Submit questions via e-mail to helen.d.carmona@irs.gov. This RFQ & the incorporated clauses/provisions are those in effect through Federal Acquisition Circular 97-27 (as of 04/25/01). The following FAR clauses/provisions apply to this solicitation: FAR provisions: 52.212-1 and 52.212-2; FAR clauses: 52.212-4 and 52.212-5. The following FAR clauses cited in clause 52.212-5 paragraphs (a) & (b) are applicable: 52.222-26; 52.222-35; 52.222-36; 52.222-37; 52.217-8, & 52.217-9. FAR clause 52.212-3 must be submitted with any offer. These & all other FAR clauses referenced in this CBD/RFQ notice are accessible via the INTERNET at http://www.arnet.gov.far. PERFORMANCE PERIOD -- 12 mo. from the date of award with 4, 1 YR options. PRICE: There is only 1 contract line item number (CLIN); however, it is highly desirable that vendors propose 2 different payment methods. First -- On a per 'hit' basis. It is highly desirable that the IRS be charged each time a positive response on an address is received with the exception of a 2nd request on the same address with 30 days to allow for quality review research. Second -- A flat monthly rate for unlimited 'hits' to the database. The IRS estimates the need to access the system approximately 2,700 times per month for real-estate valuation. This is required to allow the IRS to perform quality review of completed Offer in Compromise (OIC) submissions without incurring additional processing costs. It is highly desirable that the IRS is not charged for a hit when the Contractor is unable to provide a property valuation report. Likewise, it is highly desirable that multiple requests on the same address shall only be charged one hit per calendar month. The Contractor shall provide all associated services & otherwise do all things necessary for or incidental to providing on-line real estate valuation services to the IRS. The proposed rates shall be applicable for all contract periods. CLIN 0001 -- On-line automated valuation reports on residential real estate. GEN. INFO -- IRS Small Business/Self-Employed (SB/SE) Operating Div. will proceed with centralization of certain OIC processes. To that end, SB/SE requires the services of a contractor with an established methodology and the demonstrated experience/expertise to provide on-line, via the Internet, automated valuation of residential real estate in the major population centers of the US. The IRS seeks Contractor assistance in valuation of real property identified in the centralized processing of taxpayer OIC submissions. Information shall be available that incorporates nearly all-major metropolitan areas of the US. WORK REQUIREMENTS -- The system employed shall provide instant property valuation for the subject property based entirely on comparable sales data where available and on data correlation and/or other statistical interpretations of market value when direct comparison is not available. The Contractor shall provide on-line access to automated valuation results on residential real estate that estimates the most likely current selling price of a property. It is highly desirable for each report to contain a confidence indicator or score to assist the IRS to determine how well the data set supported the valuation analysis, along with a listing of any comparable sales utilized. Billing shall be by unique user ID and contain sufficient detail to allow validation of charges against current OIC case inventory. The Contractor shall maintain records of each IRS employee's activity on the system, including, but not limited to: Log-in and log-out times, or Log-in time and duration of session and Number of searches. At a minimum, the Contractor shall maintain records of the maximum number of users accessing the system each hour, during the periods from 7:00 AM EST through 1:00 AM EST of the following day. The Contractor shall provide this system usage report for every day the system has been accessed. It is highly desirable that all reports (monthly/quarterly/annually) be loaded to a URL for access by the COTR for billing validation and system monitoring purposes. Reports shall be in the following formats: Contracting Officer's Technical Representative's (COTR) Report -- This report shall provide the overall total billing for the entire contract package, subtotaled by each of the System Administrators' coverage areas. System Administrator's Report (SAR): -- This report shall provide the total billing for each System Administrator's coverage area (Holtsville, NY and Memphis, TN), subtotaled by each of the sites. The Contractor shall provide 700 unique user IDs for use by employees in Holtsville, NY and Memphis, TN and analysts in Wash., DC. The user IDs shall provide access to services giving the IRS the widest data match possible. Service lapses shall not exceed 1 day. If the Contractor is not able to provide on-line access for any period exceeding 1 day, the Contractor shall notify the COTR with a description/explanation of the problem and the anticipated service restoration date. TECHNICAL REQUIREMENTS -- System access shall be available via the INTERNET using a WINDOWS-NT operating system. INTERNET Access -- The IRS requires secure access to a commercial web-server maintained by the Contractor. This secure access may be accomplished through the installation of a dedicated T1 circuit (or multiple fractional T1 circuits from regional access points) between selected nodes on the Contractor's network and the IRS Intranet, along with the installation of routers and appropriate "firewall" software. The product shall be accessible using standard web browser software. The Contractor shall ensure that any web-based service eliminates any security concerns regarding the use of Java applets, ActiveX or similar client-side processing. WINDOWS Access (Windows 95/98/NT) -- The IRS requires the product to be available using modem and Dial-Up networking connections. Modem access shall be available at the fastest commercially available speed that is compatible with IRS equipment. However, slower modem speeds shall also be accommodated. Access shall be via local and/or toll-free, on-line telephone numbers. The Contractor shall support PPP and/or SLIP access protocols. Any Windows NT-based locator service software shall be compatible with 32-bit architecture. MANAGEMENT AND CONTROL REQUIREMENTS -- "OFFICIAL USE ONLY" Material. In the course of this contract, U.S. Gov't, Treasury, and IRS material marked "Official Use Only" and other proprietary information may be provided to the Contractor. The Contractor shall use such information for the purposes of this contract only. Such material shall be kept under lock and key when not in use. PHYSICAL AND COMPUTER SECURITY OF FEDERAL TAX INFORMATION -- The Contractor shall provide security measures to protect sensitive but unclassified (SBU) data from unauthorized access during duty/non-duty hours. At a minimum, IRS requires the following: SBU data shall be used only in an area that is restricted or secured or in a security room. When not in use or during off-duty hours, SBU data in hard copy format (e.g., paper or diskette) shall be stored in locked containers. All computer systems receiving, processing, storing, or transmitting sensitive but unclassified information, shall have the follow minimum-security standards (see NOTE below). Contractors receiving FEDERAL RETURN INFORMATION shall conduct and document periodic inspections during the year to ensure that the physical and computer safeguards are adequate. These safeguard inspections are subject to oversight and review by IRS employees. The inspection records shall be filed in a separate folder, and for the purposes of meeting IRC Section 6103(p)(4) requirements, shall be retained for a minimum of 3 YRS. The documented periodic inspections shall be submitted in accordance with the REPORTING AND REVIEW REQUIREMENTS (see NOTE below). The Contractor shall track security violations by IRS users and provide records of these occurrences to the COTR. Security violations in this context would include simultaneous use of the same log-in and password, failure of a user to log off of the system, or other system integrity issues for which the Contractor systemically monitors. The Contractor shall include an automatic feature that shall log off the user after an extended period of inactivity. It is highly desirable that the length of time that triggers this feature can be altered at the request of the IRS. It is highly desirable that, on an ad-hoc basis when requested by the COTR, the Contractor provides a report detailing all system activity of a specific user. (NOTE -- for further information, request via e-mail the COMPUTER SECURITY and PHYSICAL and COMPUTER SECURITY REPORTING and REVIEW REQUIREMENTS). DELIVERABLES/REPORTS -- Deliver the requested property valuation reports on-line to the requestor via the Internet using Internet Explorer 4.0 or later. Billing shall be by user ID with sufficient detail to allow validation of charges against current OIC case inventory. Maintain records of each IRS employee's activity on the system, including, but not limited to: Log-in and log-out times, or Log-in time and duration of session. Number of searches -- Maintain records of the maximum number of users accessing the system each hour, between 7:00 AM -- 1:00 AM EST of the following day. EVALUATION CRITERIA: (a) This requirement will be processed under FAR 13.5. When acquiring commercial items using the procedures in FAR 13.5, the requirements of FAR 12 apply, subject to the order of precedence provided at FAR 12.102(c). Offers will be evaluated in accordance with FAR 13.106-2, Evaluation of Quotations or Offers. The IRS will award a contract resulting from this RFQ to the responsible offeror whose offer, conforming to the RFQ, will be most advantageous to the Government, price & other factors considered. The following factors will be used to evaluate offers: Criteria 1 -- PAST PERFORMANCE/EXPERIENCE: Via reference checks, the IRS will evaluate information that describes the offeror's past performance record with at least 3 -- 5 firms the Offeror is currently doing business with or has provided similar services to within the last 6 mos. Criteria 2 -- CAPACITY: The IRS will evaluate the Vendor's methodology to provide a 'fair market value' calculation that includes the comparable sales when that is the method used to derive fair market value. The IRS will evaluate the proposed methodology of training (new and refresher). The Offeror shall document how the proposed system satisfies the requirements of 508 (request via e-mail a copy of the 508 evaluation requirements). Offers will be evaluated based on past performance/experience, capacity and price, with past performance/experience and capacity of equal weight and more important than price. Offerors shall submit their offer using a combination of standardized and customized materials not exceeding 30 PG.=20

Web Link

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Record

Loren Data Corp. 20010706/RSOL012.HTM (D-184 SN50Q7J6)