IRS releases $3 billion IT support RFP

The IRS issued a request for proposals today for its Total Information
Processing Support Services-3, which is valued at up to $3 billion over the life of the contract.

TIPSS-3 will provide systems support, security and business services for the Treasury Department and its agencies, the IRS National Procurement Office said in its notice.

The duration of the contract is for one year with four one-year options. It is a continuation of the broad range of IT services provided by previous Treasury IT support services contracts. Proposals are due Aug. 18. The IRS will award the contracts in 2005.

TIPSS-3 will result in up to 10 awards of varying contract types, including indefinite-delivery-indefinite quantity, cost-plus-fixed-fee, fixed price and time-and-materials, featuring term, completion and performance-based tasks. Each full-and-open competition contractor is guaranteed a minimum of $100,000 in work.

Although the variety of services possibly required is known, the specific tasks to be ordered and their distribution are not clear, IRS said in its RFP.

"The continuing emergence and rapid adoption of new technologies by the government strongly suggest that the nature of IT support services tasks will not necessarily resemble those of prior years," the agency's procurement office said.

IRS said the TIPSS-3 contracts would:

• Go beyond maintaining the use of current hardware, operating systems and software


• Advance the use of current systems, improve upon and streamline them, craft new applications and introduce new technologies as they emerge


• Give expert assistance in configuring and managing computer hardware, software and networks, in training customers, and in improving systems and network security


• Provide comprehensive studies and solutions for system development


• Fulfill requirements on short notice to accelerate development.