Customs Needs A Vendor To Manage Financial IT In And Out Of Agency Borders
A customs agent wears a patch for the U.S. Customs and Border Protection agency. Mark Lennihan/AP
By
Aaron Boyd
Customs and Border Protection is looking for information on a single vendor to support its financial systems and prepare to become a shared services center.
U.S. Customs and Border Protection is looking for an IT services vendor to steward its existing financial systems while helping the agency deploy and integrate new systems, some of which might be used beyond the agency’s borders.
Agency contracting officers put together a draft blanket purchase agreement and statement of work and released a request for information Tuesday looking for feedback.
Specifically, CBP needs a contractor who can provide “business process and business intelligence support services related primarily to operations and maintenance, help desk support, user training, reports, minor upgrades and enhancements” for the agency’s financial systems.
The winning vendor—assuming a solicitation is issued and awarded—should also be able to support “special projects or initiatives” around development and integration of new systems. More often than not, these projects will involve integrating systems with SAP software, according to the RFI.
“These special projects may include supporting the migration, implementation and systems maintenance for non-CBP organizations as part of any shared services type program,” the RFI notes. The potential need to integrate with other departments is key, as financial systems are seen a prime area to share services with other federal agencies.
“As a result of CBP’s success with SAP and its reputation within DHS as a leader in financial management and systems, [the Office of Finance] may at some time in the future establish a shared services program for interested federal organizations and/or DHS components,” according to the statement of work.
The draft documents don’t mention a potential dollar ceiling for the contract.
The draft statement of work puts the base period of performance at one year, with four one-year options. The work would be done in Washington, D.C., and Indianapolis, Indiana.
The border security agency is specifically looking for offers with contracts on IT Schedule 70, the General Services Administration’s technology procurement vehicle. The SOW includes a detailed list of tasks and requirements.