Social Security Wants Help Keeping Tabs on the Software Market

The Social Security Administration wants to spend less on tech and is looking for a vendor to help do its homework.

The agency issued a request for information last week for small businesses able to conduct market research on current software services and pricing, or what it calls “fair market value benchmark and optimization services.”

Citing cost-savings mandates in the Federal Information Technology Acquisition Reform Act, or FITARA, and the Making Electronic Government Accountable By Yielding Tangible Efficiencies, or MEGABYTE, Act, the agency wants to have a better understanding of the software marketplace at any given time to inform buying decisions, including whether to renew existing licenses or purchase new ones.

As part of its duties, the winning vendor would be asked to produce a fair market value report on demand for a particular software or company. Those reports would include:

• An analysis of proposed vendor pricing.
• Whether or not the proposed vendor pricing represents fair market value.
• Any opportunities for the agency to obtain more favorable pricing from the vendor.
• Opportunities for the agency to obtain more favorable terms and conditions from the vendor.
• Strategies for SSA to negotiate for more favorable pricing and terms from the vendor.

When requested, the vendor will be expected to produce the report within five business days and have staff available for three consultation calls for SSA officials to ask questions and get additional details.

The agency is specifically interested in hearing from small businesses under the $27.5 million size standard that are able to conduct this research.

Social Security plans to award the contract in time for a Sept. 1 start date. The contract will have a one-year base period with four additional one-year options.

Interested companies should email a capability statement package to SSA by 5 p.m. July 12.