The requirement supports the procurement software and associated support services for use by volunteer tax preparers under the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) Electronic Tax Software Application (ETSA) project. The objective is to ensure reliable, secure, a

RFQ 2043FY-26-R-00007, for Electronic Tax Preparation and Transmission Software Support (ETSA), details requirements for a commercial off-the-shelf software solution. Key compliance mandates include IRS Publication 4812, NIST SP 800-53, and NIST SP 800-61, all due within two weeks of award. The IRS does not anticipate integration with existing systems. The contract type is Firm Fixed Price, requiring detailed cost breakdowns and annual software license renewals. Offerors must provide three past performance references and a staffing plan for all performance periods. Key personnel are subject to approval and background checks. Proposals will be evaluated using a Best Value Tradeoff approach, with technical capability and past performance being more important than price. Deliverables include weekly and monthly management reports. The government will provide IRS Common Operating Environment requirements and the incumbent vendor is Rhodes Computer Services, Inc.

Amendment 0001 to Solicitation 2043FY-26-R-00007, issued by the Office of Procurement Operations, addresses questions from prospective offerors. This amendment incorporates the Government’s official responses to these questions. It explicitly states that the proposal due date remains May 28, 2026, at 12:00 PM Eastern Time (ET), and no extensions will be granted. Furthermore, the Government will not consider or respond to any additional questions regarding this solicitation. Offerors must acknowledge receipt of this amendment by signing and returning the SF-30 form as per Section IV of the solicitation to ensure their offer is not rejected.

The IRS's Quality Assurance Surveillance Plan (QASP) outlines methods to monitor a contractor providing tax preparation software and support for IRS assistance programs. Governed by FAR 46.4, the plan defines roles, performance objectives, and evaluation methodologies, ensuring the government pays only for services received. The contractor is responsible for quality control, while the IRS monitors performance against established standards and acceptable quality levels (AQLs) outlined in a Performance Requirements Summary Matrix. Incentives include full payment and positive past performance ratings for meeting standards, and deductions or negative ratings for shortfalls. Surveillance techniques include COR monitoring, inspection, testing, random sampling, reports, and user complaints. Performance is monitored in two phases annually, with reports submitted to the Contracting Officer. Failure to meet AQLs may result in corrective action plans, negative past performance ratings in CPARS, or contract termination. Regular meetings are held to review performance and resolve issues.

This document, "Attachment 3 – Applicable IRS Publications," provides a list of essential IRS publications and revenue procedures relevant to federal, state, and local agencies, as well as e-file providers and volunteers. These publications cover a range of topics including tax information security guidelines (Publication 1075), volunteer assistance programs (Publications 5683 and 4012), and comprehensive guidance for authorized IRS e-file providers (Publications 1345, 1436, and Revenue Procedure 2007-40). Additionally, the document references publications on IRS e-file application and participation (Publication 3112), modernized e-file systems for software developers (Publication 4164), and contractor security and privacy controls (Publication 4812). The specified revision dates, extending up to 2025, indicate that these are current or forthcoming versions. This attachment is crucial for entities involved in tax preparation, e-filing, and tax information security, ensuring compliance and operational guidelines for government contracts, grants, and related services.

Attachment 1 outlines the roles and responsibilities of various users within a system, detailing the permissions assigned to each. The user types include Administrator, Super User, Return Preparer, Template Manager, Interviewer, Reviewer, and E-File Manager. Permissions cover a range of tasks such as marking returns complete, sending returns to the IRS, deleting returns, opening existing returns, printing returns, querying returns, managing templates, adding/editing users, creating new returns, moving returns between users, viewing all returns, resetting user passwords, and viewing/receiving acknowledgements. The Administrator has the broadest set of permissions, while other roles have specialized access tailored to their specific functions. This document is crucial for understanding user access control and operational workflow within the system, particularly relevant for government RFPs, federal grants, and state/local RFPs where secure and differentiated access to sensitive information is paramount.

This government solicitation (RFP No. 2043FY-26-R-00007) from the IRS Office of Procurement Operations seeks proposals for Electronic Tax Preparation and Transmission Software Support. The contract aims to secure commercial off-the-shelf (COTS) software, user support, training, and reporting capabilities for the IRS's Volunteer Income Tax Assistance (VITA) and Tax Counseling for the Elderly (TCE) programs across approximately 12,000 global sites. The software must facilitate accurate preparation and e-filing of federal, state, and local tax returns, support both web-based and desktop operations, and include a taxpayer portal. Key requirements include comprehensive reporting features, a robust help desk available during extended filing seasons, adherence to regulatory, security, and privacy standards, and detailed knowledge transfer plans for both ramp-up and ramp-down phases. The contract also outlines specific training requirements for volunteers and detailed schedules for various deliverables and performance periods extending from June 2026 to June 2031.

The document is a Past Performance Questionnaire (Attachment 6) used by the IRS Procurement Office to evaluate an offeror's past performance for the Electronic Tax Preparation and Transmission Support (ESTA) project. It includes specific questions across various performance areas such as quality, timeliness, cost control, business relations, and customer satisfaction. Respondents are asked to rate the contractor as Acceptable, Unacceptable, or Neutral for each question and provide supporting comments. The questionnaire defines each rating category, with 'Acceptable' indicating performance that met or exceeded requirements with minor, resolved issues; 'Unacceptable' signifying failure to meet requirements with ineffective corrective actions; and 'Neutral' assigned when there is insufficient or irrelevant performance information. Key evaluation areas include issue identification and mitigation, document preparation, government oversight, project management, technology utilization, cost/schedule management, transparency, stakeholder management, personnel resources, labor mix, communication, and subcontractor management. The completed questionnaire is to be emailed to specified IRS procurement contacts.

This government file outlines two critical attachments for federal government RFPs, federal grants, and state/local RFPs: an Initial Staffing Plan and a Monthly Workforce Report. The Initial Staffing Plan (Attachment 1) requires offerors to detail their proposed staffing for base and option periods, including employer company, labor category, employee information, estimated level of effort (LoE) in hours or FTEs, and work location. This attachment must be marked "CUI//SP-PRVCY." The Monthly Workforce Report (Attachment 2) is a post-award deliverable, requiring contractors to submit a certified report within five business days after each monthly billing cycle. It aggregates data across all subcontractors, detailing billing period, employer, labor category, employee names, PIV numbers, work status, hours worked, work location, contract start/end dates, and contact information. A key instruction for this report is a certification signed by an authorized company officer, affirming that small business prime and similarly situated subcontractors collectively performed at least 51 percent of the total contract cost for personnel during the reporting period, ensuring compliance verification by the Contracting Officer.

This government file, "Attachment 2 – Deliverables," outlines the required deliverables for a contract, likely a federal or state RFP, focusing on software, support, and training. Key deliverables include 8,500 perpetual software licenses and optional increments, along with their distribution via internet and CD/DVD. User guides, both printed and online, are mandated, as are final desktop software versions with updates. Critical components involve a draft and finalized disaster recovery and business continuity plan, including annual test results. The contract also requires various reports, such as weekly, monthly, and ad hoc management reports, deployment metrics, helpdesk support metrics, and call logs. Training, including online and face-to-face sessions, webinars, practice environments, and training materials in English and Spanish, is a significant deliverable. The document also specifies system downtime and restoration notifications, a period of performance summary report, and access for the program office to software and user guides for transition activities. An optional certificate of data destruction is also listed for the transition phase out.

This government file is a glossary, Attachment 5, providing definitions for terms relevant to federal government RFPs, particularly within the context of tax preparation and related services. Key terms include acronyms like AARP (American Association of Retired Persons), AGI (Adjusted Gross Income), COE (Common Operating Environment), COR (Contracting Officer's Representative), CSIRC (Computer Security Incident Response Center), DTAR (Department of the Treasury Acquisition Regulation), EFT (Electronic Funds Transfer), EIN (Employer Identification Number), EITC (Earned Income Tax Credit), FAQ (Frequently Asked Questions), and FAR (Federal Acquisition Regulation). It also defines roles such as Administrator, Contractor/Vendor/Offeror, and E-File Manager, and concepts like Professional Desktop Version, Deployment Metrics Report for Ordering and Shipping, and Facilitated Self Assistance. The glossary clarifies technical and operational terms for parties involved in providing software and support services to the IRS, ensuring a common understanding of terminology used in federal acquisition and tax program administration.