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REQUEST FOR INFORMATION - Style Formatter for MS WORD

This Request for Information (RFI) is for planning purposes only and is being used solely as a market research tool in accordance with FAR Subpart 10.002(b). This is not a Request for Proposal (RFP), nor is a Request for Quotation (RFQ) nor is an announcement of a solicitation. Response is strictly voluntary, and the Government will not provide any reimbursement for any response for the effort expended in the preparation of a response by any vendor. Submission of a response to this RFI notice will not affect any potential offeror’s ability to submit a quotation/proposal in the future should funding become available and a solicitation is issued. There is no solicitation document associated with this RFI. There is no obligation on the part of the Government to acquire any product or service as a result of this RFI. Submissions made to the Government will not be returned. Information provided in this RFI is subject to change and is not binding upon the Government.

INTRODUCTION and BACKGROUND

The U.S. International Trade Commission’s (USITC) is an independent, quasi-judicial Federal agency with broad investigative responsibilities on matters of trade. The USITC’s mission is to: (1) administer U.S. trade remedy laws within its mandate in a fair and objective manner; (2) provide the President, the United States Trade Representative (USTR), and Congress with independent, quality analysis, information, and support on matters relating to tariffs and international trade and competitiveness; and (3) maintain the Harmonized Tariff Schedule of the United States.

As part of the USITC’s mission, under the Tariff Act of 1930, the Commission conducts ongoing factfinding investigations on any subject involving tariffs or international trade, including conditions of competition between U.S. and foreign industries, as requested from the President, the Senate Finance Committee, the House Ways and Means Committee, or the U.S. Trade Representative (USTR)—or on its own initiative. At the end of each investigation, the USITC submits a report to the requestor, which is afterwards released to the public, unless the requestor classifies it for national security reasons.

USITC must follow specific formatting rules so that its reports can be compliant with Section 508 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 and internal style guidance. USITC currently uses an in-house application, coded in C#, to apply consistent formatting to Microsoft Word documents. However, the current application is not supported by in-house staff resources needed to maintain and modify it as the USITC’s formatting standards evolve.

PURPOSE

The purpose of this RFI is to gather information to improve the USITC’s understanding of market capabilities and to identify vendors capable of providing a solution that can replace the current application that applies correct formatting to USITC’s Word documents.

The USITC is looking for information on solutions that meet the Commission’s objectives and that offer other options to improve productivity.

GENERAL REQUIREMENTS

General requirements include the system conforming to the USITC’s general development practices and that only USITC-approved development tools would be employed. The system would also need to adhere to all USITC security requirements and not be reliant on unmaintained third-party software libraries. In addition, the Commission would require training to staff on how to use the software tool, either through live trainings or written training documents.

The solution may be a customizable commercial off-the-shelf (COTS) product, custom developed software, or a mix of the two.

Ideally, the solution will:

1. Allow users to upload or submit a Word document as an input for processing. [REQUIRED]


2. Combine multiple Word documents and merge the documents into a single Word document. [PREFERRED]


3. Output and deliver formatted Word document files. [REQUIRED]


4. Apply and reformat styles to text contained within Word documents in accordance with USITC formatting and style standards. [REQUIRED]


5. Apply accessibility standards to ensure a Section 508-compliant final product.[Footnote 1] [REQUIRED]


6. Comply with accessibility requirements for screen reading software by integrating alt-text and allow accessibility tagging. [REQUIRED]


7. Format and handle tables, embedded excel figures, field objects (e.g., table and figure captions), embedded pictures and images (e.g., the system will not delete or alter illustrations (e.g., MS SmartArt), image files, graphics, and equations), and headings in accordance with USITC standards. [REQUIRED]


8. Will not impair Zotero [Footnote 2]-generated field objects that contain backend connections with private USITC Zotero cloud libraries. [PREFERRED]


9. Apply captions and remove embedded XML code linking tables and figures to external files. [REQUIRED]


10. Be accessible to all users on the agency’s internal network (ITCNET). [REQUIRED]


11. Must be transferrable and operable on a laptop that can be used within a secure facility to process national security information. [REQUIRED]


12. Allow access regardless of internal network connection type or location (e.g., on-site or remote VPN connection). [PREFERRED]


13. Be usable by at least five users. [REQUIRED]


14. Provide a user-friendly graphical interface for users. [PREFERRED]


15. Be supported and maintained by the vendor and must be able to be modified or updated (either by the vendor or by users) to reflect changes in 508 compliance guidance and internal USITC formatting guidelines.. [REQUIRED]

Footnote 1: For more information on Section 508 compliance, see U.S. Access Board "Section 508 Federal Electronic and Information-Technology," March 10, 2010.

Footnote 2: Zotero is a reference management software to manage bibliographic data and realted research materials. See https://www.zotero.org/

HOW TO RESPOND

Interested organizations responding to this RFI may provide a Capabilities Statement or other relevant information regarding the organization’s capabilities as they relate to the information contained herein. All responses should include the following information:

• Company name, address and website


• Company business size, socio-economic status


• Any contracts the organization currently holds (GSA Schedule, NASA SEWP, etc.),


• DUNS Number and Commercial and Government Entity (CAGE) Code


• Point-of-Contact name, position, telephone number and e-mail address


• Organizational experience and technical capabilities of the organization which meets the stated objectives.


• An overview of the leading solution(s) options your firm would recommend that take into account the information provided herein.


• Issues/concerns that should be considered by the USITC as part of any potential solicitation.

Interested organizations may submit a response to this Request for Information with the information requested above, and any other applicable information, on or before 10:00 AM, E.T. FRIDAY, JULY 28, 2023. Please email all documentation in PDF or WORD format to debra.bridge@usitc.gov AND ian.quillman@usitc.gov

Please include in the subject line of the email RFI # 34300023M0002: Word Document Style Formatter.

Organizations are discouraged from submitting any information deemed proprietary. However, if an organization chooses to submit proprietary information, the organization bears sole responsibility for marking said information as proprietary to ensure appropriate safeguarding by the Government. The Government shall not be held liable for any damages incurred if proprietary information is not properly identified. All submissions become the property of the Government and will not be returned.

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