DHS/CBP Commercial Solutions Opening - General Solicitation Release - Trade Solutions Pilot (TSP) - CSOP-BP-GS-25-0001

Description

The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Commercial Solutions Opening (CSO) is a Non- Federal Acquisition Regulation (FAR) based solicitation authority for acquiring innovative and commercial solutions. Section 880 of the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) for Fiscal Year 2017 (Pub. L. 114-328) authorized DHS to implement a pilot program to competitively procure innovative commercial items, technologies, and services using CSO procedures. CSO is a new acquisition mechanism that provides a streamlined acquisition process and simplified contract terms that is designed to maximize efficiency and economy and minimize burden and administrative costs for both the Government and industry.

The DHS, U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP), Office of Acquisition (OA) will use the CSO procedures to acquire innovative, commercial items, technologies and services currently in the production/commercialization phase as well as adaptations of existing commercial products. The CSO procedures are described throughout sections 1, 3, and 4 of the attached General Solicitation document. This General Solicitation announcement invites prospective offerors to respond to the attached solicitation document.

For purposes of this posting, “Innovative” is defined as follows:

Any item that is—

A new technology, process, or method as of the date of submission of a proposal; or

A new application or adaptation of an existing technology, process, or method as of the date of submission of a proposal.

The CSO solicitation process will include a multi-phased solicitation and evaluation approach: Phase 1 – Submission and Evaluation of the Written Solution Brief, which may also include optional an invitation for Oral Presentations/Technical Demonstrations, and Phase 2- Request for Full Proposal Submission.

Potential submitters are hereby advised of the following:

1. The solicitation for solution briefs is not a guarantee that award and obligation of funds will be made.
2. The costs incurred by companies in the preparation and submission of their solution briefs in response to solicitations will not be paid by the government.
3. Submission and proposals are evaluated on its individual merits rather than on a comparative basis, and the Government has considerable latitude in determining which of the submitted proposals it will fund.
4. All potential recipients of CSO awards must be registered in the System for Award Management (SAM) before the recipient is awarded the CSO contract.
5. Section 3 of the attached General Solicitation document provides for two different response submission dates. CBP intends to issue CSO awards in the current Fiscal Year but may elect to issue additional awards in the following Fiscal Year.
   
   a) Submission Window 1:
   All questions or requests for clarifications regarding this solicitation must be electronically submitted in writing no later than 3:00 pm Eastern Standard Time, June 20, 2025 to peter.a.giambone@cbp.dhs.gov & joshua.bedregal@cbp.dhs.gov. The subject of the e-mail must be titled “Request for Clarifications re: CSOP-BP-GS-25-0001.” Requests, questions, or comments which are time stamped after the question due date and time may not be accepted, nor receive a response from the Government, in the sole discretion of the CO.
   
   Written solution briefs as described in section 3.2 of this solicitation must be submitted electronically by 3:00 pm Eastern Standard Time, July 7, 2025 to the following e-mail boxes: peter.a.giambone@cbp.dhs.gov & joshua.bedregal@cbp.dhs.gov.
   
   b) Submission Window 2:
   Written solution briefs as described in section 3.2 of this solicitation submitted after Window 1 (07/07/2025) must be submitted electronically by 3:00 pm Eastern Standard Time, June 30, 2026, to the following e-mail boxes: peter.a.giambone@cbp.dhs.gov & joshua.bedregal@cbp.dhs.gov. Solution brief submissions received in Window 2 will receive a follow-up message from the CO acknowledging receipt of the submitter’s submission and the CO will provide further expectations on the timeline for review and evaluation. Solution briefs submitted under Window 2 will be reviewed and evaluated in the order they are received and will be after Window 1 submissions.

Please review the attached solicitation instructions for submission instructions and evaluation procedures.

See attachments:

1. Solicitation Document: “CSOP-BP-GS-25-0001_Trade Solutions Solicitation_06.013.25_FINAL”
2. Statement of Work: “Trade Solutions Pilot SOW_06.13.25_FINAL”