Research Report on Supply China Vulnerabilities from China in U.S. Federal IT Procurement
REQUEST FOR PROPOSALS:
May 11, 2017
PERIOD OF PROPOSAL SUBMISSION ENDS:
June 14, 2017
ABOUT PROPOSALS. The U.S.-China Economic and Security Review Commission (hereafter "the Commission") invites submission of proposals to provide a one-time unclassified report on supply chain vulnerabilities from China in U.S. federal information technology (IT) procurement.
ABOUT THE COMMISSION. The Commission was established by Congress in 2000 to monitor and report to Congress on the national security implications of the bilateral trade and economic relationship between the United States and the People's Republic of China. Further details about the Commission are available on its website at: www.uscc.gov.
The Commission solicits this research pursuant to its Congressional mandate (contained in P.L. 113-291, Section 1259B), which states, "The Commission ... shall investigate and report ... on..."
"(B) The qualitative and quantitative nature of the transfer of United States production activities to the People's Republic of China, including the relocation of manufacturing, advanced technology and intellectual property, and research and development facilities, the impact of such transfers on the national security of the United States (including the dependence of the national security industrial base of the United States on imports from China)..."
The scope of this report will be the following:
This report will be a reference guide for policymakers on how the U.S. government manages risks associated with Chinese-made products and services and the participation of Chinese companies in its information technology (IT) supply chains.
The Commission requires that all proposals include a clear definition of "U.S. government IT supply chains," which will delineate the scope of research put forward by the contractor. Proposals may offer multiple options regarding the scope and coverage of their proposals and, as appropriate, potentially different contract costs.
This report's key research requirements are:
1. Provide a summary of the laws, regulations, and other requirements since the passage of the Federal Information Technology Acquisition Reform Act governing supply chain security in government procurement of IT systems and components, to include a discussion of the various stakeholders and bureaucratic processes involved and IT risk management (e.g., OMB Memorandum M-15-14, OMB Circular A-11, and OMB Circular A-130). How does the U.S. government currently manage the risk from foreign-made products and foreign firms participating in its IT procurement? Compare and contrast the risk management process for non-national security and national-security-related IT procurement.
2. Evaluate China's participation in the U.S. government IT supply chains in the context of China's role in the global IT supply chain. Describe how Chinese firms and Chinese-made IT products and services enter U.S. government IT supply chains. How reliant are the U.S. government and U.S. government IT contractors on Chinese firms and Chinese-made IT products and services? How, if at all, do the Chinese government, Chinese firms, or Chinese-made products and services pose a risk to the integrity of U.S. government IT supply chains, for U.S. economic health, and for U.S. national security interests?
3. Assess loopholes and other points of vulnerability in the system described in Key Question #1, if any, particularly for IT products and services designated as high risk by the U.S. government's Chief Information Officers. Evaluate whether the Chief Information Officers adequately assess risk in their ratings of IT products and services. Identify any gaps in this risk determination. What risks do these loopholes and other points of vulnerability pose to the integrity of U.S. government IT supply chains, for U.S. economic health, and for U.S. national security interests? Identify the areas of greatest vulnerability. How are these vulnerabilities likely to evolve in the next 5-10 years as a result of new developments in the Internet of Things, data analytics, cloud computing, and artificial intelligence?
4. Assess why the loopholes and other points of vulnerability discussed in Key Question #3 exist, if any, and explain factors contributing to the challenge of supply chain insecurity (e.g., lack of domestic capacity, technology transfers through joint ventures or acquisitions, partner or global supply chain structures, etc.). How are these loopholes and vulnerabilities expected to shift in the next 5-10 years, particularly as Chinese firms move up the value-added chain?
5. Assess how the U.S. government manages the risks associated with Chinese firms and Chinese-made products and services to its IT procurement supply chains. Are these measures sufficient? How, if at all, have the Chinese government, Chinese companies, or Chinese products and services exploited or could exploit these loopholes and vulnerabilities? Provide a comprehensive description of cases in which the Chinese government, Chinese companies, or Chinese products have been implicated in connection with U.S. supply chain vulnerabilities or exploitation. What are the implications of these cases for the integrity of U.S. government IT supply chains, for U.S. economic health, and for U.S. national security interests? What steps, if any, has the U.S. government taken to close such loopholes and vulnerabilities? Assess the success of these steps.
6. Provide detailed recommendations to minimize the risk that Chinese government, companies, or products may pose to U.S. government IT supply chains.
The report should include an executive summary of the report's key findings; a brief overview of the sources and analytic methodology used for the report; and a brief explanation of the scope and limitations of the report.
Additional Requirements:
1. Prior to the award of any contract, the contractor must be registered in the federal System for Award Management (SAM).
2. Once the Commission selects a contractor for this project, and a contract is signed, public notice of this may be made on the Commission's website.
3. The Commission's goal is to have a report prepared for review in a timely fashion. In ordinary circumstances, once the Commission selects a contractor and a contract is signed, a draft report must be submitted to the Commission for review no later than 90 days from the date the contract is signed. The Commission will then endeavor to provide comments and requests for adjustments within 30 days; subsequently, the final report must be submitted within 30 days of formal receipt of the Commission's comments. The Commission recognizes, under certain circumstances, a contractor may wish to have more time to prepare the first draft of the report under the contract. The contractor, in their contract proposal, should stipulate the time frame for submission of the draft report. It is to be understood; however, that time is of the essence in completing research contracts for the Commission.
4. As work on the report progresses, the Commission's Research Director shall act as the Commission's representative in monitoring the progress, quality, and responsiveness of the report to the major issues of concern identified in this Request for Proposals (RFP). The Research Director shall, on request to the contractor, be entitled to informal briefings on the status of the research work and to readings of the draft in progress.
5. The report shall be free of typographical errors and conform to the Chicago Manual of Style. Upon receipt of all drafts, the Commission will inspect the document for typographical errors and deviations from the Chicago Manual of Style guidelines. At the discretion of the Commission, if a draft contains excessive deficiencies, the Commission will return the draft to the contractor and request the contractor cure the draft of deficiencies within five (5) working days (not counting weekends and Federal holidays). Upon resubmission of the draft by the contractor to the Commission, should deficiencies remain, the Commission, at its discretion, will submit the draft to its copyeditor for correction, the cost of which ($45.34 per hour) will be deducted from the final cost of the contract. The contract shall be subject to termination if the Commission deems that the work is of unsatisfactory quality.
6. At the Commission's discretion, the report procured via this RFP may be posted on the Commission's website.
7. Each organization or individual responding to this request must warrant they will perform this work solely for the Commission, and the resulting report will not be shared with other parties without the prior written consent of the Commission.
8. The Commission expects contractors to identify all personnel working on the contract, and that there will not be any delegation of responsibilities to other parties without prior written approval of the Commission.
9. After completion of the report, the Commission staff, in consultation with the contractor, will prepare a short summary of the research for posting on the Commission's website and other media. The Commission staff shall consult with the contractor in preparing said document.
10. At the discretion and request of the Commission, the contractor shall, within a year after publication of the report, agree to participate in up for two (2) separate briefings, and up to one (1) public hearing, held by the Commission, of up to two (2) hours each in the Washington, DC area, supported by at least one (1) individual affiliated with the contractor identified as "key personnel." This could include, but not necessarily be limited to, briefing the content of the research to Commissioners and Commission staff, appearing as witnesses at a public hearing held by the Commission, briefing the content of the research to Members of Congress and/or their staff, or a public webinar or other web-based release. No additional remuneration will be provided to the contractor for these briefings or a hearing. The Commission will make a good faith effort to schedule briefings and a hearing at times that are subject to mutual agreement.
Primary Selection Criteria:
1. The Commission will determine which organization or individual responding to this request will be awarded the contract based on a comprehensive "best value" analysis of the proposals received, to include costs, technical value, and ability to complete the work satisfactorily and on time, and past performance with the Commission, if applicable.
2. The primary weighting criterion in selection shall be the assessed qualifications and ability of an organization or individual to address the fundamental research points enunciated above ("key research requirements").
3. The cost and amount of time necessary to complete the report will also be considered as criteria in the selection process.
Proposal submissions should include:
1. A statement of the applicant's relevant qualifications to satisfy the terms of this RFP, to include curricula vitae for personnel intended for work on the project.
2. Identification of the principal researchers who will be responsible for the preparation of the report. It is understood that the designation of the researchers is a critical element of the proposal, and any changes regarding which individuals will be involved in the report's preparation must be approved by the Commission in advance and in writing.
3. A description of the research methodology the applicant proposes to employ. In describing methodology, the submission should provide detailed descriptions of the sources and methods that will be used to research the report's topic and the extent to which Chinese language sources, if any, and other primary materials will be used.
4. A list of any entities for whom you have conducted research or provided consulting services in the past. The Commission understands you may be limited in providing such information by confidentiality agreements.
5. An estimate of the time the applicant will need to complete the required work.
6. The price the applicant will charge to the Commission to complete the work set forth in this RFP.
Organizations and individuals wishing to submit a proposal in response to this RFP must ensure that the response arrives at the location noted below by 5:30PM (EST) on June 14, 2017, or it will not be accepted or considered.
Electronic submissions are acceptable.
Proposals, as well as inquiries or any other correspondence related to this matter, should be directed to:
Katherine Koleski
Research Director
U.S.-China Economic and Security Review Commission
Hall of the States, Suite 602
444 North Capitol Street NW
Washington, DC 20001
phone: 202-624-1482
e-mail: kkoleski@uscc.gov
Katherine Koleski, Research Director, Phone 202-624-1482, Fax 202-624-1406, Email kkoleski@uscc.gov
