IRS seeks contractor to run nationwide credential program

The Internal Revenue Service is looking for a contractor to operate its identity, credential and access management program that manages ID cards and access for IRS employees and contractors.

In a draft performance work statement, the IRS describes its core requirements for the potential prime contractor:

• Credential issuance and management
• Lifecycle management
• Program management

The draft PWS also describes needs specific to those broad requirements such as issuing smart cards that are compliant with NIST standards. The contractor will manage the enrollment, activation and renewal of cards, collect credentials from employees who are leaving the IRS, and develop reports and metrics.

The solicitation documents call for 112 credentialing specialists, one program management and three deputies, 13 credentialing leads, and eight key personnel.

The contract will be a combination of a firm-fixed price contract and a labor hour contract. The draft PWS does not state the value or length of the contract. The IRS is still in the market research phase that will help it determine the structure of the contract.

The draft PWS describes some of the challenges of the initiative, including the need to support 73 locations across the U.S. and the territory of Puerto Rico. There can be no breaks in service longer than three days.

All contractor personnel have to go through background investigations on par with investigations of IRS employees.

The ICAM program also has to integrate with several IRS systems including USAccess, Time Trade, HR Connect and EPACS.

Federal law – Homeland Security Presidential Directive -12 to be exact – requires all employees and contractors to have standardized and secure credentials. This contract is part of IRS efforts to continue to comply with the law.