Treasury IRS Digitization of Legal Files - MRAS

The Internal Revenue Service (IRS) is seeking contractor support to digitize the Chief Counsel Regulation files, which are currently stored in hard copy format. This initiative is in response to a directive from the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) and the National Archives and Records Administration (NARA) to manage government records electronically. The IRS aims to digitize these files to improve access, reduce storage fees, and ensure the preservation of important documents. The project will involve scanning the hard copy documents, converting them into searchable text using Optical Character Recognition (OCR), and potentially implementing a database solution for storage and retrieval. The contractor will also provide project management support, document preparation, user support services, and transition support if required.

The scope of work for this project includes several tasks. Task 1 involves project management support, with the contractor responsible for coordinating and managing the work, as well as communicating with the government's Contracting Officer's Representative (COR). Task 2 focuses on document preparation, where the contractor will prepare paper documents for scanning and reassemble them after scanning is completed. Task 3 involves document scanning/imaging, where the contractor will generate PDF images from the paper documents received for processing. Task 4 is about optical character recognition (OCR) text conversion, where the contractor will zone images for OCR conversion to create searchable text. Task 5 entails user support services, where the contractor will provide support to Chief Counsel staff to ensure that the scanned documents are searchable and usable. Finally, Task 6 is optional and involves transition support at the end of the project, where the contractor will facilitate the transition of contracted activities and services to Chief Counsel personnel or a follow-on contractor.

The contractor must have specialized experience and expertise in digitizing documents, including handling fragile sheets of paper, performing OCR at a minimum resolution of 300 dots per inch, creating PDF files at the document level, capturing metadata from hard copies, implementing quality control procedures, and providing a secure solution for search and retrieval of the digitized documents. The contractor must also comply with relevant standards and guidance, such as IRS Enterprise Life Cycle (ELC), IRS Enterprise Architecture (EA), Section 508 of the Rehabilitation Act, National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) guidelines, and Federal Information Security Management Act (FISMA) requirements.

The period of performance for this contract includes a 12-month base period and four 12-month option periods. The place of performance is primarily at the contractor's site, with reasonable access to the government site for meetings. The deliverables/work products include an orientation briefing, ramp-up/transition-in checklist, document scanning/imaging, OCR text conversion, user support services, and transition support if required. The contractor will be required to provide access to a software system for maintaining the scanned documents.

Overall, this opportunity presents a significant undertaking for a contractor to support the IRS in digitizing and managing important Chief Counsel Regulation files. The successful contractor will need expertise in document digitization, OCR technology, database solutions, project management, and user support services. Compliance with security requirements and accessibility standards is also crucial.