Submitting Unsolicited Proposals to the Dept. of Homeland Security

The Dept. of Homeland Security is made up of several agencies, including

  • US Coast Guard
  • Customs & Border Protection
  • Federal Emergency Management Agency
  • Federal Law Enforcement Training Centers
  • Immigration & Customs Enforcement
  • US Secret Service
  • Transportation Security Administration

 

If you feel that your firm has a product or service which may be of interest to one of these agencies, then you can submit an unsolicited proposal.

An unsolicited proposal is a proposal for an innovative product or service that is not in response to a government-initiated notice – RFP, RFQ, IFB, Sources Sought, and so on.

Unsolicited proposals are NOT advertising materials; an alternative or replacement to an existing supply item; or a concept or idea not yet realized.

First, check carefully to make sure that your product/service – or something similar – is not already commercially available to the government. Look at commercial sites like Google, and check out FedBizOpps.gov and the Federal Procurement Data System.

 

Federal Acquisition Regulation FAR Part 15.6 lists the specific criteria that must be met before an unsolicited proposal can be submitted. A valid unsolicited proposal is

  • innovative and unique
  • independently originated and developed
  • prepared without Government supervision, endorsement or direction
  • written in sufficient detail so that the agency can determine if the proposed product/service could be useful to their mission
  • not a proposal for a requirement that can be acquired by competitive methods
  • does not address a previously published agency requirement

 

DHS funds programs in a two-year cycle, so consider making your proposal valid through the end of the FY in which you submit and through the end of the following FY,  and break the project into small, discrete phases, which could be separately funded should money become available.

A complete listing of unsolicited proposal points of contact is available at http://www.dhs.gov/unsolicited-proposals

 

 

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