DHS/CBP Commercial Solutions Opening - General Solicitation Release - Illegal...

*** Amendment is to strictly to post the Responses found  in the attachment- "Questions and Answers" 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), as extended, authorizes DHS to implement a pilot program to competitively procure innovative commercial items, technologies, and services using CSO procedures. The CSO acquisition mechanism provides a streamlined, flexible process and simplified contract terms designed to maximize efficiency and minimize administrative burden for both the Government and industry. DHS, U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP), Office of Acquisition (OA) will use 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. CBP will assess the value of Artificial Intelligence (AI) driven commercial solutions that identify imports which pose a high risk for illegal transshipment. The development and implementation of these private sector solutions will enable CBP to explore how cutting-edge technologies may be leveraged to inform enforcement actions that prevent high-risk imports from entering the U.S. and/or lead to the identification of additional duties owed. 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 an optional invitation for Oral Presentations/Technical Demonstrations. Phase 2  – Request for Full Proposal Submission. Potential submitters are hereby advised of the following: The solicitation for solution briefs is not a guarantee that award and obligation of funds will be made. 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. Submission and proposals are evaluated on their individual merits rather than on a comparative basis, and the Government has considerable latitude in determining which of the submitted proposals it will fund. All potential recipients of CSO awards must be registered in the System for Award Management (SAM) before the recipient is awarded the CSO contract. Submission Instructions: All questions or requests for clarifications regarding this solicitation must be electronically submitted in writing no later than 3:00 pm Eastern Standard Time, April 7, 2026 to aristide.horugavye@cbp.dhs.gov, 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-26-0001.” 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, April 24, 2026 to the following e-mail boxes: aristide.horugavye@cbp.dhs.gov, peter.a.giambone@cbp.dhs.gov & joshua.bedregal@cbp.dhs.gov.