April 26, 2013 by David Olive

Our friend Bob Namejko, one of the more helpful people in the Office of the Chief Procurement at DHS, sent a “heads-up” notice that ought to get more than passing interest from the private sector. Yesterday, DHS posted a Request for Information (RFI) on FedBizOpps (solicitation number RUPC-13-APFS) seeking comments and suggestions on the data fields in the DHS Acquisition Planning Forecast System (APFS).

The RFI’s purpose is to obtain industry input on the extent to which DHS will collect and display (in a comprehensive manner) data considered useful and pertinent to industry business opportunity forecasting efforts. The APFS is described as:

A DHS-wide acquisition portal which captures and consolidates the DHS forecast of planned contract requirements valued at $150,000.00 or greater, and is used to provide industry with a forecast of planned contract opportunities. The APFS system is available to the general public via web-access, and interested businesses may search the system based on a variety of search criteria for requirements that match their corporate capabilities, and thereby position themselves to respond to potential future solicitations.

DHS officials have repeatedly promised to update the APFS and make it more user-friendly, and this RFI is evidence they are sticking to their promise. If the system is revised and kept up to date, it will help the DHS Office of the Chief Procurement Officer (OCPO) provide more accurate and timely information. thereby helping facilitate private industry planning and business opportunity forecasting activities.

Industry comments should be submitted in accordance with the RFI instructions. Check out FedBizOps for information on where to send input by May 1, 2013.