PTOEA RFI: USPTO seeks a Contractor for Executive Recruitment Services

AMENDED TO: 

1) Add the answers to questions received by the question deadline

2) Re-open until  to 10/27/26 at 1pm to  allow for respondents submit a new response or revise their existing submissions

THIS IS A PTOEA SOURCES SOUGHT REQUEST FOR INFORMATION (RFI) ONLY.

In accordance with the Patent and Trademark Office Efficiency Act (PTOEA), 35 U.S.C. § 2(b)(4)(A), this Sources Sought Notice Request For Information) (RFI) is strictly for market research ONLY.  It is for informational and planning purposes and shall NOT be construed as a solicitation or as an obligation or commitment by the Government at this time.

PTOEA

The Government contemplates utilizing the Alternative Competition Method in accordance with the Patent and Trademark Office Acquisition Guidelines (PTAG) and the Patent and Trademark Office Efficiency Act 35 U.S.C. § 2(b)(4)(A). This Sources sought notice is intended as preliminary market information gathering by which the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) will determine which contractor(s) is/are the most likely to successfully meet the agency’s needs and are thereby eligible to participate in an alternative competition. As a result of this market research, if a solicitation is issued, it  will only be issued to the/ those qualified contractor(s) that is/are deemed most likely to successfully meet the agency’s requirements as stated below.

• This RFI is being made available under NAICS 561312 – Executive Search Services and PSC R431 Support—Professional: Human Resources

The purpose of this Sources Sought / Request for Information (RFI) Notice

1. Background

The USPTO is a federal agency in the Department of Commerce (DOC), which is headquartered in Alexandria, VA. The mission of the USPTO is to foster innovation and competitiveness by providing high quality and timely examination and issuance of patent and trademark applications, guiding domestic and international intellectual property policy, and delivering intellectual property information and education worldwide.

Through the issuance of patents, the USPTO encourages technological advancement by providing incentives to invent, invest in, and disclose new technology worldwide. Through the registration of trademarks, the agency assists businesses in protecting their investments, promoting goods and services, and safeguarding consumers against confusion and deception in the marketplace. The office employs over 13,000 full-time staff to support its work.

2. Objectives

The USPTO is seeking to establish a single-award Blanket Purchase Agreement (BPA) with a firm specializing in executive-level recruitment. The ideal partner will possess a proven track record of sourcing high-caliber passive candidates through proprietary networks, global executive databases, and direct headhunting methodologies. The vendor must demonstrate the ability to identify and attract diverse, competitive talent for Senior Executive Service (SES) and Senior Level (SL) equivalent roles, with a specific focus on passive candidates currently employed in top-tier organizations across the following disciplines: Patent, Trademark, Information Technology, Finance, Cyber Security, General Law, and Administrative Services.

3. Abbreviated Scope of Work

This effort is for executive search services to identify, deliver and recruit highly qualified candidates for identified USPTO SES and/or SL vacancies and to have those candidates submit applications through USAJobs for the specified vacancies.

The contractor shall ensure that all identified candidates possess the required professional, technical and executive core qualifications as outlined in the attached position description associated with each vacancy and as outlined by each specific call order.

The contractor shall present a detailed recruitment plan for each specified vacancy, that provides a detailed approach to marketing, searching for candidates, and the process for assisting the candidate with the USAJobs application process.The contractor shall maintain a record of contact/information exchange with all contractors identified candidates and notify the USPTO when their identified candidate(s) have submitted their application to USAJobs.

The contractor shall provide weekly status reports to the USPTO outlining progress related to the specified search.

4. Deliverables

Deliverables shall carry over to each BPA Call as follows:

EVENT 1: Draft Recruitment Plan   

DELIVERY DATE: Date of Proposal Submission  

EVENT 2: Kick-Off Meeting

DELIVERY DATE: Within five (5) business from award (to be scheduled by the Government)

EVENT 3: Final Recruitment Plan

DELIVERY DATE: Five (5) days after Kick-off Meeting

EVENT 4: Application Notification

DELIVERY DATE: Within 2 business days of applicant submitting via USAJobs, as applicable

4. Special Requirements

For the applicants to be considered for the position, their application package must be successfully uploaded to the USAJobs.gov website, unless otherwise specified by the specific call order. Applications must meet the requirements that will be stated in the vacancy announcement by the closing date of the posting.

5. Place of Performance

a) This work will be performed via virtual recruitment and/or at the contractor’s offsite location.

b) All work related to this contract shall be performed in the United States (U.S.) and legally authorized U.S. territories (American Samoa, Guam, the Northern Mariana Islands, Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands), at either the USPTO’s campus in Alexandria, Virginia, the Contractors’ and subcontractors’ facilities authorized in the USPTO granted Authorization to Operate (ATO), and/or from USPTO approved telework locations. Work at any other location is prohibited unless authorized by the Contracting Officer. This shall be construed to include all means of telecommunication access to the ATO system and supporting infrastructure as well.

c) Any work authorized pursuant to this contract under a telework provision, for any reason, is subject to the Contracting Officer’s Representative (COR) approval. The following additional requirements must also be met:

• All authorized telework shall be conducted solely on USPTO authorized systems, devices, and baseline configurations over USPTO approved remote access systems and access technologies.
• All authorized telework shall only access USPTO and/or Contractor networks and systems within the system boundary from the approved telework location set forth in the Telework Agreement.
• All authorized telework shall only access USPTO and/or Contractor networks and system via connection authorized by the USPTO granted ATO.
• No data shall be transferred for ANY reasons to systems and/or devices outside of the authorized secure system boundary of the USPTO granted ATO.
• The Contractor shall be responsible for any costs/expenses associated in making its staff telework ready.
• At no time shall any USPTO provided equipment be permitted outside of the U.S. and legally authorized U.S. territories.

6. Estimated Period of Performance

• The USPTO anticipates awarding a BPA with a Base year + 4 Option Years.

7. Estimated Volume

• The USPTO anticipates multiple executive searches annually, but an estimated number of searches is not available at this time.

The responses to this RFI should provide USPTO management with an understanding of the experience and the range of executive services provided.  This will allow USPTO management to conduct thorough market research, identify suitable providers, and make informed decisions.

HOW TO RESPOND TO THIS SOURCES SOUGHT NOTICE

All interested contractors should provide the following information in their response via e-mail to the contacts listed below:

1. The email subject should include: “ACQ-27-0147 Executive Recruitment RFI”    
2. Your contractor name, address, SAM UEI, point of contact information, email, phone, website address.
3. Your FSS Schedule contract number (Only if applicable).
4. Any small business sub-categories (Only if applicable)
5. Any relevant certifications or other relevant authorizations 
6. Information about your firm’s ability to meet the requirements stated above

• Please provide a tailored capability statement addressing the particulars of this effort, with appropriate documentation supporting claims of organizational and staff capability.
• Past Performance – Please provide info on previous government agencies or private businesses you’ve done similar work for in the past. Please include a short description of the work done and photos of the awards provided (if possible)
  • Please include civilian customer/Government Agency contact information including: contact name and organization, telephone number, and email address.

QUESTIONS

Questions regarding this RFI  are due no later than Wednesday, October 14, at 1:00 PM ET and are to be submitted via email to  kendall.jones1@uspto.gov  and christopher.ward@uspto.gov

NO PHONE CALLS PLEASE

DEADLINE:

AMENDED: Responses are due no later than Tuesday, October 27, at 1:00 PM ET and are to be submitted via email to  kendall.jones1@uspto.gov  and christopher.ward@uspto.gov

Responses are due no later than Thursday, October 22, at 1:00 PM ET and are to be submitted via email to  kendall.jones1@uspto.gov  and christopher.ward@uspto.gov

NO PHONE CALLS PLEASE

*Late responses may be considered at the government’s discretion.

Disclaimer:

The Government will not utilize formal evaluation criteria for market research associated with PTAG 6.1.1. The Government will review RFI responses to determine which vendors are most likely to successfully meet the agency’s requirements for Executive Recruitment Services.

This PTOEA Sources Sought Request For Information (RFI) notice is issued solely for Market Research information and planning purposes only and does not constitute a solicitation. All information received in response to this RFI that is marked as proprietary will be handled in accordance with procurement integrity requirements.  Responses to this notice are not offers and cannot be accepted by the Government to form a binding contract. Responders are solely responsible for all expenses associated with responding to this RFI

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