To establish a Task Order (TO) for services under the IAS Master Contract, agencies must prepare and solicit a TORFP.

Agencies must use the latest TORFP Template (either Long Form or Short Form) to construct a TORFP. Use of a template not customized for use with IAS is not acceptable, and will result in the TORFP being returned to the Agency for rework. Obtaining satisfactory turn-around time for TORFP reviews is dependent upon authors using the latest version of the template to reduce the need to review standard text included in the template. Mandatory changes to the standard language occur frequently, so if you use an old template, you create extra work and delay, both for yourself as well as for DoIT reviewers.

What do you want to achieve with this procurement?

What is it exactly that you are trying to accomplish with this Task Order? Before you begin writing the TORFP, you must be very clear on exactly what it is that you wish to accomplish with the Task Order. Without this, you will not write an effective TORFP that will have good results. The more clearly you can articulate the purpose, objective and specific deliverables that you will require from the contractor the better the result will be.

All independent assessments have some common elements:

• An organization or individual lacks information or understanding about an issue or potential issue
• The organization or individual either lacks the skills or does not have sufficient capacity to investigate the issue properly.
• A procurement is executed to acquire an IAS Master Contractor with the necessary skills and time to independently investigate the issue.
• The TO Contractor investigates and/or performs research to obtain information related to the issue.
• The TO Contractor provides a report which:
• Defines the issue
• Provides fact based findings that pertains to the issue, often based on a best practice standard
• Provides risks or concerns related to the findings
• Provides alternative approaches to address the issue
• Often, the TO Contractor does follow-up monitoring to ensure that selected alternative approaches are being executed appropriately and risks are being reduced.

In order to create an IAS TORFP, you must define:

1. the issue that needs to be addressed
2. EXACTLY what you expect to see in the report from the TO Contractor
3. the areas that need to be investigated in order to provide the information needed
4. What actions if any, you wish the contractor to take after the report has been delivered.

If what you wish to accomplish in the procurement does not fit this mold, then IAS may not be the right procurement vehicle for you. IAS is not an appropriate procurement vehicle if:

• You are looking for staff augmentation
• You need resources to perform routine or project related work in the organization.
• An independent perspective is not necessary or needed for the investigation.

If you are not sure if IAS is the right procurement vehicle, please contact ITPO.DoIT@Maryland.gov for assistance.

Tips that Apply to Both Template Forms

Here is a list of things that can help you prepare a good TORFP regardless if you are using the Short Form or the Long Form:

• Don’t attempt to write the TORFP until you are completely clear on exactly what it is that you intend to do, and have a general idea about how you intend to accomplish the task.
• Plagiarism is a good thing with TORFPs. Don’t hesitate to ask ITPO to see if they have any examples that are close to what you wish to accomplish if you need ideas about how to tackle the task. Just don’t copy the example without carefully reviewing it to filter out that which doesn’t fit your situation. “Take what you like, and leave the rest".
• Write clearly and concisely. It is to your advantage to make the TORFP as readable as possible so that potential Offerors can easily understand what you are asking for. Provide enough information so that Offeror’s have a good understanding of the scope and magnitude of the problem.
• Be specific about your requirements. Fuzzy requirements will result in a difficult solicitation and unfortunate misunderstandings when deliverables are produced.
• Whenever possible use “Fixed Price by Deliverable” for your contract type. The best way to get what you want is to not pay for it until it meets your expectations and that is what this contract type provides.