RFI - DOJ Microsoft EA Alternatives & M3/M5 License Replacements

Description

DISCLAIMER:  THIS NOTICE IS FOR INFORMATIONAL PURPOSES ONLY. THIS IS NOT A REQUEST FOR PROPOSAL OR QUOTE. IT DOES NOT CONSTITUTE A SOLICITATION AND SHALL NOT BE CONSTRUED AS A COMMITMENT BY THE GOVERNMENT OR A GUARANTEE THAT ONE WILL BE ISSUED IN THE FUTURE. RESPONSES IN ANY FORM ARE NOT OFFERS AND THE GOVERNMENT IS UNDER NO OBLIGATION TO AWARD A CONTRACT AS A RESULT OF THIS ANNOUNCEMENT.  NO FUNDS ARE AVAILABLE TO PAY FOR PREPARATION OF RESPONSES TO THIS ANNOUNCEMENT. ANY INFORMATION SUBMITTED BY RESPONDENTS IS STRICTLY VOLUNTARY.

Introduction:
The Department of Justice (Department or DOJ) is issuing this Request for Information (RFI) as part of our comprehensive market research to further identify and evaluate viable, enterprise-wide alternatives to Microsoft technologies, including the Microsoft M3 (Microsoft 365 E3) and M5 (Microsoft 365 E5) license bundles.  Responses to this RFI will directly inform DOJ’s future acquisition strategy.

The DOJ is reviewing the marketplace to proactively examine all available options to ensure that the Department’s technology investments deliver maximum value, flexibility, and innovation today, and into the future. This effort represents an active exploration of alternative solutions that can meet or exceed current requirements while considering a shift away from long-standing single-vendor dependencies.

Respondents are encouraged to submit detailed, comprehensive responses showcasing competitive solutions, enterprise-scale capability, and readiness to support DOJ’s evolving needs. All information submitted will become Government property and will not be returned. Interested parties should appropriately mark proprietary, restricted, or competition-sensitive information.

Primary Objectives:
The DOJ’s primary objective in issuing this RFI is to identify and evaluate alternatives to the Microsoft M3 (Microsoft 365 E3) and M5 (Microsoft 365 E5) license bundles, as well as advanced artificial intelligence (AI) powered productivity solutions comparable to Microsoft Co-Pilot. These license bundles represent tightly integrated ecosystems, and the DOJ seeks to better understand whether industry-leading alternatives can deliver comparable or superior enterprise functionality while offering greater flexibility, innovation, and cost efficiency.

Sample Overview of Microsoft License Bundles in Use:

• DOJ License Environment: Estimated 160,000+ licensed users.
• User License Mix: Estimated 68% on M3 and 32% on M5.

Sample Microsoft 365 M3 (E3) License Bundle Features:

• Office 365 Apps (Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Outlook, OneNote, Publisher)
• Exchange Online (email and calendaring)
• Microsoft Teams (chat, meetings, collaboration)
• OneDrive for Business (file storage and sharing)
• SharePoint Online
• Microsoft Stream (video sharing)
• Basic threat protection and security features (Defender for Office 365 Plan 1)
• Intune (device management and mobile device management)
• Azure Active Directory Premium Plan 1
• Limited Power Platform access (PowerApps, Power Automate, Power BI Pro as optional add-ons)

Sample Microsoft 365 M5 (E5) License Bundle Features:

• All features of M3/E3, plus:
• Advanced threat protection (Defender for Office 365 Plan 2)
• Microsoft Defender for Endpoint
• Microsoft Defender for Identity
• Microsoft Defender for Cloud Apps
• Advanced Compliance (insider risk management, communication compliance, and advanced audit)
• Microsoft Purview Information Protection and Data Loss Prevention (DLP)
• Advanced analytics with Power BI Pro included
• Microsoft 365 Defender and Microsoft Sentinel (SIEM/SOAR integration)
• Azure Active Directory Premium Plan 2 (identity protection and privileged identity management)

Sample Microsoft Co-Pilot License Bundle Features:

• Content Creation
• Data Analysis & Insights
• Email & Communication Assistance
• Meeting Summarization
• Contextual Recommendations
• Integration with other Applications
• Task Automation

DOJ Evaluation Approach for M3 and M5 Alternatives:
The DOJ does not expect a one-for-one match with the features listed above. Instead, the DOJ is interested in:

• Understanding what each proposed solution or combination of solutions can do.
• Identifying potential gaps compared to our sample license  bundles.
• Exploring the possibility of leveraging multiple technologies to deliver comparable capabilities through best-of-breed approaches.
• Exploring the availability and benefits of AI capabilities as part of a unified offering.
• Receiving recommendations on how to integrate and operationalize alternative solutions at scale.

Vendor Response Request for M3 and M5 Alternatives (15 pages or less):
For each feature area listed above, please:

1. Indicate whether your solution or combination of solutions offers comparable functionality.
2. If there is no direct match, describe how your offering addresses the underlying business requirement or mitigates the gap through alternative tools or services.
3. Highlight innovative features or differentiated value, including integrated AI, that your solution provides beyond the sample license bundle ecosystem noted above.
4. If integration across multiple products is required, outline how seamless the integration would be, and provide examples of large-scale enterprise deployments.

The DOJ is highly interested in creative, flexible, and enterprise-ready alternatives, including modular or hybrid approaches that may outperform the sample license bundle model in key areas such as security, cost-effectiveness, end-user experience, and innovation.

Transition Strategy and Flexibility Requirements (15 pages or less):
The DOJ recognizes that transitioning from a long-standing single-vendor enterprise environment to an alternative solution requires careful planning, thorough testing, and phased implementation to ensure operational continuity and minimal disruption.

Respondents are requested to provide a detailed transition plan that includes the following:

Proposed Transition Strategy:

• Approach for transitioning from Microsoft M3/M5 licenses to the proposed alternative solution.
• Recommendations for pilot programs, phased rollouts, and parallel operations to support testing and validation prior to full deployment.
• Strategies for mitigating end-user disruption and ensuring sustained productivity.

Flexibility and Collaboration:

• Description of how your company will work with the DOJ to adjust timing, scope, and milestones based on evolving agency needs and operational readiness.
• Willingness to collaborate on an extended transition timeline, if necessary, to accommodate comprehensive testing, security validation, and stakeholder feedback.

Cost Flexibility:

• Options for flexible pricing models or cost structures that support staggered deployment and extended transition activities, as well as minimizing duplication of costs during a transition.
• Cost considerations for pilot phases, early testing environments, and scaling strategies.

Training and Change Management:

• Approach for end-user training, knowledge transfer strategies, and support mechanisms during and after transition.

Terms and Conditions:

• Sample terms and conditions that speak to available pricing structures, payment schedules, increase/decrease license flexibilities, and ordering structure of available contract vehicles.

Case Studies (1 – 2 examples not to exceed 2 pages each):

Respondents are requested to provide, as an attachment, examples of successful large-scale transitions from Microsoft enterprise agreements to alternative solutions, including challenges encountered and how they were addressed.

Vendor Information (2 pages or less):

• Contractor Legal/DBA Name:
• Address and Website:
• DUNS Number:
• Cage Code:
• Facility Clearance (if applicable):
• Applicable NAICS Codes:
• Company Business Size (as applicable):
• Number of years in business
• Points of Contact(s) (Please include Name, Email, and Phone Number)
• List of Existing Government Ordering Vehicle(s). (example: GSA Schedule and GWACs):

Response Guidelines and Deadline:
There will be no question-and-answer period.  Information provided in response to this RFI shall be submitted in accordance with the following instructions:

1. Portable document format (PDF) or Microsoft Word
2. Calibri 12-point-font size, 8½ x 11-inch pages
3. Responses shall be submitted via email. Emails cannot exceed 10mb
4. Subject line of the Email shall include “Notice JMDPSS-250423 - (Firm Name)”.
5. If your response contains proprietary information, place a notice of Proprietary Information after the Notice Number and mark submissions as “Proprietary Information” as applicable.

No marketing materials are allowed as part of this Notice.

It is the respondent’s responsibility to verify that the Department received and can view the email.

Responses are due no later than 15 April 2025 at 12 PM EST via email to the following:  Tracey.Cross@usdoj.gov, Sakura.Higa@usdoj.gov and Richard.Melrose@usdoj.gov

Post-RFI Phase:
Based on the results of this market research, the DOJ may issue future RFIs, RFQs, or RFPs via SAM.gov. It is the responsibility of interested parties to monitor SAM.gov for updates. No hard copies will be provided. All procurement documentation will be available electronically if a solicitation is issued.

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