Sources Sought Notice – Project Argos Agentic AI Proof of Concept (PPC)

SOURCES SOUGHT NOTICE

Agency: Department of Health and Human Services (HHS)
Office: Office of Mission Acquisition Solutions (OMAS)
Contracting Office Location: 5600 Fishers Lane, Rockville, MD 20857

Title: Project Argos Agentic AI Proof of Concept (PPC)

NAICS Code: 541512 – Computer Systems Design Services

Response Due Date: July 30, 2026, 5:00 PM Eastern Time

DISCLAIMER

This is a Small Business Sources Sought Notice issued solely for information and planning purposes. This notice is issued in accordance with FAR Part 10 for market research purposes only and does not constitute a solicitation, Request for Proposal (RFP), Request for Quotation (RFQ), or Invitation for Bid (IFB).

This notice does not obligate the Government to award a contract or otherwise pay for the information submitted in response to this notice. Respondents will not be notified of the results of the Government's review of submitted capability statements.

The Government reserves the right to use information submitted in response to this notice in support of acquisition planning.

PURPOSE

The Department of Health and Human Services is conducting market research to identify qualified small business concerns, including:

• Small Business
• 8(a)
• HUBZone
• Service-Disabled Veteran-Owned Small Business (SDVOSB)
• Women-Owned Small Business (WOSB)
• Veteran-Owned Small Business (VOSB)
• Small Disadvantaged Business (SDB)

capable of providing the services described below.

Responses will be used to determine the availability of capable small businesses and to assist the Government in determining the appropriate acquisition strategy. The results of this market research will assist the Government in determining the appropriate small business acquisition strategy for any future solicitation.

BACKGROUND

The Office of the National Coordinator for Health Information Technology (ONC) requires contractor support to design, build, deploy, and evaluate a production-ready Proof of Concept (PPC) for Project Argos.

Project Argos is envisioned as a continuous compliance monitoring framework for certified health IT focusing on publicly available Certification Program artifacts, with initial emphasis on monitoring API endpoint publication requirements under 45 CFR 170.404(b)(2) and related certification requirements under 45 CFR 170.315(g)(10).

The PPC will move beyond static Certified Health IT Product List (CHPL) metadata validation toward continuous monitoring of publicly published API endpoint artifacts using deterministic validation, agentic workflow components, and human review.

The contractor shall develop a production-ready prototype consisting of operational software, repeatable testing, and auditable evidence packages.

REQUIREMENT

The contractor shall provide personnel, technical expertise, software engineering, systems integration, cloud engineering, DevSecOps, security, and project management necessary to support Project Argos.

Major tasks include, but are not limited to:

• Project initiation and planning
• Requirements traceability
• Public data source discovery and ingestion
• Agentic pipeline architecture
• FHIR R4 Endpoint, Organization, and Bundle validation
• Endpoint observation and monitoring
• Evidence generation and reporting
• Corrective action workflow support
• Authority to Operate (ATO) support
• Production-ready release package
• Strategic recommendations for future expansion

A detailed Statement of Work is attached.

CAPABILITY STATEMENTS

Interested vendors shall submit capability statements demonstrating experience performing work of similar scope and complexity.

Capability statements should specifically address experience with:

• Systems design and systems integration
• Health IT interoperability
• HL7 FHIR R4
• API development and monitoring
• Cloud engineering
• DevSecOps
• Artificial Intelligence governance
• Federal cybersecurity
• Evidence management
• Regulatory compliance
• Agile software development

Marketing brochures alone are not sufficient.

RESPONSE FORMAT

Responses shall not exceed ten (10) pages, excluding the cover page, and shall be submitted as follows:

• Microsoft Word or PDF
• 8.5 x 11 inch pages
• Times New Roman
• 12-point font
• 1-inch margins

COVER PAGE

Include:

• Sources Sought title
• Company name
• UEI (or DUNS if applicable)
• Company address
• Point of Contact
• Telephone number
• Email address
• Small business designation(s)

SUBMISSION

Capability Statements shall be submitted no later than:

July 30, 2026
5:00 PM Eastern Time

Submit responses electronically to: Donna Sykes via email: donna.sykes@hhs.gov

CONFIDENTIALITY

Do not submit proprietary, classified, confidential, Controlled Unclassified Information (CUI), or sensitive information.

TEAMING

Teaming arrangements and subcontracting relationships are permitted.

Respondents shall clearly identify all proposed team members and describe each organization's role.

IMPORTANT NOTICE

This notice is issued solely for market research purposes. This notice:

• Is not a solicitation.
• Does not constitute a commitment by the Government.
• Does not obligate the Government to award a contract.
• Does not authorize reimbursement of costs incurred in preparing a response.
• May result in a future solicitation if determined to be in the Government's best interest.