USCIS Seeks Industry Input on $50M–$100M AI Contact Center Recompete

U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS), an agency within the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), is seeking industry feedback for ECX2, a planned recompete of its contact-center operations. The service supports approximately 15 million calls annually, making scale, reliability and continuity central considerations for the procurement. USCIS forecasts an opportunity valued at $50 million–$100 million for a cloud-based, AI-enabled platform. The current arrangement expires July 2, 2027, while the agency expects to release a solicitation on March 1, 2027.

The RFI is an opportunity for prospective bidders to inform the acquisition before the solicitation is finalized. USCIS is assessing solution capabilities, whether to use a small-business set-aside, and which contract vehicle would be appropriate. Responses are due November 12, 2026, at 8 a.m. ET. Firms should use the short response window to address the agency’s stated requirements with evidence of relevant delivery experience, implementation approaches and the ability to support a high-volume federal contact center. The RFI’s focus on procurement structure also makes it important for vendors to communicate how different acquisition choices could affect competition and delivery.

The reported requirements point to a technically demanding cloud and customer-service environment. USCIS specifies FedRAMP Moderate, 99.99% availability, capacity for up to 3,000 agents, and integrations with Salesforce and ServiceNow, alongside AI performance targets. Those parameters can shape solution architecture, hosting decisions, integration plans and teaming arrangements. Vendors should distinguish capabilities they can provide directly from those that depend on partners, and explain how proposed AI functions can be evaluated against the agency’s targets without compromising availability or operational continuity.

For small businesses, the agency’s consideration of a set-aside could create a direct bidding opportunity, but that decision has not yet been made. Larger firms and other potential suppliers can assess prime, subcontractor or technology-partner roles as USCIS settles on its acquisition approach and contract vehicle. The schedule leaves a defined transition period between the expected March solicitation and the incumbent arrangement’s July expiration, so prospective teams should plan for a credible transition strategy as well as steady-state operations. The RFI is therefore both a requirements signal and a chance to influence how USCIS frames competition for a substantial AI-enabled federal service.

• Opportunity: USCIS forecasts $50 million–$100 million for the ECX2 contact-center recompete.
• Scale: The operation handles approximately 15 million calls annually and must accommodate up to 3,000 agents.
• Response deadline: RFI submissions are due November 12, 2026, at 8 a.m. ET; firms should prioritize timely, specific feedback.
• Expected solicitation: USCIS anticipates releasing the solicitation on March 1, 2027.
• Incumbent transition: The current arrangement expires July 2, 2027, placing transition planning on the procurement timeline.
• Technical requirements: The stated baseline includes FedRAMP Moderate and 99.99% availability.
• Integration needs: Vendors should account for Salesforce and ServiceNow integrations in proposed architectures and teaming plans.
• Acquisition decisions: USCIS is assessing a possible small-business set-aside and an appropriate contract vehicle; neither is confirmed in the source information.
• Bid strategy: Small businesses can use the RFI to demonstrate direct capability, while other firms can identify potential teaming or subcontracting roles.