This recently rebranded Digital Services leader and 2026 Elev8 GovCon honoree has been awarded a logical follow on to existing services being provided. The United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO), Office of Human Resources (OHR), Human Resources Information Systems (HRIS) Division has an urgent requirement to continue to provide expert level HRIS support services.
Awardee: Kentro
Solicitation Number: 1333BJ26C00270001 | ACQ-26-0279
Department/Ind. Agency: COMMERCE, DEPARTMENT OF
Sub-tier: US PATENT AND TRADEMARK OFFICE
Contract Award Number: 1333BJ26C00270001
HRIS Support Services provides expert level support with the Human Resource (HR) Connect solution and other enterprise-wide human capital solutions. to help sustain, improve, and maximize USPTO’s use of automated human capital solutions. The support service plays an active role in maintaining and improving ongoing operations and processes related to HR solutions. The support service provides advice and guidance on the use of new HRConnect functionalities and supplemental HR systems that benefit the HRIS function.
Based on Kentro ‘s direct federal HRIS modernization experience, security-clearance personnel, knowledge of USPTO systems and HR environment and full life cycle service capabilities they are uniquely positioned as the only vendor capable of performing the HRIS work.
Kentro has a staff of employees with expert knowledge in Human Resource Information Systems including HR Connect, Enterprise Data Warehouse, National Finance Center, WebTA, USA Staffing (USAS), and Employee Relations/Labor Relations Case Management System. Several of the systems are unique to federal government. The employees of Kentro have met the required experience and expert knowledge of the USPTO HR Systems and are able to seamlessly provide critical support services for the Office of Human Resources to accomplish their daily operations.
Kentro has extensive experience providing HRIS modernization and human capital transformation services for federal agencies of comparable size and mission complexity to the USPTO. Their past performance includes successful system overhaul, data migration, and automation efforts for a federal intelligence organization with over 16,000 personnel positioning them as a unique vendor that is capable of work similar in size. Kentro’s Human Capital practice focuses on federal HRIT modernization, HR transformation, and sustainment, ensuring alignment with OPM, FISMA, NIST, and FedRAMP requirements which are all directly applicable to USPTO and required by our cybersecurity standards for risk assessment. Given the sensitivity of HR data and USPTO’s federal cybersecurity requirements, Kentro’s established track record working under FISMA and NIST standards mitigates risk. Engaging a new vendor would create unacceptable security, compliance, and operational risks.
The vendor has achieved; Top-Secret Facility Clearance, Capability Maturity Model Integration Level 3 for Services and Development (CMMI DEV/SVC-3), and International Organization for Standardization (ISO) 9001:2015, ISO 20000-1:2018, and ISO 27001:2013 certifications. Furthermore, the vendor has supported other federal agencies such as USAF and US Social Security Administration in similar roles.
Additionally, unlike many firms that focus solely on software implementation or process consulting, Kentro provides an end-to-end HRIS service model (from planning, integration, and implementation to training and sustainment.) This unified approach ensures accountability and efficiency across all project phases.
Kentro has already gained familiarity with USPTO’s HR data, processes, and technical landscape through prior engagements. Transitioning to a new vendor would require extensive onboarding, duplicate discovery efforts, and create risk of data loss or schedule delays. Maintaining Kentro ensures continuity, protects institutional knowledge, and avoids unnecessary cost duplication.
The history on this contract is that it was issued to Kentro, LLC (formally ITConcepts, Inc) with an effective start date of May 1, 2020. The current contract expires on October 31, 2025. This requirement currently resides within the SBA 8(a) set-aside, and required permission from the SBA to remove the requirement from the 8(a) program. On September 10, 2025, an offer letter was submitted to the SBA and rejected, as Kentro, LLC has graduated from the 8(a) program and is ineligible for award under the 8(a)program as a result. As such, a SAM.gov PTAG 6.1.1 posting was vetted through the Office of General Law (OGL) and posted, and the notice was clear that we were seeking 8(a) vendors for the follow-on work. There were no responses received. There were no other 8(a) firms identified, and all 8(a) firms that expressed interest in this requirement five years ago have graduated from the 8(a) program as well.
This contract will be a logical follow-on to the current vendor who has been determined to be capable of meeting the USPTO’s requirements. As stated, a RFI and Intent to Sole Source were posted to SAM.gov. Responses for the RFI were assessed and there were no responses to the Intent to Sole Source that meet the need other than Kentro.
