Performance Work Statement (PWS)
Performance Work Statement (PWS)
Program Support Team Support Services
04/02/2018
Version 1.8
Vision Statement 5
1 Introduction 5
1.1 Mission 5
1.2 Background 5
1.3 Scope 6
2 General Requirements 6
2.1 Non-Personal Services 6
2.2 Business Relations 6
2.3 Contract Administration and Management 6
2.3.1 Contract Management 7
2.3.2 Contract Administration 7
2.3.3 Personnel Administration 7
2.4 Subcontract Management 7
2.5 Contractor Personnel, Disciplines, and Specialties 7
2.6 Location and Hours of Work 8
2.7 Travel / Temporary Duty (TDY) 8
2.8 Performance Period 9
3 Performance Requirements 9
3.1 Program Support Team Administrative Support (Administrative Analyst) 9
3.2 Industry Analysis Task (Management Analyst) 10
3.3 Request for Information (RFI) (Business Analyst) 12
3.4 Data Analytics (Data Analysts) 15
3.5 Enterprise Market Research Program (Functional SME) 16
3.6 Development of Market Research Process Training (Business Analyst) 19
3.7 Market Research Procurement Package Development Workshops (Team Lead) 20
3.8 Optional CLIN-Management Analyst 21
3.9 Optional CLIN-Business Analyst 21
3.10 Optional CLIN-Data Analyst 22
3.11 Optional CLIN-Functional Subject Matter Expert (SME) 22
3.12 Optional CLIN-Team Lead 23
4 Special Requirements 23
4.4 Position Risk Designation Level 25
4.4.1 Contractor Personnel Security Requirements 25
4.5 Safety 29
4.6 Transition 29
4.7 Government Furnished Materials 29
4.8 Applicable Directives 30
4.9 Quality 31
4.10 Quality Control 31
4.11 Quality Assurance Surveillance Plan (QASP) 31
4.12 Status Reports 32
4.13 Facility/Resource Provision 32
4.14 Contractor Site Capabilities 32
4.14.1 Contractor Facility Requirements 33
4.15 VA Information and Information System Security/Privacy 33
4.15.1 General 33
4.15.2 Contractors, Contractor personnel, Subcontractors, and Subcontractor personnel shall be subject to the same Federal laws, regulations, standards, and VA Directives and Handbooks as VA and VA personnel regarding information and information system security. 34
4.15.3 VA Information Custodial Language 34
4.15.4 Security Incident Investigation 36
4.15.5 Liquidated Damages for Data Breach 37
4.15.6 Security Controls Compliance Testing 39
4.15.7 Training 39
5 Method and Distribution of Deliverables 40
6 Kickoff Meeting 46
7 Related Documents 46
8 Glossary of Abbreviations and Acronyms 47
Performance Work Statement (PWS)
Program Support Team Support Services
Vision Statement
To obtain a contractor to provide acquisition and IPT Program Management Support Services to the OSDBU Program Support Team (PST) Support Team. The contractor must be skilled in data analytics and market research.
1 Introduction
The mission of the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) and the Office of Small and Disadvantaged Business Utilization (OSDBU) is to assist Service Disabled Veterans Owned Small Businesses (SDVOSBs), Veteran Owned Small Businesses (VOSB), Small Disadvantaged Businesses (SDB), HUBZone Businesses, and Woman-Owned Small Businesses (WOSB) to add value to the work. It also envisions the empowerment of the VA Acquisition Teams in identifying verified SDVOSBs and VOSBs capable of meeting VA requirements at a fair and reasonable price that offers best value to the United States.
1.1 Mission
To obtain a contractor to provide acquisition and IPT Program Management Support Services to the OSDBU Program Support Team (PST) Support Team. The contractor must be skilled in data analytics and market research.
1.2 Background
OSDBU provides outreach and liaison support to businesses (small and large) and other members of the public and private sectors concerning Small Business Acquisition issues. OSDBU is responsible for monitoring VA implementation and execution of the socioeconomic programs and provides numerous outreach services for Veterans and service-disabled Veterans who seek to open or expand a business. OSDBU is the verification authority responsible for investigating and adjudicating the background of applicants to determine their eligibility as a SDVOSB or VOSB to participate in the Veterans First Contracting Program.
OSDBU also spearheads initiatives to maximize business opportunities for SDVOSB/VOSB and small businesses by synchronizing critical resources through extensive marketing, counseling, and training. OSDBU also provides policy guidance, direction, and education to the VA acquisition community to assist in the implementation of the VA Small Business Program.
1.3 Scope
To meet its core mission and objectives, OSDBU requires a contractor to provide acquisition and IPT Program Management Support Services to the OSDBU Program Support Team (PST). The Program Management support services contractor shall be trained in their areas of expertise and shall have the level of experience to accomplish the requirements without supervision, oversight or other means of intervention by the Government. The work shall include specific tasks and deliverables concentrating in the program management, training and utilization of acquisition related technology tools such as the Acquisition Requirements Roadmap Tool (ARRT) and an understanding of the VA Acquisition Program Management Framework (APMF) in order to fully support VA program management offices, contracting offices and OSDBU as a program office. The contractor shall also possess the capability to expand OSDBUs knowledge of commercial and government best practices in the areas of market research and acquisition program management.
2 General Requirements
This section describes the general requirements for this effort. The following sub-sections provide details of various considerations on this effort.
2.1 Non-Personal Services
The Government shall neither supervise contractor employees nor control the method by which the contractor performs the required tasks. Under no circumstances shall the Government assign tasks to, or prepare work schedules for, individual contractor employees. It shall be the responsibility of the contractor to manage its employees and to guard against any actions that are of the nature of personal services, or give the perception of personal services. If the contractor believes that any actions constitute, or are perceived to constitute personal services, it shall be the contractor's responsibility to notify the Procuring Contracting Officer (PCO) immediately.
2.2 Business Relations
The contractor shall successfully integrate and coordinate all activity needed to execute the requirement. The contractor shall manage the timeliness, completeness, and quality of problem identification. The contractor shall provide corrective action plans, proposal submittals, timely identification of issues, and effective management of subcontractors. The contractor shall seek to ensure customer satisfaction and professional and ethical behavior of all contractor personnel.
2.3 Contract Administration and Management
The following subsections specify requirements for contract, management, and personnel administration.
2.3.1 Contract Management
The contractor shall establish clear organizational lines of authority and responsibility to ensure effective management of the resources assigned to the requirement. The contractor must maintain continuity between the support operations at VA OSDBU and the contractor's corporate offices.
2.3.2 Contract Administration
The contractor shall establish processes and assign appropriate resources to effectively administer the requirement. The contractor shall respond to Government requests for contractual actions in a timely fashion. The contractor shall have a single point of contact between the Government and Contractor personnel assigned to support contracts or task orders. The contractor shall assign work effort and maintaining proper and accurate time keeping records of personnel assigned to work on the requirement.
2.3.3 Personnel Administration
The contractor shall provide the following management and support as required. The contractor shall provide for employees during designated Government non-work days or other periods where Government offices are closed due to weather or security conditions. The contractor shall maintain the currency of their employees by providing initial and refresher training as required to meet the PWS requirements. The contractor shall make necessary travel arrangements for employees. The contractor shall provide necessary infrastructure to support contract tasks. The contractor shall provide administrative support to employees in a timely fashion (time keeping, leave processing, pay, emergency needs).
2.4 Subcontract Management
The contractor shall be responsible for any subcontract management necessary to integrate work performed on this requirement and shall be responsible and accountable for subcontractor performance on this requirement. The prime contractor will manage work distribution to ensure there are no Organizational Conflict of Interest (OCI) considerations. Contractors may add subcontractors to their team after notification to the Procuring Contracting Officer (PCO) or Contracting Officer Representative (COR). Cross teaming may or may not be permitted.
2.5 Contractor Personnel, Disciplines, and Specialties
The contractor shall accomplish the assigned work by employing and utilizing qualified personnel with appropriate combinations of education, training, and experience. The contractor shall match personnel skills to the work or task with a minimum of under/over employment of resources. The contractor shall ensure the labor categories as defined in the Labor Categories document (see attachment), labor rates, and man-hours utilized in the performance of each Task Order (PWS line item) issued hereunder will be the minimum necessary to accomplish the task.
The Contractor shall provide the necessary resources and infrastructure to manage, perform, and administer the contract.
2.6 Location and Hours of Work
Accomplishment of the results contained in this PWS requires work activities to be performed at 801 I. St NW, Washington, DC 20001. The Government reserves the right to authorize work at an designated Contractor or Government faculty.
The VA OSDBU hours of operation are from 7:00 AM to 5:30 PM Eastern Standard Time (EST). The Core work hours are from 9:00 AM to 3:00 PM Eastern Time. All employees are expected to be available during core hours regardless of location unless otherwise directed by the CO or COR. Work shall not exceed 80 hours per pay period (average 40 hours per work week). Workers typically work eight (8) hours per day, 40 hours per week.
In accordance with section 1428 of P.L. 108-136, an agency shall generally not discourage a contractor from allowing its employees to telecommute in the performance of Government contracts. While telework is not prohibited, the Government reserves the right to exercise its sovereign authority, if determined to be in the best interest of the Government. Such determinations will be made on the basis that the requirements of the agency, including security requirements, would be adversely impacted in accordance with FAR 7.108(b).
The Government reserves the right for a Contractor to allow Ad-hoc telework as long as it does not adversely effect the assigned work and deadlines.
2.7 Travel / Temporary Duty (TDY)
Travel may be required for the performance of this contract. The cost of local travel, meals and/or incidental expenses within the Washington, DC metropolitan area will not be reimbursed. Local Travel means travel performed within an established local radius of the official duty station. The standard local radius will be 50 miles from the official station. A VA station may establish a local radius different from the standard radius based on counties, geographical boundaries or nearby cities. This local radius cannot exceed 50 miles, must be established in writing and approved by the Facility Director. For virtual employees, the local radius will be 50 miles from the virtual/mobile office. (VA Financial Policies and Procedures - Volume XIV Ch. 7 - Local Travel)
Non-local travel is anticipated to provide support to VA OSDBU PST staff at various meetings and shall be reimbursed at cost and set at a not-to exceed (NTE) expense in the contract and must be approved in advance and in writing by the COR. The contractor shall provide receipts for all travel expenses. Exceeding the NTE expense without prior approval will not be reimbursed. All travel shall be in accordance with the Joint Federal Travel Regulations (JFTR) requirements.
The Contractor shall notify the Government once 75% of NTE total has been reached or exceeded.
2.8 Performance Period
The period of performance is one year with four (4) option periods. The Base Period is twelve (12) months from the date of award.
Option Period 1: If the option is exercised, the period of performance is 12 months from the expiration of the Base Period.
Option Period 2: If the option is exercised, the period of performance is 12 months from the expiration of Option Period 1.
Option Period 3: If the option is exercised, the period of performance is 12 months from the expiration of Option Period 2.
Option Period 4: If the option is exercised, the period of performance is 12 months from the expiration of Option Period 3.
3 Performance Requirements
The following section specifies the Performance Objectives and Performance Elements for the contract.
3.1 Program Support Team Administrative Support
The Contractor shall provide administrative support to the project support team.
3.1.1 Administrative Analysis
The Contractor shall provide administrative analytical support to the Program Support Team. The Contractor shall provide support that involves conducting analyses, feasibility studies, and recommendations for policy development and/or policy revisions. Reports based on criteria provided by the government.
Performance Standards
a) Standard: A. Complete actions within specified deadlines;
AQL: 95% submitted on time and accurate.
b) Standard: B. Comply with applicable standards;
AQL: 95% submitted on time and accurate.
c) Standard: C. Identify trends and areas of improvement;
AQL: 95% submitted on time and accurate.
d) Standard: D. Data is usable for analysis
AQL: 95% submitted on time and accurate.
Deliverables
A003 Meeting Minutes
3.1.2 Integrated Product Team Support
The contractor shall receive, assess, assign, track, and closeout support for integrated product teams. The contractor shall monitor the IPT mailbox and assign a VA OSDBU federal staff member to an integrated project team upon receipt.
Performance Standards
a) Standard: A. Complete actions within specified deadlines; B. Comply with applicable standards; C. Identify trends and areas of improvement; D. Data is usable for analysis
AQL: Respond to 90% of requests within two business days.
Deliverables
A001 Integrated Project Team (IPT) Log
3.2 Industry Analysis Task
The contractor shall provide industry and quantitative market analysis.
3.2.1 Market Surveillance Analysis
The contractor shall effectively represent and communicate the market conditions, utilizing different data representation tools that are applicable to portray and explain the current situation and potential suppliers. The contractor shall produce a report that includes the following analysis:
The report shall include the applicable techniques to provide a quantitative market analysis.
Total Unduplicated Reach and Frequency (TURF) Analysis
Conjoint Analysis
MaxDiff Analysis
Gap Analysis
Strength, Weaknesses, Opportunities, and Threats (SWOT) Analysis
Trend Analysis
Porters Five Forces
Benchmarking
Value chain
Supplier research
Commercial Market Overview
Spend analysis
Market NAICS codes
Market Employment
Market Trends
Market Risks
Technology Tools
All US Government Spending
VA Industry Spend Analysis
Federal GWAC/IDIQ
Mandatory Source Review
Industry Day Input
VIP Database Search
Other Relative Federal Programs
Information from industry databases, publications and subscriptions
The contractor may provide additional information
Performance Standards
a) Standard: A. Complete actions within specified deadlines;
AQL: 95% submitted on time and accurate.
b) Standard: B. Comply with applicable standards;
AQL: 95% submitted on time and accurate.
c) Standard: C. Identify trends and areas of improvement;
AQL: 95% submitted on time and accurate.
d) Standard: D. Data is usable for analysis
AQL: 95% submitted on time and accurate.
Deliverables
A004 Market Intelligence Reports
3.2.2 North American Industry Classification System Analysis
The contractor shall provide North American Industry Classification System (NAICS) Analysis. The contractor must produce a report that includes the following analysis information at a minimum as follows:
Description of NAICS
Specific Industries Identified Under This NAICS Code
SBA NAICS Code Size Standard
Related SIC Codes
Related PSC
Who Issues the Contracts
Who Wins the Contracts
What Vehicles Are Being Used
Commercial Industry Profile
Competitive Landscape
Products, Operations & Technology
Industry Threats & Opportunities
Where are the businesses located
The contractor may provide additional information
Performance Standards
a) Standard: A. Complete actions within specified deadlines;
AQL: 95% submitted on time and accurate.
b) Standard: B. Comply with applicable standards;
AQL: 95% submitted on time and accurate.
c) Standard: C. Identify trends and areas of improvement;
AQL: 95% submitted on time and accurate.
d) Standard: D. Data is usable for analysis
AQL: 95% submitted on time and accurate.
Deliverables
A005 North American Industry Classification System (NAICS) Analysis Report
3.3 Request for Information (RFI) (Business Analyst)
The Contractor shall provide a tool to conduct automated Requests for Information (RFI); conduct and analyze the automated RFI results using contractor provided technology.
3.3.1 RFI Tool
The contractor must provide a tool that can provide secure methods in response to an RFI using contractor provided technology. A request for information (RFI) is a document that is used by organizations to obtain general information about services, products or suppliers and is generally used before a solicitation is issued. The procedure is generally used when a large or complicated procurement is being considered and the potential pool of suppliers must be pre-qualified to determine if the supplier meets the minimum standards needed to successfully bid on the project, and if awarded, successfully complete the project. The tool must have the following capabilities:
Vendor profile and capability data is captured via registration;
Generate a direct link that can be placed directly into a FedBizOpps abstract that serves as the response mechanism;
Capability to add artifacts for vendor assessment and/or comment;
Archive data for customer use;
Ability to add multiple NAICS to profile;
Ability to add multiple business types/socioeconomic classes to profiles;
Ability to data mine to specific vendor attributes and show alignment to specific requirements and/or responds to specific inquiries;
Ability to see which vendors provide capability or service in a specific area;
Provide a secure environment with abilities to scale access from almost anywhere and allow for rapid changes as approved (FEDRAMP compliant);
Custom dashboards that:
Tailorable, allow the addition of adhoc components
Allow the drag/drop of specific information to a personalized dashboard
Can present a Snapshot of a specific information request
Ability for presentations/visualizations by Business Type groupings (e.g., Large, Small (SB, SDVOSB, VOSB, WOSB))
Ability for presentation by NAICS
Ability for presentation of Business Types per state
Performance Standards
a) Standard: A. Complete actions within specified deadlines;
AQL: 95% submitted on time and accurate.
b) Standard: B. Comply with applicable standards;
AQL: 95% submitted on time and accurate.
c) Standard: C. Identify trends and areas of improvement;
AQL: 95% submitted on time and accurate.
d) Standard: D. Data is usable for analysis
AQL: 95% submitted on time and accurate.
Deliverables
A006 Electronic Request for Information (RFI) Tool
3.3.2 RFI Request Template
Provide a template and draft questions for each RFI request with the following requirements:
SMART Questions built based on government requirements;
Questions can be (1) free text, (2) multiple choice, (3) multiple select, (4) binary (Yes/No), or (5) value based (ranges, specific quantities);
Questions and/or response selections can be assigned an analysis value based on priority or must-have need;
A question(s) can be deemed as a "qualifier, meaning a must have; and
Ability to offer questions that have complex conditions (question type that provides a response capability for a given X & Y condition)
Performance Standards
a) Standard: A. Complete actions within specified deadlines;
AQL: 95% submitted on time and accurate.
b) Standard: B. Comply with applicable standards;
AQL: 95% submitted on time and accurate.
c) Standard: C. Identify trends and areas of improvement;
AQL: 95% submitted on time and accurate.
d) Standard: D. Data is usable for analysis
AQL: 95% submitted on time and accurate.
Deliverables
A007 Electronic Request for Information (RFI) template for questions
3.3.3 RFI Results Analysis
The Contractor must provide analysis of the RFI results: As responses are received, they are mapped to requirements (metadata) and catalogued capabilities and assessed for alignment to the requirements based on the values assigned to the applicable information as follows:
Visualizations show immediate:
Demographics such as business types and locations
Initial functional alignment based on question value (proficiency).
Organized and persistent data supports more detailed analysis by logically organizing vendor response data into easily usable categories.
Allow for "what-if scenarios that support vendor side by side comparisons or adhoc changes in response thresholds (i.e., can modify response thresholds to see if assessment results change)
Ability to objectively "micro measure - add more fidelity in assessing alignment (Criteria to be balanced at the response level. Distribution of these weights are configurable by user)
Ability to easily see visual comparisons by business type allows easy exports for inclusion in reports
Performance Standards
a) Standard: A. Complete actions within specified deadlines;
AQL: 95% submitted on time and accurate.
b) Standard: B. Comply with applicable standards;
AQL: 95% submitted on time and accurate.
c) Standard: C. Identify trends and areas of improvement;
AQL: 95% submitted on time and accurate.
d) Standard: D. Data is usable for analysis
AQL: 95% submitted on time and accurate.
Deliverables
A008 Electronic Request for Information (RFI) Report and Analysis
3.4 Data Analytics
The Contractor shall define workflow processes and procedures, performance measures, and collection methodology; Collaborate with stakeholders and functional leaders to identify capture and collect data requirements; Populate collected data requirements and elements will be populated in a database; Engage with a variety of stakeholders to collect and define data requirements; Develop work instructions and Standard Operations of Procedures (SOPs) to capture our methodology of data collection to ensure repeatable execution, standardization and audit validation; Propose a data collection plan, identify data elements and input data the framework using various quantitative and qualitative data collection methods: action plans, assessments, data sampling, lessons-learned, and historical mapping; Provide support to for activities related to Program Management Reviews (PMR) to include assisting with development of the PMR slide deck, coordinating/schedule meetings, and presenting the completed PMR briefing to the COR or designated PST Federal staff member; Utilize the Performance Measure to validate performance metrics; Propose refinements and updates to the metrics based on the program being measured and the limitations of available collection methods; Utilize several resources to validate, assess and map metrics to mission objectives and strategic goals; Resources include: lessons learned, customer surveys, user feedback and complaints, program personnel, and documented process challenges; Support the customer's program managers and functional leaders to identify appropriate metrics and new collection sources and methods; translate complex concepts into easily understandable ideas; Assist with implementing quality and on-going document improvement, and communicating these efforts both internally and externally to maximize participation in the improvement process by all stakeholders. As part of the on-going process improvement, continually identify areas of gap and/or deficiency in current processes.
These reports can be complex, cover multiple topics, and have various customers.
Report content provides the required information and analyses to answer the requested query.
Performance Standards
a) Standard: A. Complete actions within specified deadlines;
AQL: 95% submitted on time and accurate.
b) Standard: B. Comply with applicable standards;
AQL: 95% submitted on time and accurate.
c) Standard: C. Identify trends and areas of improvement;
AQL: 95% submitted on time and accurate.
d) Standard: D. Data is usable for analysis
AQL: 95% submitted on time and accurate.
Deliverables
A009 Procurement data analysis reports
3.5 Enterprise Market Research Program
The Contractor shall provide systems and processes as it relates to in our case Market Research tools and systems to support it.
3.5.1 Market Research Methodology Continued Process Improvement
The Contractor shall assist with implementing quality and on-going continuous improvement while communicating these efforts both internally and externally to maximize participation in the improvement process by all stakeholders. As part of the on-going process improvement, continually identify areas of gap and/or deficiencies in current processes.
The Contractor shall test changes as defined by the Government where results can easily be observed and measured, evaluate the results and summarize the lessons learned and recommend how to implement the change on an enterprise level and monitor results.
Per the direction of the Government, the Contractor shall develop a methodology which includes an analysis of the current market research process phases and elements, development of process flows with activities, a process guide and training content.
Performance Standards
a) Standard: A. Complete actions within specified deadlines;
AQL: 95% submitted on time and accurate.
b) Standard: B. Comply with applicable standards;
AQL: 95% submitted on time and accurate.
c) Standard: C. Identify trends and areas of improvement;
AQL: 95% submitted on time and accurate.
d) Standard: D. Data is usable for analysis
AQL: 95% submitted on time and accurate.
Deliverables
A010 Continuous Improvement Plan
A011 'As-is' 'To-be' Market Research Elements Process Flow
A012 Responsible, Accountable, Consultant and Informed 'RACI' Market Research Phases and Elements Chart
A013 Process Guides for Market Research Phases and Elements
3.5.2 Enterprise Market Research Business Case
The contractor shall write a business case to support the development and implementation of an enterprise market research program for the Department of Veterans Affairs. This shall include recurring updates as required.
The Contractor shall provide a plan containing the following elements from the VA Business Case template to support the standardization of enterprise market research across the VA:
Section 1-Executive Summary
Section-2 Problem/Opportunity Statement
Section-2. 1 Description
Section-2.2 Why should this problem/opportunity should be addressed?
Section-2.3 Options Considered
Section-3 Recommended Action and Justification
Section-3.1 Recommended Action
Section-3.2 Justification
Section-4 Financial and Personnel Considerations
Section-4.1 Financial Impact
Section-4.2 Project Funding
Section-4.3 Personnel Costs
Section-5 Risks and Other Considerations
Section-5. 1 Project Risks
Section-5.2 "Washington Post Test
Section-6 Supporting Analysis or Appendix
Section-6.1 Analysis Performed
Section-6.2 Alternatives Considered
Performance Standards
a) Standard: A. Complete actions within specified deadlines;
AQL: 95% submitted on time and accurate.
b) Standard: B. Comply with applicable standards;
AQL: 95% submitted on time and accurate.
c) Standard: C. Identify trends and areas of improvement;
AQL: 95% submitted on time and accurate.
d) Standard: D. Data is usable for analysis
AQL: 95% submitted on time and accurate.
Deliverables
A014 Enterprise Market Research Business Case
3.5.3 Requirements Development Workshop Methodology
The Contractor shall provide a methodology on how to develop requirement documents workshops to assist program offices with completing market research documents required for the acquisition package for submission to the contracting activity. The methodology includes the development of a process flow with activities, a draft standard operating procedure and training content.
The Contractor shall assist with implementing quality and on-going continuous improvement while communicating these efforts both internally and externally to maximize participation in the improvement process by all stakeholders. As part of the on-going process improvement, continually identify areas of gap and/or deficiency in current processes.
The Contractor shall test changes as defined by the Government where results can be easily be observed and measured, evaluate the results and summarize the lessons learned and recommend how to implement the change on an enterprise level and monitor results.
Per the direction of the Government, the Contractor shall develop a methodology which includes an analysis of the to-be requirements development workshop process phases and elements, development of process flows with activities, a process guide and training content.
Performance Standards
a) Standard: A. Complete actions within specified deadlines;
AQL: 95% submitted on time and accurate.
b) Standard: B. Comply with applicable standards;
AQL: 95% submitted on time and accurate.
c) Standard: C. Identify trends and areas of improvement;
AQL: 95% submitted on time and accurate.
d) Standard: D. Data is usable for analysis
AQL: 95% submitted on time and accurate.
Deliverables
A015 Workshop 'as-is' 'to-be' Analysis Report
A016 Procurement Development Workshop Process Flow
A017 Procurement Development Workshop Process Activity Chart
A018 Responsible, Accountable, Consultant and Informed 'RACI' for Procurement Development Workshop
A019 Process Guide for Workshops
3.5.4 RFI Process Methodology
The contractor shall provide a methodology on the RFI process. The methodology includes an analysis of the current process with recommendation for improvement, the development of a process flow with activities, a process guide (standard operating procedure), and training content.
The methodology will also include recommendations on the best method for conducting automated RFIs to include the identification of technology that should be used.
The Contractor shall assist with implementing quality and on-going continuous improvement while communicating these efforts both internally and externally to maximize participation in the improvement process by all stakeholders. As part of the on-going process improvement, continually identify areas of gap and/or deficiency in current processes.
The Contractor shall test changes as defined by the Government where results can be easily be observed and measured, evaluate the results and summarize the lessons learned and recommend how to implement the change on an enterprise level and monitor results.
Per the direction of the Government, the Contractor shall develop a methodology which includes an analysis of the to-be RFI process methodology process phases and elements, development of process flows with activities, a process guide and training content.
Performance Standards
a) Standard: A. Complete actions within specified deadlines;
AQL: 95% submitted on time and accurate.
b) Standard: B. Comply with applicable standards;
AQL: 95% submitted on time and accurate.
c) Standard: C. Identify trends and areas of improvement;
AQL: 95% submitted on time and accurate.
d) Standard: D. Data is usable for analysis
AQL: 95% submitted on time and accurate.
Deliverables
A020 RFI 'As-is' 'To-be' Analysis Report
A021 RFI Process Flow
A022 RFI 'As-is' 'To-be' Process Activity Chart
A024 Process Guide for Electronic Request for Information (e-RFI)
3.6 Development of Market Research Process Training
The Contractor shall provide content on how to complete documents and use tools required for the development of market research to submit an acquisition package to their Contracting activity.
The Contractor shall assist with implementing quality and on-going continuous improvement while communicating these efforts both internally and externally to maximize participation in the improvement process by all stakeholders. As part of the on-going process improvement, continually identify areas of gap and/or deficiency in current processes.
The Contractor shall test changes as defined by the Government where results can be easily be observed and measured, evaluate the results and summarize the lessons learned and recommend how to implement the change on an enterprise level and monitor results.
Per the direction of the Government, the Contractor shall develop a methodology and artifacts which includes an analysis of the 'to-be' market research process training phases and elements, development of process flows with activities, a process guide and training content.
The Contractor shall develop training content and 'how-to' guides on the following documents to support market research:
Statement of Need
Requirements Definition Artifact (Performance Work Statement, Statement of Objectives, and Statement of Work)
Independent Government Cost Estimate (IGCE)
Acquisition Plan
Performance Standards
a) Standard: A. Complete actions within specified deadlines;
AQL: 95% submitted on time and accurate.
b) Standard: B. Comply with applicable standards;
AQL: 95% submitted on time and accurate.
c) Standard: C. Identify trends and areas of improvement;
AQL: 95% submitted on time and accurate.
d) Standard: D. Data is usable for analysis
AQL: 95% submitted on time and accurate.
Deliverables
A025 Market Research Document 'How-to' Guides
A026 Develop Training Content for 'Train-the-Trainer'
3.7 Market Research Procurement Package Development Workshops
The contactor shall conduct workshops to assist non-contracting staff in the preparation of their procurement packages
3.7.1 Conduct Market Research Procurement Package Preparation Workshops
The Contactor shall conduct workshops to assist non-contracting staff in the preparation of their procurement packages which includes final documents for market research that will be submitted to the Contracting activity.
No more than 10 workshops during each period of performance. A workshop is defined as the effort to support a program office in the development of market research documents for their acquisition package. This may take multiple meetings. The number of days for each workshop will vary based on the elements requested from the market research framework.
The documents that may be developed during a workshop may include but not limited to:
IPT Charter
Stakeholder Management Plan
Communication Plan
Market Research Report
Requirements Definition Artifact (Statement of Objectives (SOO), Statement of Work (SOW) or Performance Work Statement (PWS))
Quality Assurance Surveillance Plan (QASP)
Independent Government Cost Estimate
Source Selection Evaluation Plan (SSEP)
Acquisition Plan
Performance Standards
a) Standard: A. Complete actions within specified deadlines;
AQL: 95% submitted on time and accurate.
b) Standard: B. Comply with applicable standards;
AQL: 95% submitted on time and accurate.
c) Standard: C. Identify trends and areas of improvement;
AQL: 95% submitted on time and accurate.
d) Standard: D. Data is usable for analysis
AQL: 95% submitted on time and accurate.
Deliverables
A027 Market Research Procurement Package Preparation Workshops
3.8 Optional CLIN
To support the Program Support Team as referenced in Task 3.2 of this PWS.
Performance Standards
a) Standard: A. Complete actions within specified deadlines;
AQL: 95% submitted on time and accurate.
b) Standard: B. Comply with applicable standards;
AQL: 95% submitted on time and accurate.
c) Standard: C. Identify trends and areas of improvement;
AQL: 95% submitted on time and accurate.
d) Standard: D. Data is usable for analysis
AQL: 95% submitted on time and accurate.
Deliverables
A004 Market Intelligence Reports
A005 North American Industry Classification System (NAICS) Analysis Report
3.9 Optional CLIN
To support the Program Support Team as referenced in Task 3.3 and 3.6 of this PWS.
Performance Standards
a) Standard: A. Complete actions within specified deadlines;
AQL: 95% submitted on time and accurate.
b) Standard: B. Comply with applicable standards;
AQL: 95% submitted on time and accurate.
c) Standard: C. Identify trends and areas of improvement;
AQL: 95% submitted on time and accurate.
d) Standard: D. Data is usable for analysis
AQL: 95% submitted on time and accurate.
Deliverables
A006 Electronic Request for Information (RFI) Tool
A007 Electronic Request for Information (RFI) template for questions
A008 Electronic Request for Information (RFI) Report and Analysis
A025 Market Research Document 'How-to' Guides
A026 Develop Training Content for 'Train-the-Trainer'
3.10 Optional CLIN
To support the Program Support Team as referenced in Task 3.4 of this PWS.
Performance Standards
a) Standard: A. Complete actions within specified deadlines;
AQL: 95% submitted on time and accurate.
b) Standard: B. Comply with applicable standards;
AQL: 95% submitted on time and accurate.
c) Standard: C. Identify trends and areas of improvement;
AQL: 95% submitted on time and accurate.
d) Standard: D. Data is usable for analysis
AQL: 95% submitted on time and accurate.
Deliverables
A009 Procurement data analysis reports
3.11 Optional CLIN
To support the Program Support Team as referenced in Task 3.5 of this PWS.
Performance Standards
a) Standard: A. Complete actions within specified deadlines;
AQL: 95% submitted on time and accurate.
b) Standard: B. Comply with applicable standards;
AQL: 95% submitted on time and accurate.
c) Standard: C. Identify trends and areas of improvement;
AQL: 95% submitted on time and accurate.
d) Standard: D. Data is usable for analysis
AQL: 95% submitted on time and accurate.
Deliverables
A010 Continuous Improvement Plan
A011 'As-is' 'To-be' Market Research Elements Process Flow
A012 Responsible, Accountable, Consultant and Informed 'RACI' Market Research Phases and Elements Chart
A013 Process Guides for Market Research Phases and Elements
A014 Enterprise Market Research Business Case
A015 Workshop 'as-is' 'to-be' Analysis Report
A016 Procurement Development Workshop Process Flow
A017 Procurement Development Workshop Process Activity Chart
A018 Responsible, Accountable, Consultant and Informed 'RACI' for Procurement Development Workshop
A019 Process Guide for Workshops
A020 RFI 'As-is' 'To-be' Analysis Report
A021 RFI Process Flow
A022 RFI 'As-is' 'To-be' Process Activity Chart
A023 RFI Responsible, Accountable, Consulted and Informed 'RACI' Chart
A024 Process Guide for Electronic Request for Information (e-RFI)
3.12 Optional CLIN
To support the Program Support Team as referenced in Task 3.7 for oversight of additional teams created from Optional CLINS to support tasks within this PWS.
Performance Standards
a) Standard: A. Complete actions within specified deadlines;
AQL: 95% submitted on time and accurate.
b) Standard: B. Comply with applicable standards;
AQL: 95% submitted on time and accurate.
c) Standard: C. Identify trends and areas of improvement;
AQL: 95% submitted on time and accurate.
d) Standard: D. Data is usable for analysis
AQL: 95% submitted on time and accurate.
Deliverables
A027 Market Research Procurement Package Preparation Workshops
4 Special Requirements
This section describes the special requirements for this effort. The following sub-sections provide details of various considerations on this effort.
4.1 Inherently Governmental Functions
The contractor is solely responsible for managing and supervising its personnel. This contract is for non-personal services. Nothing in the PWS shall be construed as authorizing or directing the contractor to perform an Inherently Governmental Function (IGF) as defined by the Office of Federal Procurement Policy (OFPP) Policy Letter 11-01. Tasks executed by the contractor shall be considered recommendations subject to the review and approval by the Government. Contractor personnel shall not perform any IGF as detailed in FAR 7.503. Contractor personnel shall serve in a support role; final decisions will be made by Government personnel.
4.2 Personnel Requirements
All contractor personnel shall be fully qualified, possessing required certification, and have skill sets and the level of experience necessary to accomplish the requirements of this PWS. In addition, contractor personnel shall be acceptable to the Government in terms of personal and professional conduct, and technical knowledge. All initial Contractor personnel's task specific training shall be conducted within the first thirty (30) business days of contract award. The Government may independently require or grant contractor employees the time to attend additional task specific training provided by the Contractor as necessary. The Government may provide on-the-job training to contractor employees if the task requires it and if the Government has the capability to facilitate. If the Government and Contractor agree that contractor employee attendance at any training is appropriate, and it does not otherwise impact timely delivery of services, then the Government must determine whether the training is necessary and reasonable.
The Government reserves the right to waive requirements on a case-by-case basis. Any waivers for minimum education and experience requirements must be approved in writing by the COR.
The following table outlines minimum personnel requirements for labor categories required of each task:
|Task Number |Task Title |Minimum Qualifications |
|3.1 |Program Support Team Administrative Support |Associate with 5 years’ experience, B.A. with 3 years’ experience |
| | |or Masters with 2 years’ experience |
|3.2 |Industry Analysis Task |B.A. with 8 or more years of experience or Masters with 5 or more |
| | |years of experience |
|3.3 |Request for Information (RFI) |B.A. with 8 or more years of experience or Masters with 5 or more |
| | |years of experience |
|3.4 |Data Analysis |B.A. with 8 or more years of experience or Masters with 5 or more |
| | |years of experience |
|3.5 |Enterprise Market Research Program |Masters with 10 or more years of experience or Ph.D with 2 or more |
| | |years |
|3.6 |Development of Market Research Process Training |B.A. with 8 or more years of experience or Masters with 5 or more |
| | |years of experience |
|3.7 |Market Research Procurement Package Development |B.A. with 10 or more years of experience or Masters with 5 or more |
| |Workshops |years of experience |
|3.8 |Optional CLIN |B.A. with 8 or more years of experience or Masters with 5 or more |
| | |years of experience |
|3.9 |Optional CLIN |B.A. with 8 or more years of experience or Masters with 5 or more |
| | |years of experience |
|3.10 |Optional CLIN |B.A. with 8 or more years of experience or Masters with 5 or more |
| | |years of experience |
|3.11 |Optional CLIN |Masters with 10 or more years of experience or Ph.D with 2 or more |
| | |years |
|3.12 |Optional CLIN |B.A. with 10 or more years of experience or Masters with 5 or more |
| | |years of experience |
4.3 Key Personnel
Certain skilled, experienced, professional, and/or technical qualifications are essential for accomplishing the work to be performed. Individuals having these qualifications are defined as Key Personnel.
Substitution of Key Personnel: Any personnel the contractor offers as substitutes shall have the ability equal to or better than the key personnel that is being replaced. Except in cases where individuals commit criminal acts or violations of company policy, personnel shall not be removed, diverted, or replaced from work without notifying the CO and COR. The request shall in writing.
The contractor shall provide a detailed explanation of the circumstances necessitating the proposed substitution. The contractor shall submit a complete resume for the proposed substitute, any changes to the rate specified in the order (as applicable) and any other information requested by the CO. The COR and CO will evaluate such requests and the CO will notify the contractor in writing of the approval/disapproval of proposed Key Personnel substitutions.
These individuals shall be the Key Personnel for this requirement:
|Key Personnel Positions |Name |
| |TBD |
| |TBD |
| |TBD |
| |TBD |
4.4 Position Risk Designation Level
|Position Sensitivity|Background Investigation (in accordance with Department of Veterans Affairs 0710 Handbook, “Personnel Suitability and |
| |Security Program,” Appendix A) |
|Low/ Tier 1 |Tier 1/ National Agency Check with Written Inquiries (NACI) A Tier 1/NACI is conducted by OPM and covers a 5-year |
| |period. It consists of a review of records contained in the OPM Security Investigations Index (SII) and the DOD Defense |
| |Central Investigations Index (DCII), Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) name check, FBI fingerprint check, and |
| |written inquiries to previous employers and references listed on the application for employment. In VA it is used for |
| |Non-sensitive or Low Risk positions. |
|Moderate/ Tier 2 |Tier 2/ Moderate Background Investigation (MBI) A Tier 2/MBI is conducted by OPM and covers a 5-year period. It consists|
| |of a review of National Agency Check (NAC) records [OPM Security Investigations Index (SII), DOD Defense Central |
| |Investigations Index (DCII), FBI name check, and a FBI fingerprint check], a credit report covering a period of 5 years,|
| |written inquiries to previous employers and references listed on the application for employment; an interview with the |
| |subject, law enforcement check; and a verification of the educational degree. |
|High/ Tier 4 |Tier 4/ Background Investigation (BI) A Tier 4/BI is conducted by OPM and covers a 10-year period. It consists of a |
| |review of National Agency Check (NAC) records [OPM Security Investigations Index (SII), DOD Defense Central |
| |Investigations Index (DCII), FBI name check, and a FBI fingerprint check report], a credit report covering a period of |
| |10 years, written inquiries to previous employers and references listed on the application for employment; an interview |
| |with the subject, spouse, neighbors, supervisor, co-workers; court records, law enforcement check, and a verification of|
| |the educational degree. |
The position sensitivity and the level of background investigation commensurate with the required level of access for the following tasks within the Performance Work Statement are:
|Task Number |Tier1/ Low/ NACI |Tier 2/ Moderate/ MBI |Tier 4/ High /BI |
|3.1 | | | |
|3.2 | | | |
|3.3 | | | |
|3.4 | | | |
|3.5 | | | |
|3.6 | | | |
|3.7 | | | |
|3.8 | | | |
|3.9 | | | |
|3.10 | | | |
|3.11 | | | |
|3.12 | | | |
4.4.1 Contractor Personnel Security Requirements
Contractor Responsibilities:
The contractor shall prescreen all personnel requiring access to the computer systems to ensure they maintain the appropriate Background Investigation, and are able to read, write, speak and understand the English language.
The contractor shall bear the expense of obtaining background investigations.
Within three (3) business days after award, the contractor shall provide a roster of Contractor and Subcontractor employees to the COR to begin their background investigations in accordance with the Property template. The Contractor Staff Roster shall contain the Contractor's Full Name, Date of Birth, Place of Birth, individual background investigation level requirement, etc. The contractor shall submit full Social Security Numbers either within the Contractor Staff Roster or under separate cover to the COR. The Contractor Staff Roster shall be updated and provided to VA within one (1) day of any changes in employee status, training certification completion status, Background Investigation level status, additions/removal of employees, etc. throughout the Period of Performance. The Contractor Staff Roster shall remain a historical document indicating all past information and the contractor shall indicate in the Comment field, employees no longer supporting this contract. The preferred method to send the Contractor Staff Roster or Social Security Number is by encrypted e-mail. If unable to send encrypted e-mail, other methods which comply with FIPS 140-2 are to encrypt the file, use a secure fax, or use a traceable mail service.
The contractor should coordinate the location of the nearest VA fingerprinting office through the COR. Only electronic fingerprints are authorized.
The contractor shall ensure the following required forms are submitted to the COR within 5 days after contract award:
1. For a Tier 1/Low Risk designation:
1. OF-306
2. DVA Memorandum - Electronic Fingerprints
2. For Tier 2/Moderate or Tier 4/High Risk designation:
1. OF-306
2. VA Form 0710
3. DVA Memorandum - Electronic Fingerprints
The contractor personnel shall submit all required information related to their background investigations (completion of the investigation documents (SF85, SF85P, or SF 86) utilizing the Office of Personnel Management's (OPM) Electronic Questionnaire for Investigations Processing (e-QIP) after receiving an email notification from the Security and Investigation Center (SIC).
The contractor employee shall certify and release the e-QIP document, print and sign the signature pages, and send them encrypted to the COR for electronic submission to the SIC. These documents shall be submitted to the COR within 3 business days of receipt of the e-QIP notification email. (Note: OPM is moving towards a "click to sign" process. If click to sign is used, the contractor employee should notify the COR within three (3) business days that documents were signed via e-QIP).
The contractor shall be responsible for the actions of all personnel provided to work for VA under this contract. In the event that damages arise from work performed by contractor provided personnel, under the auspices of this contract, the contractor shall be responsible for all resources necessary to remedy the incident.
A contractor may be granted unescorted access to VA facilities and/or access to VA Information Technology resources (network and/or protected data) with a favorably adjudicated Special Agreement Check (SAC) or "Closed, No Issues" (SAC) finger print results, training delineated in VA Handbook 6500.6 (Appendix C, Section 9), and, the signed "Contractor Rules of Behavior." However, the contractor will be responsible for the actions of the contractor personnel they provide to perform work for VA. The investigative history for contractor personnel working under this contract must be maintained in the database of the Office of Personnel Management (OPM).
The contractor, when notified of an unfavorably adjudicated background investigation on a contractor employee as determined by the Government, shall withdraw the employee from consideration in working under the contract.
Failure to comply with the contractor personnel security investigative requirements may result in loss of physical and/or logical access to VA facilities and systems by contractor and Subcontractor employees and/or termination of the contract for default.
Identity Credential Holders must follow all HSPD-12 policies and procedures as well as use and protect their assigned identity credentials in accordance with VA policies and procedures, displaying their badges at all times, and returning the identity credentials upon termination of their relationship with VA.
DD Forms 254: Overarching security requirements and Contractor access to classified information shall be as specified in the basic DD Form 254, which will be further identified in the DD Form 254 for each TO, as required. All contractor personnel with access to unclassified information systems, including e-mail, shall have at a minimum a favorable National Agency Check (NAC).
Visitor Group Security Agreement. The contractor shall sign a Contractor Visitor Group Security Agreement to protect classified information involved in performance under this contract or Task Order. The Agreement will outline responsibilities in the following areas: Contractor security supervision; Standard Practice Procedures; access, accountability, storage, and transmission of classified material; marking requirements; security education; personnel security clearances; reports; security checks; security guidance; emergency protection; protection of government resources; DD Forms 254; periodic security reviews; and other responsibilities, as required.
4.5 Safety
Contractor Compliance: The contractor and its subcontractors shall comply with Public Law 91-596 (Occupational Safety and Health Act (OSHA)) and the Environmental, Safety, and Occupational Health (ESOH) (DODD 4715.1E). These requirements shall be incorporated into the contractor's safety and health program. The Department of Defense (DoD) participates in the OSHA Voluntary Protection Program (VPP). Contractor personnel performing services on a DoD installation shall participate in the local VPP. Information on the VPP is available at .
Mishap Notification and Investigation: The contractor and its subcontractors (if applicable) shall promptly report pertinent facts regarding mishaps involving Government property damage or injury to Government personnel and to cooperate in any resulting safety investigation. The contractor shall notify (via telephone) the cognizant contracting officer, the contracting officer's representative, and/or other applicable members within four (4) hours of all mishaps or incidents. The Government person notified by the contractor will in-turn notify the Safety office. Contractor notifications made after duty hours shall be reported to the appropriate installation Command Post. If requested by the cognizant contracting officer, the contracting officer's representative, and/or the cognizant program manager, the contractor shall immediately secure the mishap scene/damaged property and impound pertinent maintenance and training records until released by the investigating safety office. If the Government investigates the mishap, the contractor and the subcontractors shall cooperate fully and assist the Government personnel until the investigation is completed.
4.6 Transition
The contractor shall follow the transition plan submitted as part of the proposal and keep the Government fully informed of status throughout the transition period. Throughout the phase-in/phase-out periods, it is essential that attention be given to minimize interruptions or delays to work in progress that would impact the mission. The contractor must plan for the transfer of work control, delineating the method for processing and assigning tasks during the phase-in/phase-out periods. Include as monitored item in weekly status report (or other deliverable).
4.7 Government Furnished Materials
4.7.1 Government Furnished Equipment (GFE)
The Government does anticipate the issuance of Government Furnished Equipment (GFE) under this requirement.
4.7.2 Government Furnished Information (GFI)
The Government will provide samples of deliverable reports to the contractor and access to required data and network resources to support the requirements of this order as needed. All procedural guides, reference materials, and program documentation for the project and other Government applications will also be provided on an as-needed basis.
The contractor is expected to use common knowledge and resourcefulness in securing all other reference materials, standard industry publications, and related materials that are pertinent to the work. The contractor shall request other Government documentation deemed pertinent to the work accomplishment directly from the Government officials with whom the contractor has contact. The contractor shall consider the COR as the final source for needed Government documentation when the contractor fails to secure the documents by other means.
4.8 Applicable Directives
In the performance of the tasks associated with this Performance Work Statement, the contractor shall comply with the following:
1. FIPS Pub 201-2, Personal Identity Verification of Federal Employees and Contractors, August 2013
2. 5 U.S.C. 552a, as amended, The Privacy Act of 1974
3. VA Directive 0710, Personnel Suitability and Security Program, June 4, 2010,
4. VA Handbook 0710, Personnel Suitability and Security Program, May 2, 2016,
5. Homeland Security Presidential Directive (12) (HSPD-12), August 27, 2004
6. VA Handbook 6500.2, Management of Data Breaches Involving Sensitive Personal Information, October 28, 2015
7. VA Handbook 6500.6, Contract Security, March 12, 2010
8. National Institute Standards and Technology (NIST) Special Publications (SP)
9. VA Directive 6508, Implementation of Privacy Threshold Analysis and Privacy Impact Assessment, October 15, 2014
10. VA Directive 6300, Records and Information Management, February 26, 2009
11. VA Handbook, 6300.1, Records Management Procedures, March 24, 2010
12. VA Directive 0735, Homeland Security Presidential Directive 12 (HSPD-12) Program, October 26, 2015
13. VA Handbook 0735, Homeland Security Presidential Directive 12 (HSPD-12) Program, March 24, 2014
14. OMB Memorandum M-06-18, Acquisition of Products and Services for Implementation of HSPD-12, June 30, 2006
15. OMB Memorandum 05-24, Implementation of Homeland Security Presidential Directive (HSPD) 12 - Policy for a Common Identification Standard for Federal Employees and Contractors, August 5, 2005
16. OMB memorandum M-11-11, Continued Implementation of Homeland Security Presidential Directive (HSPD) 12 - Policy for a Common Identification Standard for Federal Employees and Contractors, February 3, 2011
17. OMB Memorandum, Guidance for Homeland Security Presidential Directive (HSPD) 12 Implementation, May 23, 2008
18. NIST SP 800-116, A Recommendation for the Use of Personal Identity Verification (PIV) Credentials in Physical Access Control Systems, November 20, 2008
19. OMB Memorandum M-07-16, Safeguarding Against and Responding to the Breach of Personally Identifiable Information, May 22, 2007
20. NIST SP 800-63-2, Electronic Authentication Guideline, August 2013
21. Draft NIST Special Publication 800-157, Guidelines for Derived PIV Credentials, March 2014
22. VA Memorandum, VAIQ #7100147, Continued Implementation of Homeland Security Presidential Directive 12 (HSPD-12), April 29, 2011 (reference )
23. Public Law 109-461, Veterans Benefits, Health Care, and Information Technology Act of 2006 (reference )
24. Public Law 111-275, Veterans' Benefits Act of 2010 (reference )
25. 38 CFR Part 74, Veterans Small Business Regulations (reference )
FY 2016 Small Business Procurement Review Program Policy
4.9 Quality
This section describes the Quality Control components for this effort. The following sub-sections provide details of various considerations on this effort.
4.10 Quality Control
The Contractor shall develop a Task/Delivery Order QCP and maintain an effective quality control program to ensure services are performed in accordance with the IDIQ contract and this PWS. The Contractor shall develop and implement procedures to identify, prevent, and ensure non-recurrence of defective services. The Contractor's QCP is the means by which he assures himself that his work complies with the requirement of the contract.
The finalized QCP will be accepted by the Government at the time of the award of the Task/Delivery Order. The Contracting Officer may notify the Contractor of required modifications to the plan during the period of performance. The Contractor then shall coordinate suggested modifications and obtain acceptance of the plan by the Contracting Officer. Any modifications to the program during the period of performance shall be provided to the Contracting Officer for review no later than 10 working days prior to effective date of the change. The QCP shall be subject to the Government's review and approval. The Government may find the QCP "unacceptable" whenever the Contractor's procedures do not accomplish quality control objective(s). The Contractor shall revise the QCP within 10 working days from receipt of notice that QCP is found "unacceptable."
4.11 Quality Assurance Surveillance Plan (QASP)
The Government will utilize a Quality Assurance Surveillance Plan (QASP) throughout the life of the contract to ensure that the contractor is performing the services required by this PWS in an acceptable manner. The contractor shall monitor performance against the established schedule, milestones, risk, and performance standards outlined in this PWS. The contractor shall report any deviations from the performance standards to the COR. The Government reserves the right to alter or change the surveillance methods in the QASP at its own discretion.
4.12 Status Reports
The contractor shall comply with all documents listed below as mandatory and referenced under paragraph 3.0, Performance Requirements.
The Contractor shall submit a weekly status report as defined by the Government of all tasks in progress or completed.
4.13 Facility/Resource Provision
The Government will provide office space, telephone service, and system access when authorized contractor staff work at a Government location as required in accomplishing the tasks associated with this PWS. The Government will provide access to necessary equipment for onsite contractor staff, including monitors, a keyboard, and a CPU, and access to printing, scanning, and copying.
VA will provide remote access to VA specific systems/network in accordance with VA Handbook 6500, which requires the use of a VA approved method to connect external equipment/systems to VA's network. Citrix Access Gateway (CAG) is the current and only VA approved method for remote access users when using or manipulating VA information for official VA Business. VA permits CAG remote access through approved Contractor Furnished Equipment (CFE) provided the equipment meets all applicable 6500 Handbook requirements for Government Furnished Equipment (GFE). All of the security controls required for Government furnished equipment (GFE) must be utilized in approved CFE. The contractor shall provide proof to the COR for review and approval that their CFE meets the VA Handbook 6500 requirements and VA Handbook 6500.6 Appendix C, herein incorporated into the PWS, before use. CAG authorized users shall not be permitted to copy, print or save any VA information accessed via CAG at any time.
The contractor shall not transmit, store or otherwise maintain sensitive data or products in contractor systems (or media) outside the VA firewall IAW VA Handbook 6500.6 dated March 12, 2010. All VA sensitive information shall be protected at all times in accordance with VA Handbook 6500, local security field office System Security Plans (SSP) and Authorities to Operate (ATO) for all systems/LAN's accessed while performing the tasks detailed in this PWS. For detailed Security and Privacy
Requirements refer to VA Information and Information System Security/Privacy.
4.14 Contractor Site Capabilities
Contractor staff with issued GFE must utilize VA RESCUE or VA Virtual Private Network (VPN) to access VA resources.
Network access through the Citrix Access Gateway (CAG) will require the use of a personal identity verification (PIV) card. The Government will provide Citrix CAG or VPN accounts for authorized users. The contractor should contact the CO/COR for latest download instructions and current software version following contract award date. All contractor personnel must be approved for VA network access and have a PIV card before they can use Citrix CAG for remote desktop. If the issuance of PIV card is delayed due to VA backlog or protracted outages, the contractor shall submit a list of pending request for 30 day issuance of a temporary Mobile Pass/token.
All contractor personnel must be able to participate in VTC/Web Conferencing via Government issued Citrix CAG remote desktop and/or contractor issued Microsoft Lync 2010 or 2013 or Skype for Business. The Microsoft Lync or Skype for Business web conferencing capability shall include application and program sharing, document collaboration, video/audio conferencing, whiteboards, PowerPoint presentation, instant messaging, presence and awareness, recording and playback.
The contractor shall provide and maintain telephone services, associated telephone sets and headsets with appropriate hardware and software support, voice mail, and call processing capabilities to provide PST members with the ability to place outgoing calls and respond to incoming calls and voice mail messages.
For backup, as well as to participate in some training webinars, all hands meetings, announcements, and regular OSDBU communication meetings, the contractor must be able to access GoToMeeting or other online collaborative software via standard web browsers, mobile app, or laptop plugins.
4.14.1 Contractor Facility Requirements
All personnel working at the contractor site shall have access to:
1. Video Teleconferencing (VTC)/Web Conferencing (Must be compatible and interoperable with Microsoft Lync 2010 or 2013 and GoToMeeting).
2. Phones/VOIP phones capable of meeting task requirements.
3. PIV-Enabled laptop computer with compatible camera and microphones (CFE to same standards as GFE).
4. Sufficient bandwidth and network infrastructure to ensure connectivity to VA network and resources via Citrix Access Gateway (CAG) for remote desktop.
5. Outgoing calls will display the OSDBU Help Desk number.
6. Possess the capability to monitor and/or record calls and share recordings with VA in standard audio file.
4.15 VA Information and Information System Security/Privacy
Applicable paragraphs tailored according to the requirements of the effort.
4.15.1 General
Contractors, Contractor personnel, Subcontractors, and Subcontractor personnel shall be subject to the same Federal laws, regulations, standards, and VA Directives and Handbooks as VA and VA personnel regarding information and information system security.
4.15.2 Contractors, Contractor personnel, Subcontractors, and Subcontractor personnel shall be subject to the same Federal laws, regulations, standards, and VA Directives and Handbooks as VA and VA personnel regarding information and information system security.
a. A Contractor/Subcontractor shall request logical (technical) or physical access to VA information and VA information systems for their employees, Subcontractors, and affiliates only to the extent necessary to perform the services specified in the contract, agreement, or task order.
b. All Contractors, Subcontractors, and third-party servicers and associates working with VA information are subject to the same investigative requirements as those of VA appointees or employees who have access to the same types of information. The level and process of background security investigations for Contractors must be in accordance with VA Directive and Handbook 0710, Personnel Suitability and Security Program. The Office for Operations, Security, and Preparedness is responsible for these policies and procedures.
c. Contract personnel who require access to national security programs must have a valid security clearance. National Industrial Security Program (NISP) was established by Executive Order 12829 to ensure that cleared U.S. defense industry contract personnel safeguard the classified information in their possession while performing work on contracts, programs, bids, or research and development efforts. The Department of Veterans Affairs does not have a Memorandum of Agreement with Defense Security Service (DSS). Verification of a Security Clearance must be processed through the Special Security Officer located in the Planning and National Security Service within the Office of Operations, Security, and Preparedness.
d. Custom software development and outsourced operations must be located in the U.S. to the maximum extent practical. If such services are proposed to be performed abroad and are not disallowed by other VA policy or mandates (e.g. Business Associate Agreement, Section 3G), the Contractor/Subcontractor must state where all non-U.S. services are provided and detail a security plan, deemed to be acceptable by VA, specifically to address mitigation of the resulting problems of communication, control, data protection, and so forth. Location within the U.S. may be an evaluation factor.
e. The Contractor or Subcontractor must notify the Contracting Officer immediately when an employee working on a VA system or with access to VA information is reassigned or leaves the Contractor or Subcontractor's employ. The Contracting Officer must also be notified immediately by the Contractor or Subcontractor prior to an unfriendly termination.
4.15.3 VA Information Custodial Language
a. Information made available to the Contractor or Subcontractor by VA for the performance or administration of this contract or information developed by the Contractor/Subcontractor in performance or administration of the contract shall be used only for those purposes and shall not be used in any other way without the prior written agreement of VA. This clause expressly limits the Contractor/Subcontractor's rights to use data as described in Rights in Data - General, FAR 52.227-14(d)(1).
b. VA information should not be co-mingled, if possible, with any other data on the Contractors/Subcontractor's information systems or media storage systems in order to ensure VA requirements related to data protection and media sanitization can be met. If co-mingling must be allowed to meet the requirements of the business need, the Contractor must ensure that VA's information is returned to VA or destroyed in accordance with VA's sanitization requirements. VA reserves the right to conduct on-site inspections of Contractor and Subcontractor IT resources to ensure data security controls, separation of data and job duties, and destruction/media sanitization procedures are in compliance with VA directive requirements.
c. Prior to termination or completion of this contract, Contractor/Subcontractor must not destroy information received from VA, or gathered/created by the Contractor in the course of performing this contract without prior written approval by VA. Any data destruction done on behalf of VA by a Contractor/Subcontractor must be done in accordance with National Archives and Records Administration (NARA) requirements as outlined in VA Directive 6300, Records and Information Management and its Handbook 6300.1 Records Management Procedures, applicable VA Records Control Schedules, and VA Handbook 6500.1, Electronic Media Sanitization. Self-certification by the Contractor that the data destruction requirements above have been met must be sent to the VA Contracting Officer within 30 days of termination of the contract.
d. The Contractor/Subcontractor must receive, gather, store, back up, maintain, use, disclose and dispose of VA information only
in compliance with the terms of the contract and applicable Federal and VA information confidentiality and security laws, regulations and policies. If Federal or VA information confidentiality and security laws, regulations and policies become applicable to the VA information or information systems after execution of the contract, or if NIST issues or updates applicable FIPS or Special Publications (SP) after execution of this contract, the parties agree to negotiate in good faith to implement the information confidentiality and security laws, regulations and policies in this contract.
e. The Contractor/Subcontractor shall not make copies of VA information except as authorized and necessary to perform the terms of the agreement or to preserve electronic information stored on Contractor/Subcontractor electronic storage media for restoration in case any electronic equipment or data used by the Contractor/Subcontractor needs to be restored to an operating state. If copies are made for restoration purposes, after the restoration is complete, the copies must be appropriately destroyed.
f. If VA determines that the Contractor has violated any of the information confidentiality, privacy, and security provisions of the contract, it shall be sufficient grounds for VA to withhold payment to the Contractor or third party or terminate the contract for default or terminate for cause under Federal Acquisition Regulation (FAR) part 12.
g. If a VHA contract is terminated for cause, the associated Business Associate Agreement (BAA) must also be terminated and appropriate actions taken in accordance with VHA Handbook 1600.05, Business Associate Agreements. Absent an agreement to use or disclose protected health information, there is no business associate relationship.
h. The Contractor/Subcontractor must store, transport, or transmit VA sensitive information in an encrypted form, using VA-approved encryption tools that are, at a minimum, FIPS 140-2 validated.
i. The Contractor/Subcontractor's firewall and Web services security controls, if applicable, shall meet or exceed VA's minimum requirements. VA Configuration Guidelines are available upon request.
j. Except for uses and disclosures of VA information authorized by this contract for performance of the contract, the Contractor/Subcontractor may use and disclose VA information only in two other situations: (i) in response to a qualifying order of a court of competent jurisdiction, or (ii) with VA's prior written approval. The Contractor/Subcontractor must refer all requests for, demands for production of, or inquiries about, VA information and information systems to the VA contracting officer for response.
k. Notwithstanding the provision above, the Contractor/Subcontractor shall not release VA records protected by Title 38 U.S.C. 5705, confidentiality of medical quality assurance records and/or Title 38 U.S.C. 7332, confidentiality of certain health records pertaining to drug addiction, sickle cell anemia, alcoholism or alcohol abuse, or infection with human immunodeficiency virus. If the Contractor/Subcontractor is in receipt of a court order or other requests for the above mentioned information, that Contractor/Subcontractor shall immediately refer such court orders or other requests to the VA contracting officer for response.
l. For service that involves the storage, generating, transmitting, or exchanging of VA sensitive information but does not require Assessment and Authorization (A&A) or a Memorandum of Understanding-Interconnection Security Agreement (MOU-ISA) for system interconnection, the Contractor/Subcontractor must complete a Contractor Security Control Assessment (CSCA) on a yearly basis and provide it to the COR.
4.15.4 Security Incident Investigation
a. The term "security incident" means an event that has, or could have, resulted in unauthorized access to, loss or damage to VA assets, or sensitive information, or an action that breaches VA security procedures. The Contractor/Subcontractor shall immediately notify the COR and simultaneously, the designated ISO and Privacy Officer for the contract of any known or suspected security/privacy incidents, or any unauthorized disclosure of sensitive information, including that contained in system(s) to which the Contractor/Subcontractor has access.
b. To the extent known by the Contractor/Subcontractor, the Contractor/Subcontractor's notice to VA shall identify the information involved, the circumstances surrounding the incident (including to whom, how, when, and where the VA information or assets were placed at risk or compromised), and any other information that the Contractor/Subcontractor considers relevant.
c. With respect to unsecured protected health information, the business associate is deemed to have discovered a data breach when the business associate knew or should have known of a breach of such information. Upon discovery, the business associate must notify the covered entity of the breach. Notifications need to be made in accordance with the executed business associate agreement.
d. In instances of theft or break-in or other criminal activity, the Contractor/Subcontractor must concurrently report the incident to the appropriate law enforcement entity (or entities) of jurisdiction, including the VA OIG and Security and Law Enforcement. The Contractor, its employees, and its Subcontractors and their employees shall cooperate with VA and any law enforcement authority responsible for the investigation and prosecution of any possible criminal law violation(s) associated with any incident. The Contractor/Subcontractor shall cooperate with VA in any civil litigation to recover VA information, obtain monetary or other compensation from a third party for damages arising from any incident, or obtain injunctive relief against any third party arising from, or related to, the incident.
4.15.5 Liquidated Damages for Data Breach
a. Consistent with the requirements of 38 U.S.C. 5725, a contract may require access to sensitive personal information. If so, the Contractor is liable to VA for liquidated damages in the event of a data breach or privacy incident involving any SPI the Contractor/Subcontractor processes or maintains under this contract. However, it is the policy of VA to forgo collection of liquidated damages in the event the Contractor provides payment of actual damages in an amount determined to be adequate by the agency.
b. The Contractor/Subcontractor shall provide notice to VA of a "security incident" as set forth in the Security Incident Investigation section above. Upon such notification, VA must secure from a non-Department entity or the VA Office of Inspector General an independent risk analysis of the data breach to determine the level of risk associated with the data breach for the potential misuse of any sensitive personal information involved in the data breach. The term "data breach" means the loss, theft, or other unauthorized access, or any access other than that incidental to the scope of employment, to data containing sensitive personal information, in electronic or printed form, that results in the potential compromise of the confidentiality or integrity of the data. Contractor shall fully cooperate with the entity performing the risk analysis. Failure to cooperate may be deemed a material breach and grounds for contract termination.
c. Each risk analysis shall address all relevant information concerning the data breach, including the following:
1) Nature of the event (loss, theft, unauthorized access);
2) Description of the event, including:
(a) date of occurrence;
(b) data elements involved, including any PII, such as full name, social security number, date of birth, home address, account number, disability code;
3) Number of individuals affected or potentially affected;
4) Names of individuals or groups affected or potentially affected;
5) Ease of logical data access to the lost, stolen or improperly accessed data in light of the degree of protection for the data, e.g., unencrypted, plain text;
6) Amount of time the data has been out of VA control;
7) The likelihood that the sensitive personal information will or has been compromised (made accessible to and usable by unauthorized persons);
8) Known misuses of data containing sensitive personal information, if any;
9) Assessment of the potential harm to the affected individuals;
10) Data breach analysis as outlined in 6500.2 Handbook, Management of Breaches Involving Sensitive Personal Information, as appropriate; and
11) Whether credit protection services may assist record subjects in avoiding or mitigating the results of identity theft based on the sensitive personal information that may have been compromised.
d. Based on the determinations of the independent risk analysis, the Contractor shall be responsible for paying to VA liquidated damages in the amount of $37.50 per affected individual to cover the cost of providing credit protection services to affected individuals consisting of the following:
1) Notification;
2) One year of credit monitoring services consisting of automatic daily monitoring of at least 3 relevant credit bureau reports;
3) Data breach analysis;
4) Fraud resolution services, including writing dispute letters, initiating fraud alerts and credit freezes, to assist affected individuals to bring matters to resolution;
5) One year of identity theft insurance with $20,000.00 coverage at $0 deductible; and
6) Necessary legal expenses the subjects may incur to repair falsified or damaged credit records, histories, or financial affairs.
4.15.6 Security Controls Compliance Testing
On a periodic basis, VA, including the Office of Inspector General, reserves the right to evaluate any or all of the security controls and privacy practices implemented by the Contractor under the clauses contained within the contract. With 10 working-days' notice, at the request of the Government, the Contractor must fully cooperate and assist in a Government-sponsored security controls assessment at each location wherein VA information is processed or stored, or information systems are developed, operated, maintained, or used on behalf of VA, including those initiated by the Office of Inspector General. The Government may conduct a security control assessment on shorter notice (to include unannounced assessments) as determined by VA in the event of a security incident or at any other time.
4.15.7 Training
a. All Contractor employees and Subcontractor employees requiring access to VA information and VA information systems shall complete the following before being granted access to VA information and its systems:
1) Successfully complete the VA Privacy and Information Security Awareness and Rules of Behavior course (TMS #10176) and annually complete this required privacy and security training; Sign and acknowledge (electronically through TMS #10176) understanding of and responsibilities for compliance with the Contractor Rules of Behavior, Appendix D relating to access to VA information and information systems.
2) Successfully complete the appropriate VA Privacy training and annually complete required privacy training;
3) Successfully complete any additional cyber security or privacy training, as required for VA personnel with equivalent information system access [to be defined by the VA program official and provided to the contracting officer for inclusion in the solicitation document - e.g., any role-based information security training required in accordance with NIST Special Publication 800-16, Information Technology Security Training Requirements.]
b. The Contractor shall provide to the contracting officer and/or the COR a copy of the training certificates and certification of signing the Contractor Rules of Behavior for each applicable employee within 2 days of the initiation of the contract and annually thereafter, as required.
c. Failure to complete the mandatory annual training and electronically sign the Rules of Behavior annually, within the timeframe required, is grounds for suspension or termination of all physical or electronic access privileges and removal from work on the contract until such time as the training and documents are complete.
5 Method and Distribution of Deliverables
The contractor shall provide deliverables as described in subsequent task orders. Deliverables shall be specified by the government.
The contractor shall deliver documentation in electronic format, unless otherwise directed. Acceptable electronic media include: MS Word 2007/2010 or higher, MS Excel 2007/2010 or higher, MS PowerPoint 2007/2010 or higher, MS Project 2007/2010 or higher, MS Access 2007/2010 or higher, MS Visio 2007/2010 or higher, AutoCAD 2007/2010, and Adobe Postscript Data Format (PDF).
|Number |Name |Frequency |Quantity |
|A001 |Integrated Project Team (IPT) Log |As Required | |
| |Monitor the IPT mailbox and assign OSDBU Federal Staff member to an | | |
| |integrated project team member upon receipt of request. | | |
|A002 |Status Reports |As Required | |
| |Update status for PST for tasks assigned, in progress and completed | | |
| |by the OSDBU leadership. | | |
|A003 |Meeting Minutes |As Required | |
| |The Contractor shall provide meeting minutes summarizing all actions| | |
| |associated with it in the required format. | | |
|A004 |Market Intelligence Reports |As Required | |
| |The Contractor shall produce a report that includes a Market | | |
| |Surveillance Analysis. | | |
|A005 |North American Industry Classification System (NAICS) Analysis |As Required | |
| |Report | | |
| |The Contractor shall produce an NAICS report. | | |
|A006 |Electronic Request for Information (RFI) Tool |As Required | |
| |Provide a tool that can provide Vendors a way to respond to a RFI | | |
| |using technology. The tool should have the following capabilities: | | |
| |Vendor profile and capability data is captured via registration; | | |
| |Generate a direct link that can be placed directly into a FedBizOpps| | |
| |abstract that serves as the response mechanism; | | |
| |Capability to add artifacts for vendor assessment and/or comment; | | |
| |Archive data for customer use; | | |
| |Ability to add multiple NAICS to profile; | | |
| |Ability to add multiple business types/socioeconomic classes to | | |
| |profiles; | | |
| |Ability to data mine to specific vendor attributes and show | | |
| |alignment to specific requirements and/or responds to specific | | |
| |inquiries; | | |
| |Ability to see which vendors provide capability or service in a | | |
| |specific area; | | |
| |Provide a secure environment with abilities to scale access from | | |
| |almost anywhere and allow for rapid changes as approved (FEDRAMP | | |
| |compliant); | | |
| |Custom dashboards that are: | | |
| |Tailorable, adhoc components | | |
| |Drag/drop specific information to a personalized dashboard | | |
| |Snapshot of a specific information request | | |
| |Presentations/visualizations by Business Type groupings (e.g., | | |
| |Large, Small (SB, SDVOSB, VOSB, WOSB)) | | |
| |Presentation by NAICS | | |
| |Presentation of Business Types per state | | |
| | | | |
| | | | |
|A007 |Electronic Request for Information (RFI) template for questions |As Required | |
| |The Contractor shall provide a template and draft questions for each| | |
| |RFI request in accordance with the Government direction and based on| | |
| |the criteria set forth in Task 3.3.2. | | |
|A008 |Electronic Request for Information (RFI) Report and Analysis |As Required | |
| |Provide analysis of the results of the e-RFI with the following | | |
| |criteria: | | |
| |Visualizations show immediate: | | |
| |Demographics such as business types and locations | | |
| |Initial functional alignment based on question value (proficiency). | | |
| |Organized and persistent data supports more detailed analysis by | | |
| |logically organizing vendor response data into easily usable | | |
| |categories. | | |
| |Allow for “what-if” scenarios that support vendor side by side | | |
| |comparisons or adhoc changes in response thresholds (i.e., can | | |
| |modify response thresholds to see if assessment results change) | | |
| |Ability to objectively “micro” measure - add more fidelity in | | |
| |assessing alignment (Criteria to be balanced at the response level. | | |
| |Distribution of these weights are configurable by user) | | |
| |Ability to easily see visual comparisons by business type – allows | | |
| |easy exports for | | |
| |inclusion in reports | | |
|A009 |Procurement data analysis reports |As Required | |
| |The Contractor shall provide report content and analysis in | | |
| |accordance with the criteria in Task 3.4. | | |
|A010 |Continuous Improvement Plan |As Required | |
| |The Contractor shall deliver work instructions for each independent | | |
| |task in the market research To-Be processed. | | |
|A011 |'As-is' 'To-be' Market Research Elements Process Flow |As Required | |
| |The Contractor shall develop and refine 'as-is' 'to-be' market | | |
| |research element process flows. | | |
|A012 |Responsible, Accountable, Consultant and Informed 'RACI' Market |As Required | |
| |Research Phases and Elements Chart | | |
| |The Contractor shall provide a Responsible, Accountable, Consultant | | |
| |and Informed "RACI" Market Research Phases and Elements Chart. | | |
|A013 |Process Guides for Market Research Phases and Elements |As Required | |
| |The Contractor shall develop process 'how-to' guides for each market| | |
| |research phase and elements. | | |
|A014 |Enterprise Market Research Business Case |As Required | |
| |The Contractor shall develop a business case to support establishing| | |
| |an enterprise market research program. The Contractor shall also | | |
| |update the business case as required within the performance period | | |
| |of the Contract. | | |
|A015 |Workshop 'as-is' 'to-be' Analysis Report |As Required | |
| |The Contractor shall develop and refine a requirements development | | |
| |workshop analysis report during the performance period of the | | |
| |Contract. | | |
|A016 |Procurement Development Workshop Process Flow |As Required | |
| |The Contractor shall develop and refine procurement development | | |
| |workshop process flow during the performance period of the Contract.| | |
|A017 |Procurement Development Workshop Process Activity Chart |As Required | |
| |The Contractor shall develop and refine a procurement development | | |
| |workshop process activity chart during the performance period of the| | |
| |Contract. | | |
|A018 |Responsible, Accountable, Consultant and Informed 'RACI' for | | |
| |Procurement Development Workshop | | |
| |The Contractor shall provide and refine a Responsible, Accountable, | | |
| |Consultant and Informed "RACI" Procurement Development Workshop | | |
| |Phases and Elements Chart for the performance period of the | | |
| |Contract. | | |
|A019 |Process Guide for Workshops |As Required | |
| |The Contractor shall develop and refine 'how-to' process guide for | | |
| |the procurement development workshops during the performance period | | |
| |of the Contract. | | |
|A020 |RFI 'As-is' 'To-be' Analysis Report |As Required | |
| |The Contractor shall develop and refine a requirements development | | |
| |workshop analysis report during the performance period of the | | |
| |Contract. | | |
|A021 |RFI Process Flow |As Required | |
| |The Contractor shall develop and refine RFI process flows during the| | |
| |performance period of the Contract. | | |
|A022 |RFI 'As-is' 'To-be' Process Activity Chart |As Required | |
| |The Contractor shall develop and refine a RFI process activity chart| | |
| |during the performance period of the Contract. | | |
|A023 |RFI Responsible, Accountable, Consulted and Informed 'RACI' Chart |As Required | |
| |The Contractor shall provide a Responsible, Accountable, Consultant | | |
| |and Informed 'RACI' RFI Chart. | | |
|A024 |Process Guide for Electronic Request for Information (e-RFI) |As Required | |
| |The Contractor shall develop and refine 'how-to' process guide for | | |
| |the Electronic Request for Information (e-RFI) during the | | |
| |performance period of the Contract. | | |
|A025 |Market Research Document 'How-to' Guides |As Required | |
| |The Contractor shall develop and refine 'how-to' guides to prepare | | |
| |requirements documents to support market research during the | | |
| |performance period of the Contract. | | |
|A026 |Develop Training Content for 'Train-the-Trainer' |As Required | |
| |The Contractor shall develop and refine 'Train-the-Trainer' training| | |
| |content for market research documents and tools during the | | |
| |performance period of the Contract. | | |
|A027 |Market Research Procurement Package Preparation Workshops |As Required | |
| |The Contractor shall conduct market research requirements | | |
| |development workshops during the performance period of the Contract.| | |
6 Kickoff Meeting
The contractor shall not commence performance, with the exception of training; on the requirement until after the Contracting Officer (CO), Contracting Officers Representative (COR), Government program office personnel, and the contractor participate in a post award kickoff meeting held by the Government. The kickoff meeting will take place at the Government location, 801 I. St. NW, Washington, DC 20001. The contractor personnel must attend in person; travel will not be reimbursed. The contractor shall create kickoff meeting minutes and provide copies to the COR and CO within three (3) calendar days after the kickoff meeting. The kickoff meeting must occur within seven (7) business days after contract award with a mutually agreed upon time/date following award.
7 Related Documents
The following Documents are related to this project:
1. Market Research Process Flow
2. Market Research Process Activities
3. Market Research 'RACI' Chart
4. VA Business Case Template
8 Glossary of Abbreviations and Acronyms
Acronym Description
A&A Assessment and Authorization
APMF Acquisition Program Management Framework
AQL Acceptance Quality Level
ARRT Acquisition Requirements Roadmap Tool
CAG Citrix Access Gateway
CFE Contractor Furnished Equipment
CO Contracting Officer
COR Contracting Officers Representative
CPU Central Processing Unite
CSCA Contractor Security Control Assessment
DSS Defense Security Services
EST Eastern Standard Time
FEDBIZOPS Federal Business Opportunities
FEDRAMP Federal Risk and Authorization Management Program
FTE Full Time Equivalent
GAP
GFE Government Furnished Equipment
GFI Government Furnished Information
HSPD-12 Homeland Security Presidential Directive 12
IGCE Independent Government Cost Estimate
IGF Government Furnished Information
IPT Integrated Program Team
MOU-ISA Memorandum of Understanding-Interconnection Security Agreement (MOU-ISA)
NAICS North American Industry Classification System
NISP National Industrial Security Program
NIST National Institute Standards and Technology
NTE Not To Exceed
OFPP Office Of Federal Procurement Policy
OIG Office Of Inspector General
OPM Office Of Personnel Management
OSDBU Small Disadvantage Business Utilization
PIV Personal Identity Verification
PMP Project Management Plan
POP Period of Performance
PST Program Support Team
PWS Performance Work Statement
QASP Quality Assurance Surveillance Plan
RACI Responsible, Accountable, Consulted and Informed
RFI Request For Information
SAC Strategic Acquisition Center
SBA Small Business Administration
SDB Small Disadvantage Business
SDVOSB Service Disabled Veteran Owned Small Business
SIC Security and Investigation Center
SP Special Publications
SSEP Source Selection Evaluation Plan
SSP System Security Plans
VA Veteran Affairs
VOSB Veteran Owned Small Business
VPN Virtual Private Network
VTC Video Teleconferencing
WOSB Woman Owned Small Business
Performance Requirement Summary (PRS)
|Statements |Standards/AQLs |Incentive/Remedy |
|3.1 |Program Support Team | | |
| |Administrative Support | | |
| |(Administrative Analyst) | | |
|3.1.1 |Administrative Analysis |a) A. Complete actions within specified deadlines; | |
| | |AQL: 95% submitted on time and accurate. | |
| | |b) B. Comply with applicable standards; | |
| | |AQL: 95% submitted on time and accurate. | |
| | |c) C. Identify trends and areas of improvement; | |
| | |AQL: 95% submitted on time and accurate. | |
| | |d) D. Data is usable for analysis | |
| | |AQL: 95% submitted on time and accurate. | |
|3.1.2 |Integrated Product Team Support |a) A. Complete actions within specified deadlines; B. | |
| | |Comply with applicable standards; C. Identify trends | |
| | |and areas of improvement; D. Data is usable for | |
| | |analysis | |
| | |AQL: Respond to 90% of requests within two business | |
| | |days. | |
|Statements |Standards/AQLs |Incentive/Remedy |
|3.2 |Industry Analysis Task | | |
| |(Management Analyst) | | |
|3.2.1 |Market Surveillance Analysis |a) A. Complete actions within specified deadlines; B. | |
| | |Comply with applicable standards; C. Identify trends | |
| | |and areas of improvement; D. Data is usable for | |
| | |analysis | |
| | |AQL: 95% submitted on time and accurate. | |
|3.2.2 |North American Industry |a) A. Complete actions within specified deadlines; B. | |
| |Classification System Analysis |Comply with applicable standards; C. Identify trends | |
| | |and areas of improvement; D. Data is usable for | |
| | |analysis | |
| | |AQL: 95% submitted on time and accurate. | |
|Statements |Standards/AQLs |Incentive/Remedy |
|3.3 |Request for Information (RFI) | | |
| |(Business Analyst) | | |
|3.3.1 |RFI Tool |a) A. Complete actions within specified deadlines; B. | |
| | |Comply with applicable standards; C. Identify trends | |
| | |and areas of improvement; D. Data is usable for | |
| | |analysis | |
| | |AQL: 95% submitted on time and accurate. | |
|3.3.2 |RFI Request Template |a) A. Complete actions within specified deadlines; B. | |
| | |Comply with applicable standards; C. Identify trends | |
| | |and areas of improvement; D. Data is usable for | |
| | |analysis | |
| | |AQL: 95% submitted on time and accurate. | |
|3.3.3 |RFI Results Analysis |a) A. Complete actions within specified deadlines; B. | |
| | |Comply with applicable standards; C. Identify trends | |
| | |and areas of improvement; D. Data is usable for | |
| | |analysis | |
| | |AQL: 95% submitted on time and accurate. | |
|Statements |Standards/AQLs |Incentive/Remedy |
|3.4 |Data Analytics (Data Analysts) |a) A. Complete actions within specified deadlines; B. | |
| | |Comply with applicable standards; C. Identify trends | |
| | |and areas of improvement; D. Data is usable for | |
| | |analysis | |
| | |AQL: 95% submitted on time and accurate. | |
|Statements |Standards/AQLs |Incentive/Remedy |
|3.5 |Enterprise Market Research | | |
| |Program (Functional SME) | | |
|3.5.1 |Market Research Methodology |a) A. Complete actions within specified deadlines; B. | |
| |Continued Process Improvement |Comply with applicable standards; C. Identify trends | |
| | |and areas of improvement; D. Data is usable for | |
| | |analysis | |
| | |AQL: 95% submitted on time and accurate. | |
|3.5.2 |Enterprise Market Research |a) A. Complete actions within specified deadlines; B. | |
| |Business Case |Comply with applicable standards; C. Identify trends | |
| | |and areas of improvement; D. Data is usable for | |
| | |analysis | |
| | |AQL: 95% submitted on time and accurate. | |
|3.5.3 |Requirements Development Workshop|a) A. Complete actions within specified deadlines; B. | |
| |Methodology |Comply with applicable standards; C. Identify trends | |
| | |and areas of improvement; D. Data is usable for | |
| | |analysis | |
| | |AQL: 95% submitted on time and accurate. | |
|3.5.4 |RFI Process Methodology |a) A. Complete actions within specified deadlines; B. | |
| | |Comply with applicable standards; C. Identify trends | |
| | |and areas of improvement; D. Data is usable for | |
| | |analysis | |
| | |AQL: 95% submitted on time and accurate. | |
|Statements |Standards/AQLs |Incentive/Remedy |
|3.6 |Development of Market Research |a) A. Complete actions within specified deadlines; B. | |
| |Process Training (Business |Comply with applicable standards; C. Identify trends | |
| |Analyst) |and areas of improvement; D. Data is usable for | |
| | |analysis | |
| | |AQL: 95% submitted on time and accurate. | |
|Statements |Standards/AQLs |Incentive/Remedy |
|3.7 |Market Research Procurement | | |
| |Package Development Workshops | | |
| |(Team Lead) | | |
|3.7.1 |Conduct Market Research |a) A. Complete actions within specified deadlines; B. | |
| |Procurement Package Preparation |Comply with applicable standards; C. Identify trends | |
| |Workshops |and areas of improvement; D. Data is usable for | |
| | |analysis | |
| | |AQL: 95% submitted on time and accurate. | |
|Statements |Standards/AQLs |Incentive/Remedy |
|3.8 |Optional CLIN-Management Analyst |a) A. Complete actions within specified deadlines; B. | |
| | |Comply with applicable standards; C. Identify trends | |
| | |and areas of improvement; D. Data is usable for | |
| | |analysis | |
| | |AQL: 95% submitted on time and accurate. | |
|Statements |Standards/AQLs |Incentive/Remedy |
|3.9 |Optional CLIN-Business Analyst |a) A. Complete actions within specified deadlines; B. | |
| | |Comply with applicable standards; C. Identify trends | |
| | |and areas of improvement; D. Data is usable for | |
| | |analysis | |
| | |AQL: 95% submitted on time and accurate. | |
|Statements |Standards/AQLs |Incentive/Remedy |
|3.10 |Optional CLIN-Data Analyst |a) A. Complete actions within specified deadlines; B. | |
| | |Comply with applicable standards; C. Identify trends | |
| | |and areas of improvement; D. Data is usable for | |
| | |analysis | |
| | |AQL: 95% submitted on time and accurate. | |
|Statements |Standards/AQLs |Incentive/Remedy |
|3.11 |Optional CLIN-Functional Subject |a) A. Complete actions within specified deadlines; B. | |
| |Matter Expert (SME) |Comply with applicable standards; C. Identify trends | |
| | |and areas of improvement; D. Data is usable for | |
| | |analysis | |
| | |AQL: 95% submitted on time and accurate. | |
|Statements |Standards/AQLs |Incentive/Remedy |
|3.12 |Optional CLIN-Team Lead |a) A. Complete actions within specified deadlines; B. | |
| | |Comply with applicable standards; C. Identify trends | |
| | |and areas of improvement; D. Data is usable for | |
| | |analysis | |
| | |AQL: 95% submitted on time and accurate. | |
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