Solicitation_(incl._SF1449)_-_12314419R0003.pdf

United States Department of Agriculture

Office of the Chief Financial Officer

REQUEST FOR PROPOSAL NO.

12314419R0003 USDA Unemployment Compensation for Federal Employees

NAICS 541612 Human Resource Consulting Services

Competed under Open Market and FedBizOpps

Quotations shall be submitted to Frank Hodo via FedBizOpps no later than the date and time as listed in RFP

This request for quotations does not commit the Government to pay any costs incurred in the submission of any proposal or in making necessary studies for the preparation thereof. Nor does it commit the Government to procure or contract for said services. The Contracting

Officer is the only individual who can commit the Government to the expenditure of public funds in connection with this proposed procurement.

Solicitation Contents:

SF 1449

USDA Statement of Work - 68 pages Appendix A (5) Year Avg. Claims Summary Appendix B FY17 USDA Claims Data (Best Estimate) Appendix C PAYROLL FILE LAYOUT FOR THE PAYROLL DATA THAT NFC SENDS TO

(VENDOR)

Appendix D: FY19 UCFE CONTRACT – TWN FILE LAYOUT (for Vendor) Appendix E State Appeals Deadlines (per DOL FY18) Appendix F Past Performance Questions (Vendor) Past Performance Questionnaire (Previous Client) Enclosure 1 PROVISIONS/CLAUSES/508 COMPLIANCE

Attachment 1 Vendor Question Matrix

Contact:

Contracting Officer: Frank Hodo, (202)-720-2538, Frank.Hodo@usda.gov

SEE ADDENDUMIS CHECKED

CODE 18a. PAYMENT WILL BE MADE BY

CODE

FACILITYCODE

17b. CHECK IF REMITTANCE IS DIFFERENT AND PUT SUCH ADDRESS IN OFFER

OFFEROR

DASO-OCP-POD-AMB-CO

Fort Collins CO 80521-2795 301 S. Howes St., Suite 321 Acquisition Management Branch-CO USDA, DM/OCP/POD/AMB, POD Acq Mgmt

DASO-OCFO-NFC-ITSD CODE 16. ADMINISTERED BYCODE

X

X

541612

SIZE STANDARD:

% FOR:SET ASIDE:UNRESTRICTED ORDASO-OCP-POD-AMB-CO

RFPIFB

10. THIS ACQUISITION ISCODE

RFQ

14. METHOD OF SOLICITATION

13b. RATING

NAICS:

SMALL BUSINESS

03/05/2019 1700 ET

02/06/2019

202-720-2538FRANK HODO

(No collect calls)

INFORMATION CALL:

FOR SOLICITATION 8. OFFER DUE DATE/LOCAL TIMEb. TELEPHONE NUMBER a. NAME

4. ORDER NUMBER3. AWARD/ 6. SOLICITATION

12314419R0003

5. SOLICITATION NUMBER

SOLICITATION/CONTRACT/ORDER FOR COMMERCIAL ITEMS 1. REQUISITION NUMBER PAGE OF

1 2 OFFEROR TO COMPLETE BLOCKS 12, 17, 23, 24, & 30

TELEPHONE NO.

17a. CONTRACTOR/

New Orleans LA 70129 13800 Old Gentilly Road National Finance Center

15. DELIVER TO

Fort Collins CO 80521-2795 301 S. Howes St., Suite 321 Acquisition Management Branch-CO

9. ISSUED BY

7.

2. CONTRACT NO.

EFFECTIVE DATE

$15.00

18b. SUBMIT INVOICES TO ADDRESS SHOWN IN BLOCK 18a UNLESS BLOCK BELOW

ISSUE DATE

DELIVERY FOR FOB DESTINA-

TION UNLESS BLOCK IS

MARKED

11.

SEE SCHEDULE

12. DISCOUNT TERMS

THIS CONTRACT IS A

RATED ORDER UNDER

DPAS (15 CFR 700)

13a.

SERVICE-DISABLED

VETERAN-OWNED

SMALL BUSINESS

HUBZONE SMALL

BUSINESS

8(A)

USDA, DM/OCP/POD/AMB, POD Acq Mgmt

WOMEN-OWNED SMALL BUSINESS

(WOSB) ELIGIBLE UNDER THE WOMEN-OWNED

SMALL BUSINESS PROGRAM

EDWOSB

24.

AMOUNT

23.

UNIT PRICE

22.

UNIT

21.

QUANTITY

20.

SCHEDULE OF SUPPLIES/SERVICES

19.

ITEM NO.

USDA requests a vendor to handle its Employment Verification and Unemployment Compensation Administration for Federal Employees. All offerors should be able to administer this program from their own secure facilities via transmission of information through a USDA Designed dedicated file transfer process. The current closing date for offers for this award will be March 5, 2019 at 5pm EST. This award shall consist of a one year base period and four

(1) year annually renewable option periods.

(Use Reverse and/or Attach Additional Sheets as Necessary)

HEREIN, IS ACCEPTED AS TO ITEMS:

X

XX

DATED

FRANK HODO

. YOUR OFFER ON SOLICITATION (BLOCK 5),

INCLUDING ANY ADDITIONS OR CHANGES WHICH ARE SET FORTH

COPIES TO ISSUING OFFICE. CONTRACTOR AGREES TO FURNISH AND DELIVER

ARE

ARE

31c. DATE SIGNED

27b. CONTRACT/PURCHASE ORDER INCORPORATES BY REFERENCE FAR 52.212-4. FAR 52.212-5 IS ATTACHED. ADDENDA

31a. UNITED STATES OF AMERICA (SIGNATURE OF CONTRACTING OFFICER)

30c. DATE SIGNED 31b. NAME OF CONTRACTING OFFICER (Type or print)

ALL ITEMS SET FORTH OR OTHERWISE IDENTIFIED ABOVE AND ON ANY ADDITIONAL

SHEETS SUBJECT TO THE TERMS AND CONDITIONS SPECIFIED.

27a. SOLICITATION INCORPORATES BY REFERENCE FAR 52.212-1, 52.212-4. FAR 52.212-3 AND 52.212-5 ARE ATTACHED. ADDENDA

26. TOTAL AWARD AMOUNT (For Govt. Use Only)

OFFER

STANDARD FORM 1449 (REV. 2/2012)

Prescribed by GSA - FAR (48 CFR) 53.212

ARE NOT ATTACHED.

ARE NOT ATTACHED.

AUTHORIZED FOR LOCAL REPRODUCTION

PREVIOUS EDITION IS NOT USABLE

30b. NAME AND TITLE OF SIGNER (Type or print)

30a. SIGNATURE OF OFFEROR/CONTRACTOR

28. CONTRACTOR IS REQUIRED TO SIGN THIS DOCUMENT AND RETURN

25. ACCOUNTING AND APPROPRIATION DATA

29. AWARD OF CONTRACT:

REF.

32e. MAILING ADDRESS OF AUTHORIZED GOVERNMENT REPRESENTATIVE

32c. DATE 32b. SIGNATURE OF AUTHORIZED GOVERNMENT REPRESENTATIVE

ACCEPTED, AND CONFORMS TO THE CONTRACT, EXCEPT AS NOTED:

32a. QUANTITY IN COLUMN 21 HAS BEEN

RECEIVED INSPECTED

40. PAID BY39. S/R VOUCHER NUMBER38. S/R ACCOUNT NUMBER

37. CHECK NUMBER

FINALPARTIAL

36. PAYMENT

FINALPARTIAL

35. AMOUNT VERIFIED

CORRECT FOR

34. VOUCHER NUMBER33. SHIP NUMBER

COMPLETE

32g. E-MAIL OF AUTHORIZED GOVERNMENT REPRESENTATIVE

42d. TOTAL CONTAINERS42c. DATE REC'D (YY/MM/DD)

42b. RECEIVED AT (Location)

42a. RECEIVED BY (Print)

41c. DATE41b. SIGNATURE AND TITLE OF CERTIFYING OFFICER

41a. I CERTIFY THIS ACCOUNT IS CORRECT AND PROPER FOR PAYMENT

STANDARD FORM 1449 (REV. 2/2012) BACK

24.

AMOUNT

23.

UNIT PRICE

22.

UNIT

21.

QUANTITY

20.

SCHEDULE OF SUPPLIES/SERVICES

19.

ITEM NO.

Initial questions will be due no later than

February 15, 2019 at 5pm EST. Please refer to all attachments to this solicitation for full details. A signed copy of the SF1449 should be submitted with the offerors proposal. No questions will be answered via phone call for this award.

Period of Performance: 03/15/2019 to 03/14/2024

001 Unemployment Compensation Services

Period of Performance: 03/01/2019 to 02/28/2020

002 Potentail Transition Costs

Product/Service Code: R408

Product/Service Description: SUPPORT-

PROFESSIONAL: PROGRAM MANAGEMENT/SUPPORT

Period of Performance: 03/01/2019 to 02/28/2020

CO: Frank Hodo, 301-704-1314, Frank.Hodo@usda.gov

COR: Myles "Pete" Roeling, 504-426-7778 (ofc, Myles.Roeling@nfc.usda.gov

32f. TELEPHONE NUMBER OF AUTHORIZED GOVERNMENT REPRESENTATIVE

32d. PRINTED NAME AND TITLE OF AUTHORIZED GOVERNMENT REPRESENTATIVE

2 2 of

RFQ #12314418Q0015

UNEMPLOYMENT COMPENSATION FOR FEDERAL EMPLOYEES –

EMPLOYMENT/SOCIAL SERVICES VERIFICATION STATEMENT OF WORK

1. GENERAL DESCRIPTION

The United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) intends to award a single Indefinite Delivery Indefinite Quantity (IDIQ) contract under NAICS 541612 to a contractor to provide full service Unemployment Claims review, defense, mitigation, and processing at a state by state level for USDA and its stakeholder agencies. These agencies are all part of the Federal Government but may be internal or external to USDA.

2. BACKGROUND

Since 1955, Government civilian employees have had unemployment insurance protection under US Code Title 5, Chapter 85. The Omnibus Reconciliation Act of 1980 (P.L. 96-499, December 5, 1980) amended the Unemployment Compensation for Federal Employees (UCFE) law by establishing the requirement for each Government Agency to contribute to State unemployment benefits for former Government employees, effective January 1, 1981. 20 Code of Federal Regulations (CFR), Part 609, sets forth the Secretary of the Department of Labor (DOL) regulations to implement the UCFE program.

The DOL is responsible for 1) advising State and Government agencies of their responsibilities under the law and

2) developing administrative procedures and forms for State and Government agency use. States pay Unemployment Compensation (UC) to former Government employees in the same amount and under the same laws, terms and conditions that apply to unemployed claimants from the private sector.

Benefits are provided to unemployed Federal civilian workers in the same amount, on the same terms, and subject to the same conditions as the compensation which would be payable under the UC law of the State if their Federal service and Federal wages had been included as employment and wages under that State law. All State laws require that an individual have qualifying earnings during a past period specified by the law; file a claim and report regularly as directed; and be able and available for work.

State UC laws and policies are not uniform and vary significantly with regards to eligibility requirements, payment amounts and period of eligibility. This makes it difficult for Government agency personnel who are not familiar with detailed State requirements: to track unemployment benefit payments; ensure payments have been properly applied; and, verify, review and appeal claims within prescribed time limits (Enclosure 1). Therefore, a contractor is required to support administrative functions of Government agency Civilian Personnel Offices (CPO) and Human Resource Offices (HRO) UCFE requirements in responding to State Employment Security Agency requests for employee data.

3. OBJECTIVE

• To make available to the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) and other designated Government agencies serviced by the National Finance Center (NFC) the most effective and efficient system of handling Unemployment Compensation (UC) Claims. This system will provide agency HR personnel a web based or equivalent application to track any former employee’s UC claim status (i.e., if a claim is filed; if agency documentation is required/provided; claim classification as to protestable/not protestable;

status if protested (won/loss/appealed); status if a hearing and/or agency representation is required; hearing won/loss data; potential cost liability; etc.).

• To minimize annual cost to agencies and streamline the UC claims process. Contract will provide a methodology illustrating projected annual savings based upon the vendor’s prior or historical average reduction in customer UC claims and costs. The system should advise agency senior leadership and HR personnel of required actions to be taken and potential costs that may be incurred and or saved for disputable claims that have or have not been disputed.

• To provide government wide metrics on UC claims through an online method of reviewing all agency claim information, including the criteria utilized in the UC claims process. HR personnel should be able to develop reports based upon these individual data sets provided by this contract. There should be an “Executive Summary” report for use by senior management reflecting such items as the Disputed Claims Percentage (target > 85%); Hearing Run-Off factor (target < 15%); overall claims by category; status of appeals and hearings; potential liability or cost reimbursements; etc. all reportable Monthly and or Quarterly.

• To improve overall management of the Government (USDA) UC Claims process by ensuring all claims meet state response criteria (see Enclosure 1). In addition, the contract will ensure that when documentation is required from the agency, the proper POCs should receive timely notification of this requirement, as well as ensure some action is taken. The contract will ensure that agencies receive notification of any potential or pending penalties that could be imposed upon them by states due to failure to meet established reporting procedures.

4. SCOPE

A single contract will be awarded to fulfill the participating agencies responsibility for UC management. The contractor shall be able to provide various administrative services utilizing the detailed information provided for unemployment purposes indicated below to include storing of payroll/separation data. The contractor shall perform all administrative functions in managing UC claims and have a demonstrated knowledge and experience of UC statutes and regulations in all fifty states, US territories and protectorates and the District of Columbia.

Government officials will retain responsibility for reviewing all claims that the contractor deems protestable and determine which claims will be challenged. Each Department and Government agency using this contract will provide confirmation to USDA of their intent to continue use of the services provided by the contractor on an annual basis.

At present, there are over 170 USDA and Government agencies serviced by the NFC and those agencies have approximately 650,000 employees, all of which could be service related claims. The current annual average for Government employee unemployment compensation claims processed over the last five years is approximately 130,000 cases per year. See Attachment C for a matrix that provides additional information for Fiscal Year 2017.

A. The contractor shall provide the following services:

(1) Separation document processing (Includes transfers, resignations, retirements, terminations, etc.)

(2) Employment Verification

(3) Lender Verification

(4) Claims Processing

(5) Assist Agencies with Protested/Disputed Claims

(6) Perform Appeals Administration

(7) Provide State Charge Detail Processing

(8) Reconciliation of State benefit payments including DOL reconciliation

(9) Conduct Training Workshops (Onsite or Virtual)

(10) Provide Social Services Verification (SNAP, ACA, WIC, etc.)

(11) Provide Annual and Quarterly Management Reports

(12) Participate in annual Contract Review Process

Note: A list of current Government agencies utilizing this agreement shall be provided following selection.

5. SPECIFIC REQUIREMENTS

A. STORING OF PAYROLL/SEPARATION DATA

The Contractor shall:

(1) Maintain a secure electronic interface for receipt, input and confirmation of the payroll/separation data transmitted from the USDA National Finance Center (NFC) and by various payroll and personnel locations including the capacity for expansion of the standard pay plan fields when additional payroll/separation data is required.

(2) Securely maintain the payroll/separation data that may be submitted from various payroll and personnel locations.

(3) Provide for receipt and input of the payroll/separation data in the format submitted by the NFC (Attachment C and D). This includes the incorporation of the required Government location identifiers - Agency Identification Code (AIC) into the contractor's system. These location identifiers range from 2 to 15 characters.

(www.gsa.gov/graphics/pbs/eRETA_Agency_Bureau_Codes.xls)

(4) Provide for receipt, input and storage of expanded comments/remarks for certain Agencies when additional separation information is available.

(5) Have the ability to create/modify a database that does not require a Social Security Number (SSN) to access (e.g., name, airport, national forest, etc.).

(6) Provide a feature to attach documents to each individual case file as designated by AIC identifier.

(7) Provide a secure data storage feature that is capable of receiving up to two years of historical payroll/separation data and storing and maintaining a historical database of all separation data collected. See “Controlled Unclassified Information in Nonfederal Information Systems and Organizations,” NIST Special Publication 800-171, released June 2015 and FAR 52.204- 21(b)(1).

(8) Receive data files via Secure File Transfer Protocol (SFTP) in the formats delineated in Attachments E and F.

http://www.gsa.gov/graphics/pbs/eRETA_Agency_Bureau_Codes.xls

(9) Provide a solution that is comparable to or compliant with National Institute Standard and Technology (NIST) 800-53 rev. 4, Federal Information System Management Act (FISMA) and USDA General Support System (GSS) related policies. General Support Systems (GSS) are defined as a system which includes all computer hardware, software, firmware, and materials (e.g., servers; switches; cables; racks; system software; middleware; and storage, security, and network devices) required to sustain, secure, manage, and operate an integrated and interoperable infrastructure capable of hosting Application Systems.

(10) Provide system security that meets industry standards for vulnerability management, intrusion detection, and incident response.

(11) Assist the NFC to complete the Assessment and Authorization (A&A) process. This ensures the vendor has a Risk Management Process in place with appropriate security controls and configuration baselines which are implemented commensurate with the information system's categorization.

(12) Assist the NFC in completing the A&A documentation (Authorization to Operate [ATO] Memo, Privacy Threshold Analysis [PTA]/Privacy Impact Assessment [PIA], System Security Plan [SSP], Assessment Reports, etc.). Additionally, establish a business process to ensure NFC can provide the stated documentation on a recurring basis to NFC agency customers as needed.

(13) Provide a Statement on Standards for Attestation Engagements No. 18 (SSAE 18) report (otherwise known as a Service Organization Controls 1 (SOC 1) report) on an annual basis. The report must cover a period of at least 9 months of the current fiscal year and be issued no later than September 30 of the same fiscal year. For example, the FY 2018 report should cover the period October 1, 2017 through June 30, 2018 (or later), and the report should be issued by no later than September 30, 2018.

(14) Employ and provide a satisfactory Incident Response Plan which has clear procedures regarding how the vendor responds to incidents as specified in Department of Homeland Security US- CERT Guide and NIST 800-61 Computer Security Incident Handling guide. When/If an incident does occur, the vendor shall be held accountable for incident responsiveness to security breaches and for maintaining the level of security required by the government.

(15) Notify USDA NFC if a data breach should occur and provide adequate support to identify the scope of the breach and remediation/mitigation efforts to secure their systems from further vulnerability. Vendor goal should be to meet federal regulatory standards according to FISMA, NIST 800, OMB, USDA Departmental Regulations, Privacy Act, etc.

(16) Make changes to vendor’s GSS environment only on pre-agreed upon terms and conditions or as required by USDA NFC to defend against an actual or potential incident.

(17) Allow forensic investigations for both criminal and non-criminal purposes. These investigations should be able to occur without affecting data integrity and without interference from the vendor. In addition, the vendor shall only make changes to the environment under specific standard operating procedures agreed to by the vendor and USDA NFC. Ensure vendor environment audit logs are preserved with the same standards required by NIST 800-53, OMB A-130, etc.

(18) The vendor shall identify personnel having access to audit logs prior to placing Federal data in the vendor environment. All vendor personnel who have access to the audit logs must have appropriate level of access clearances.

a. All audit/transaction files should be made available to authorized personnel in read only mode

b. Audit transaction records should never be modified or deleted

c. Access to online audit logs should be strictly controlled. Only authorized users may be allowed to access audit transaction files

d. It is recommended that audit/transaction records should be backed up and stored safely off site

(19) The vendor shall ensure all data/information received shall be deemed to be Confidential, Proprietary and/or Sensitive Information. This includes, without limitation: visual, verbal and written information, in whatever form or medium, including, but not limited to, personal, business or financial information, or intellectual property, or technical information in the form of discussions, communications, designs, concepts, requirements, specifications, software, interfaces, components, processes, or similar things.

(20) Performance Metrics

Measure Definition Metric Frequency

System Security

Monthly vulnerability scans are performed.

Monthly scans are performed and 98 percent of all high, moderate and low vulnerabilities shall be mitigated within 30 days.

Monthly

Security The web applications security will meet National Institute of Standards and Technology requirements (NIST 800-53) and Federal Government requirements (i.e. FISMA, OMB, USDA Departmental Regulations, etc.) for systems containing sensitive but unclassified data.

100 percent of all Assessment and Authorization (A&A) documents for major applications are current.

Assist in the completion of an A&A every 3 years or sooner, in accordance with published guidelines.

Notes:

• Agencies shall provide up to two years of historical payroll/separation data at contract initiation.

• Agencies shall provide pay schedules to the Contractor at beginning of each Fiscal Year and as required for any mid-year modifications to their pay schedules.

• Agencies shall provide payroll/separation information to the Contractor on a bi-weekly basis concurrent with scheduled agency payroll.

B. CLAIMS PROCESSING

(1) The contractor will be designated as the addressee of record for the receipt of Request for Wage and Separation Information – UCFE (Form ES·931) and other related inquiries as appropriate.

Note: ES-931 forms must be returned to the state UC office no later than the 12th calendar day from the “date of request” or the state is authorized by DOL regulation to pay benefits to the ex-federal civilian employee based on their affidavit.

(2) Using the payroll data the contractor must:

(3) Determine whether the claimant is a former employee of the respective Government agency.

(4) Identify the sub-unit within the agency, which employed the claimant at the time of separation.

Note: Agencies shall provide current and updated sub-unit listings throughout the period of performance.

(5) Contractor must Complete claims forms and return them to the State agency within four days but no later than the last calendar day authorized by the state “date of request.”

(6) Contractor must review employee separation documents to ensure that needed employment information is provided.

(7) Contractor must review claimants' circumstances of separation, availability for work, and allocation or severance or other special payments.

(8) Contractor will review all claims and refer questionable State determinations to the appropriate Government agency officials.

(9) Contractor must be able to interface with the Federal Interstate Connection (ICON) System to electronically receive inquiries from the various state unemployment offices and respond electronically. The contractor must have the hardware / software necessary and agree to work with the ICON administrator regarding procedural matters.

(10) The Contractor shall have the ability to coordinate all procedural matters with the ICON administrator.

(11) When processing a claim, the Contractor shall ensure that the employee’s Form SF-50 provides a decision or resignation cause, and (if it includes a decision), attach:

a) A copy of all witnesses' statements supporting the decision.

b) 2.2.7.2 Guidance on conduct or performance.

c) 2.2.7.3 Any other documents that supported the action.

(12) Upon receipt of a claim or appeal, the Contractor shall within 24 hours contact the appropriate agency point-of- contact (POC) to convey the information contained therein.

(13) Contractor shall ensure that the notice of a claim or appeal has been received by the appropriate agency POC not later than five business days before any hearing or appeal is scheduled.

(14) Contractor shall establish and maintain a methodology for electronic tracking of all claims-related correspondence to ensure that timely responses are made to all claims or appeals.

(15) Contractor shall scan documents received in hard copy and send them to agency POCs via email. Data containing Personally Identifiable Information (PII) must be encrypted prior to transmission. Passwords for opening encrypted documents may be passed telephonically or via separate email. (Faxing of these documents is not permissible.)

(16) Contractor will verify that documents sent to the respective agency are legible.

(17) Contractor shall provide and maintain the necessary hardware/software required for processing unemployment claims in accordance with the requirements of this SOW.

(18) Contractor shall audit its incoming correspondence – both written and electronic – and the means of delivery to ensure that it is receiving all notices of claims and appeals in a timely manner, and if necessary take the appropriate steps to resolve any problems with such delivery.

(19) Contractor shall notify the appropriate agency POCs for the case in writing (includes email) within five days of the State’s Unemployment Compensation Case determination in order to send out all decision notices. Contractor shall update the agency POCs in writing for the case and within five days of the State’s Unemployment Compensation Case decision Contractor shall provide the following:

a) Employee Name.

b) Social Security number (SSN).

c) Government location identifiers (Agency Identification Code – AIC).

Note – This may require additional detailed information (e.g., location, airport [TSA], etc.).

d) Issue being decided.

e) State or Territory decision as either “Qualified” or “Not Qualified.”

(20) Contractor shall ensure that each notice of a claim or appeal is given to each agency POC to ensure the message is conveyed to the primary or alternate POC.

(21) Agency specific deliverables will be provided as addendum’s to this agreement.

(22) Contractor may be required to provide a secured interface capability with agencies for needed employment and wage information on a pay period or quarterly basis.

C. APPEALS ADMINISTRATION / CONSULTATION / REPRESENTATION

(1) Government agency officials shall determine whether to appeal or accept State/ Territory determinations within 24 hours of receipt of the determination of claim. Contractor must ensure that the Federal official or Agency POC having first-hand knowledge of the situation/claimant must attend any hearing to give testimony and present evidence. Otherwise, any testimony given would be considered hearsay, if objected to by the claimant. In support of the Federal official, the Contractor shall:

a) Represent the Government agency and attend all hearings to provide responses to procedural questions and issues unless directed otherwise by the agency.

b) Ensure that all claim documentation is complete, accurate and complies with the specific states' guidelines and laws when filing an appeals case.

c) Ensure that all appeals and any supporting documents are filed prior to the filing deadline.

d) Provide quality assurance checks on all appeals and claim filings to ensure the filings are complete and any additional Government agency data is promptly provided.

(2) When an appeal is filed, the Contractor will obtain the appropriate documentation and provide the necessary review, witness preparation and consultation throughout the appeal process as set-forth by the respective State laws. Appeals/Hearings deadlines are provided in Enclosure (1).

D. STATE CHARGE DETAIL PROCESSING

(1) The contractor shall be the addressee of record for receipt of the paid data from the 50 states, Puerto Rico, District of Columbia, and US Territories and protectorates. Data are submitted on a quarterly basis in various formats, which may be manual or automated.

(2) The contractor must monitor receipt and review the benefit paid data to determine whether:

a) Any claimant is a former employee of the respective Government agency.

b) The Government agency’s share of the charges for multiple-employer claimants is correct.

(3) Any discrepancies which cannot be solved informally must be reported to the appropriate Government official so that an appeal can be filed with the State/ Territory unemployment office. Contractor shall report to the agency POC when and how the discrepancies have been adjudicated by the State/Territory.

(4) When an appeal is filed, the contractor will represent the Government and follow-up with the State to ensure that credits are received and properly accounted for.

E. RECONCILIATION OF STATE BENEFITS PAID DATA TO DOL BILLINGS

(1) The contractor shall reconcile State benefit paid data with the amounts DOL bills to participating agencies. This includes follow up with the State unemployment offices for any missing benefit paid data or benefit paid in error.

(2) Reconciliation shall occur within 30 days following receipt of each state unemployment benefit charge statement.

(3) 2.5.3 DOL bills Government agencies each quarter. The bill may include supplemental charges for previous quarters.

(4) 2.5.4 Contractor will conduct audits of all UC payments to claimants to evaluate the validity of payments and determine the possibility of fraudulent activity.

F. TRAINING

(1) The Contractor will meet with Government agency Civilian Personnel Office (CPO) or Human

Resources Office (HRO) personnel at locations designated by the agencies to train claims processors and managers on procedures for day-to-day UC management. The Contractor will conduct workshops geared to the responsibilities of Government supervisory personnel and provide follow-up sessions on an “as needed” basis at no additional cost (except for travel) in the areas of:

a) Hearings and Appeals Training.

b) Procedures for day-to-day Unemployment Compensation management.

c) Cost of unemployment claims.

d) Hiring practices.

e) Part-time employment.

f) Use of probationary periods.

g) Separation terminology.

h) Proper documentation.

i) UC Law and process of unemployment claims.

j) Employee eligibility.

k) Additional areas as deemed necessary by contractor.

(2) The contractor shall provide semi-annual training to supervisors and human resource staff for new hires at the Government agency headquarters location. Training shall include:

information on the UC laws of the specific area/region; how to process unemployment claims;

how to determine employee eligibility; the hearing and appeal process; reference handouts; test for understanding; and, assess level of competency at a minimum with other topics deemed necessary to the unemployment compensation process.

(3) Training may be via conference call, video-teleconference, webinar or in- person.

(4) The contractor shall participate in quarterly Program Management Review (PMR) meetings to provide status on current activities, review performance metrics, submit problems and make recommendations. The quarterly PMR meetings will be scheduled by agencies and occur via conference call, video-teleconference or in- person.

G. MANAGEMENT REPORTS

(1) The contractor shall provide participating Government agencies when required with

Unemployment Compensation Management Reports (i.e., Executive Summary Report) on a monthly basis, with cumulative quarterly and annual reports, and the most recent four (4) quarters as of the end of the third quarter (June 30). Reports shall be available in either hard or soft copy.

(2) Using the location identifiers referred to in para 2.1.3 of this Statement of Work, the contractor will present the required information nested to the 4th organizational level of each participating agency. The contractor must also have the capability to roll up the data and present summary information at the first, second and third organizational levels.

(3) The management reports must include both summary and detailed information for:

a) The number, type, classification, individual percentage and potential cost liability associated with received claims. This report should include protest/appeals with associated win/loss ratios; Hearings scheduled and win/loss ratios; Hearing Run Off factor; Disputed Claims Percentage; and any Compliance related issues with related cost liability; and overall financial impact.

Note: Compliance issues – Ex.: - Failure of Agency witness to appear

- Claims received too late (ES-931), etc.

b) All inquiries, claims, and appeals that were initiated during the reporting period, with status of each.

c) A summary of the disposition of claims determinations and appeal decisions shown as pending on previous reports. Agency specific reports will be added as addendums to this agreement.

d) Charges and credits to each agency during the current quarter resulting from claims filed in a previous report.

e) Notification of any Benefit Integrity Violations.

f) A detailed report on the reconciliation of the State benefits paid data to the DOL billings. (Separate reports will be provided for payments made for each prior quarter.)

g) A supplemental report covering charges and credits from the previous quarters.

(4) Contractor shall reconcile the State benefits paid data with the amounts that the Department of Labor (DOL) bills to the Government agency.

(5) Contractor shall follow up with the State/Territorial unemployment offices for any missing benefit paid data. The Contractor shall notify the Government agency POCs when there is missing benefit paid data and when and how the issue is resolved.

(6) Contractor shall note that DOL bills Government agencies each quarter. The bill may include supplemental charges from previous quarters.

H. GOVERNMENT LIABILITY

(1) The Government shall be obligated under the awarded contract only to the extent of delivery orders issued by the agencies utilizing this contract vehicle.

(2) Offerors are cautioned that processing of unemployment compensation claims for any agency that is not recognized as part of the Department of Agriculture is strictly prohibited.

I. LENDER / VERIFIER / AGENCY SERVICES

(1) The contractor shall respond to requests for employment and wage information on any individuals employed by a department/agency that may be generated by mortgage, lending or credit institutions (hereinafter referred to as '·Lenders"), verifiers of employment, (hereinafter referred to as "verifiers"), and, family service government agencies (hereinafter referred to as ''Agencies").

(2) USDA NFC payroll department or its agent shall securely transmit employment and income data to the contractor on a regular cycle so the information remains current.

(3) When an employee applies for credit or other services where proof of employment or income is required, the employee provides consent to the credit grantor to verify that information when signing the application.

(4) The verifier – who has been carefully screened and credentialed before gaining access to the system – uses the assigned employer code and the employee Social Security Number to look up the record on the database.

(5) The verifier must provide a valid reason or permissible purpose for requesting the information, as defined by the Fair Credit Reporting Act (FCRA). The verifier must also have the consumer consent before requesting income or salary information.

(6) With the above conditions met, the verifier will validate employment or income in seconds and provide this information as required within legal grounds of this contract award.

(7) The Lender / Verifier Service should provide three different levels of information to authorized users based on written access granted by the employee:

a) Basic Employment verification including:

• Employee Name

• Employee SSN

• Employer Name

• Initial Hire Date

• Most recent Hire Date (if applicable)

• Current employment status (active or inactive)

• Total employment time with employer in years or months

• Position/Title

b) Basic employment verification with salary information including:

• All basic information above

• Current rate-of-pay and most recent period earnings

c) Basic employment verification, salary information and salary history including:

• All basic information above

• Rate of pay

• Year to date gross wages

• Two previous years’ total gross wages (when available)

Note: If an employee desires, they shall be able to block or unblock access to their wages via online access or a toll-free number.

J. SOCIAL SERVICES VERIFICATION

Contractor shall be able to provide verification for issuance of benefits related to social programs (e.g., Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program [SNAP], Temporary Assistance for Needy Families [TANF], WIC, ACA, etc.).

6. QUALITY CONTROL

Prompt, accurate data gathering, analysis and reporting enables both the Contractor and the

Government to make sound decisions relating to performance under the contract. While the Contractor is solely responsible for performance, the Government wishes to be informed on all actions under the contract that affect compliance with contract cost, performance or schedule compliance. Quarterly Project Review Team (PRT) meetings will be conducted to fulfill this requirement.

The Contractor will ensure that all supplies, services and documentation meet the minimum acceptable standards of performance and quality. The CO/COR will review contractor’s performance, quality of service, and, timeliness and accuracy of required reports. Performance shall be documented in the Contractor Performance Assessment Reporting System (CPARS) reports.

The Contractor shall provide all documentation (reports, handouts, presentations, etc.) to any authorized Government official of an agency identified in this delivery order.

7. CONTRACT PERSONNEL

CONTRACTOR

The contractor shall furnish the necessary personnel, materials, equipment, services, and facilities (except as otherwise specified) as required by the Statement of Work (SOW). Should the contractor have key personnel assigned, they will not be replaced on this delivery order without providing the government written acknowledgement and designation of a satisfactory replacement .

Contractor personnel must be fully qualified to conduct any activities as required in support of this agreement.

CONTRACTING OFFICER (CO)

The Contracting Officer, or duly authorized USDA Contracting Officer is the only person authorized to make any changes, approve any changes in the requirements of this contract, issue orders, obligate funds and authorize the expenditure of funds, and notwithstanding any term contained elsewhere in this contract, such authority remains vested solely in the Contracting Officer. (For further information, the Contracting Officer is a federal government employee who is specifically authorized and appointed in writing under specified agency procedures and granted the authority to enter into, administer, and/or terminate contracts and make related determinations and findings.) In the event, the Contractor makes any changes at the direction of any person other than the Contracting Officer, the change will be considered to have been without authority and no adjustment will be made in the contract price to cover any increase in costs incurred as a result thereof.

The USDA Contracting Officer for this award will be Frank Hodo, Frank.Hodo@usda.gov, 202- 720-2538.

CONTRACTING OFFICER’S REPRESENTATIVE (COR) and TECHNICAL MONITORS (TM)

The principle role of the COR is to support the Contracting Officer in managing the contract.

This is done through furnishing technical direction within the confines of the contract, mailto:Frank.Hodo@usda.gov monitoring performance, ensuring requirements are met within the terms of the contract, and maintaining a strong relationship with the Contracting Officer. As a team the Contracting Officer and COR must ensure that program requirements are clearly communicated and that the agreement is performed to meet them. The principle role of the Technical Monitor (TM) is to support the COR on all work orders, tasks, deliverables and actions that require immediate attention relating to the approved scope and obligated funding of the contract action.

The COR(s) and TM(s) may be changed at any time by the Government without prior notice to the Contractor, but notification of the change, including the name and phone number of the successor COR, will be promptly provided in writing to the Contractor by the Contracting Officer.

The USDA COR will be Myles Roeling, Myles.Roeling@nfc.usda.gov, 504-426-7778.

8. PERIOD OF PERFORMANCE

The period of performance for this contract will be for one (1) year including up to four (4) annually renewable options by the government. The initial or base award period of performance will be for a period of up to 12 months from the date of award.

9. FAR 52.212-1, INSTRUCTIONS FOR THE PREPARATION AND DELIVERY OF

PROPOSALS

The following instructions are provided in this solicitation as an addendum to FAR Provision 52.212-1 Instructions to Offerors—Commercial Items. This is the specific information and format required for any quote submitted. Incomplete quotes are not acceptable. Quotes must be valid for at least 120 days after RFP close date as stated on FedbizOpps. Each Offeror must submit one complete proposal as outlined below. All Proposals will be received electronically and uploaded into the Fedbizops.gov Web Portal. Proposals shall be due to Frank.Hodo@usda.gov by way of Fedbizopps.

• The Technical Proposal (Volume 1) length shall be limited to 35 single-sided pages with 12 point font.

Pages shall be numbered sequentially. Proposals in excess of the 35-page limit will not be evaluated. A page is defined as one side of an 8.5-by -11 inch sheet of white paper. The following pages will not be counted toward the 30 page limit: Letter of Transmittal; Title Pages; Table of Contents; and Exhibits and Addendums. A Letter of Transmittal/Cover Page may be included with the proposal submission, but the letter of transmittal/cover page and exceptions should not exceed three pages in length. All pages shall have a minimum of a 1-inch margin on the top, bottom, left, and right. Page numbering, Offeror identification, and disclaimers may be placed in the 1-inch margin. Each table, figure, diagram, organizational chart, drawing, or other illustrative material does not count toward the 30-page limitation and must be numbered separately from the technical response. Appendices or addendums while allowed, will be limited to 15 pages. Aforementioned submitted documents identified above will be included in a total page limit of 45 pages. If figures, tables, diagrams, charts, etc. are included, print on these items should not be smaller than 11 point font or it will not be reviewed because it is too difficult to read.

• Quotes shall be neat, indexed and assembled in an orderly manner. Please try and mirror the requirements document as much as possible so a stated fact or reference may be directly attributed to a requirement. Whenever possible, include a reference in the proposal that ties to the SOW.

mailto:Myles.Roeling@nfc.usda.gov

• All pages of each part shall be appropriately numbered and identified with the submitting firms name and the Request for Proposal (RFP) number.

• Volume I, II and III shall be submitted as separate Volumes.

• Any exceptions to the terms and conditions of this solicitation package shall be identified in the cover letter submission. Exceptions may disqualify your submittal for award consideration. If there are no exceptions to the terms and conditions of this solicitation package, vendors must state so on the cover letter submission if one is included in the proposal. If a cover letter submission is not included in the proposal submission, vendors shall state on a separate page and attach it to the front of the Technical Volume.

A. Amendment of Solicitation prior to RFP Closing Time

The Government reserves the right to revise or amend the specifications or the RFP prior to the RFP closing time. Such revisions or amendments will be communicated by amendments to this RFP and issued via FedBizOpps.gov . If such amendments require material changes in quantities or prices, the RFP closing date may be postponed by enough days to enable Offerors to revise their offers. In such cases, the amendment will include an announcement of the new RFP closing date and time. Offerors must submit acknowledgment of all solicitation amendments with their final quote.

B. Transmittal & Cover Letter

The Offeror’s cover letter for the quote must contain the name, phone number and email address of the person to be contacted concerning any matter related to the solicitation. Include the following in this section:

• DUNS number

• Company name and mailing address

• Date submitted and quote expiration date

• All of the above-cited information for each entity on the proposed team, if a team is proposed

• Current or valid Tax Identification Number (TIN)

• Point of Contact (Name, email, phone) for the representative the Government should contact with questions regarding the quote

• Any exceptions to the terms and conditions of this solicitation package

C. Completed SF1449

Offeror’s shall submit with original/manually or digital applied signature, including acknowledgement of any solicitation amendments issued by the Government. The acknowledgement of amendments may be accomplished by signing the front page of each amendment (SF30) and including the signed SF30(s) together with the SF1449, or by a signed statement identifying each amendment by number and acknowledging they were included in the preparation of the quote.

D. Completed “Schedule of Supplies/Services and Prices/Costs”

(Blocks 19-24 of SF1449 and continuation page(s)) including proposed prices for each contract line item. If there are discrepancies between the unit price and extended amounts, the unit price shall prevail.

E. Quote Due-Date and Delivery

All electronic (FedBizOpps) proposals shall be submitted on or prior to the closing date and time as stated on FedBizOpps. One complete electronic proposal (all volumes) must be electronically submitted via the FedBizOpps system. The proposal submitted via FedBizOpps is considered the official quote. All volumes of the vendors proposal must be in separate volumes.

Electronic Proposals must be submitted in the following three (3) Separate Volumes. Offerors shall not combine any of the volumes in their quote.

• (Volume 1) Technical Approach

• (Volume 2) Past Performance

• (Volume 3) Price

F. Questions

The Contracting Officer (CO) is the point of contact for this acquisition. Offerors shall submit any questions to the CO either at the email address below or through the electronic delivery system (FedbizOpps) using the vendor question matrix (Attachment H):

Frank Hodo at Frank.Hodo@usda.gov

Questions shall be submitted no later than time specified on the requirements posting on FedBizOpps.

The Technical Evaluation Team will use a adjectival rating methodology for each proposal based on three factors: Technical Approach; Past Performance; and, Price, with each narrative rating tied to a numerical rating.

The technical evaluation team will be instructed to reach consensus on a singular rating for each factor, and if consensus is not reached, then the factors would be rated based on a majority vote.

10 INSTRUCTIONS FOR THE PREPARATION OF THE TECHNICAL PROPOSAL (VOLUME 1)

Narrative responding to the technical evaluation factor described in the solicitation provision 52.212-2, EVALUATION-COMMERCIAL ITEMS, which is a part of this solicitation. The Technical Volume shall describe how the Offeror shall perform the effort required in this RFP. The allocation of the page count for the individual parts for Volume I, is left to the discretion of the Offeror. Technical Volumes shall not include any pricing information. Scan document for the word quote.

10.1. Technical Approach (Volume 1)

The following sections shall be included for content and format:

• Technical Requirements

• Corporate/Business Experience

• Transition Plan

• Staffing Plan

10.2. Technical Requirements

The Offeror shall present their technical approach to be utilized in performing the scope of work listed in the RFP, specifically section (5) five, Statement of Work (SOW). The Offeror shall clearly describe the proposed approach to be used to accomplish the work. Sufficient detail should be provided to permit the government to determine that the Offeror has an understanding of the scope of work to be performed, and that it has the demonstrated ability to deliver the services required in an efficient manner. This may include a project plan that clearly defines the general levels of effort required on the Offeror’s part to implement the services, the estimated duration to implement the services, the types and qualifications of key personnel required to implement and maintain the services, and the level of supplied training if applicable. The Offeror’s proposal should demonstrate their ability to provide a variety of reporting and best practice training solutions using current technology. Proposal should also demonstrate Offeror’s ability to respond to items identified in Attachment B (Projected Contract Costs) and verify the ability to receive and process data via Secure File Transfer Protocol (SFTP) in the formats described in Attachments E (Payroll File Layout) and F (The Work Number [TWN] File Layout).

10.3. Corporate/Business Experience

Offerors shall submit information on their corporate experience performing the same or similar types of work described in the SOW. Subject areas which Offerors may want to address include: office locations, states and or regions where they currently provide Unemployment Claims support, number of employees with dedicated training in Unemployment Claims, management structure, organizational status, technical infrastructure, and or type of corporate entity (i.e., SDB, WOB, etc.). Offerors should include enough information to demonstrate how their corporate/business experience relates to the SOW, including timeframe of experience, relevancy, complexity and internal business processes, and or any industry certifications or unique awards. The Offeror should provide a brief history of its founding and development, and a description of its current organization, products, and services. The proposal should clearly demonstrate experience working/coordinating with teams from varying organizations/companies to achieve specific project goals and milestones. Contractor’s Volume I Technical Approach must demonstrate actual experience in performing this tasks for similar programs.

10.4. Transition Plan

The government anticipates providing a three month transition period to allow for a…