DRAFT PWS - Retierment Calc-Portal.pdf

United States Department of Agriculture Office of Human Resources Management

Performance Work Statement (PWS)

Human Resources Self-Service Dashboard (HR SSD) and Retirement Benefits Processor

(RBP)

1. PURPOSE AND BACKGROUND

The Office of Human Resources Management has a requirement for an USDA Enterprise Human Resource (HR) Self-Service Dashboard (SSD) and Retirement Benefits Processor (RBP) to support the entire Human Resources self-service and retirement process continuum. The service will be an online, web-based transactional processing system that will be used by all USDA employees and HR personnel to manage their own HR transactions and applications as well as allow employees and HR benefits officers to create retirement benefits estimates. One of the primary services administered by the Office of Human Resources Management is the Employee Benefits programs. The mission of the Employee Benefits Program is to provide expert advice and assistance to all levels of USDA staff and management, especially HR Benefits Officers and Retirement Counselors, so they are better able to meet their Employee Benefits obligations while accomplishing the program goals of their Mission Areas and Offices.

a. The Self-Service Dashboard provides a single-sign-on, role management, collaboration and communication platform for the HRM community; delivering a consistent and unified access for HR Specialist, and all USDA employees to critical HR applications.

b. The Retirement Planning and Processing Application is a web-based tool providing HR Benefits Officers access to vital employee data and associated forms to quickly and easily process and separate retiring employees. Additionally, HR Benefit Officers can assist employees with planning and projecting retirement benefits. Employees have easy access to validate data and plan “what if” scenarios impacting their retirement.

c. The USDA HR SSD and the RBP service will be used by all mission areas and sub- Agencies within the Department.

2. SCOPE OF WORK

a. Technical Requirements/Tasks:

The Contractor shall provide, install, migrate, maintain, and upgrade an innovative USDA Enterprise Web-Based Human Resource (HR) Self-Service Dashboard (SSD) and Retirement Benefits Processor (RBP) required to meet the mission of the Office of Human Resources Management and other sub-Agencies with USDA.

1) Pending mutual acceptance of final business requirements after contract award, anticipated functional requirements include:

a) The SSD will act as a one-stop web-based portal which facilitates access to HR related systems for USDA employees. The information presented to the employee will be based on assigned roles. Access to the RBP will be managed by the SSD.

b) The system must be Level II e-authenticated and comply with all USDA e-authentications policies and regulations. If the Contractor’s application is protected by a commercial e-authentication tool, that tool must be Security Assertion Mark-up Language (SAML) compliant. SAML is an Extensible Markup Language (XML) based standard for exchanging authentication and authorization data between security domains, that is, between an identity provider (a producer of assertions) and a service provider (a consumer of assertions). If the Contractor’s product is protected by an e-authentication tool, then the Contractor must agree to fully work with the USDA e-authentication team to provide an acceptable connection between the USDA e-authentication tool and the login page of the Contractor’s product where the two system can exchange and accept USDA employee e-authentication information that will verify the end user’s identity and e-authentication credentials. Options for non-eAuth User/ID access will be permitted for non-USDA employees authorized to use the system, and USDA employees who do not have a government email address, or otherwise cannot have an eAuth account.

c) The vendor will provide maintenance of SSD roles and links to associated uniform re source locators (URL)s, or will provide interface capability for USDA personnel to do so.

d) Accounts for the SSD will be primarily managed through a personnel data feed from National Finance Center (NFC). The application will identify accessions and separations based on the information in the feed file, and will manage accounts accordingly. Updated information on users will also be reflected in the application’s records.

e) The SSD will provide an interface allow account management (primarily for employees not in the NFC data feed).

f) The SSD will allow assignment of personnel office identifier (POI) codes to personnel for allowing access to the records of the POI’s serviced employees. This includes the assignment of POIs that are different from those of the employee’s own POI number.

g) The SSD will be able to pass user information for use in other Human Resource Information Systems (HRISes), from both public service providers and private vendors, as directed.

h) The SSD will have the ability to automate assignment of user access information based on information in the data feed associated with the individual user.

i) The RBP will provide retirement planning and processing. Using a data feed of payroll information from NFC, it will calculate estimated retirement eligibility dates and retirement based on applicable data fields.

j) Individual employees will be able to review their RBP information/service history and provide supplemental information regarding other (e.g., non-Federal) retirement assets to provide a more complete retirement outlook.

k) USDA personnel (e.g., retirement benefit specialists) will be able to obtain suitable assigned access to review Federal retirement estimation calculations, for purposed of providing effective and accurate benefits counseling to retiring personnel.

l) Individual employees will receive a 10-day, 5-day, and 24-hour email notification before disabling his/her SSD account due any security reasons.

m) Department Administrators will be able to manage USDA Message through SSD Manage Messages page with additional level of selection of Mission Areas/Agency Offices. This will ensure the same message is displayed to appropriate offices across USDA (including Forest Service).

n) SSD shall populate employees’ primary USDA email address.

o) SSD shall provide a customizable reporting by displaying the list of available data fields for authorized users.

p) Department Administrators will be able to export data across USDA employees (including Forest Service) at the DM instance in all available reports.

q) SSD should remove employees’ account when reassign or separation action occurs to avoid account duplication issue.

r) SSD and RBP documents shall be updated at least once a year. The documents shall include User Guide, Administrators Guide, Project Management Plan, System Configuration Updates, and Client Admin Training Guide.

s) SSD shall add security report and notification to alert the responsible Client Administrators on the incidents of user disabled, high-tier role assignments, active employee record counts, and issue ticket submissions on weekly basis.

2) Non -Functional Requirements for this Web-based HR SSD and RBP include the following, but will be completed upon consultation with the Contractor:

a) Streamline business processes where benefits can be achieved through simplification and automation while eliminating duplicate entry and paper.

b) Providing the best functionality to meet USDA's HR SSD and RBP needs.

c) Facilitating efficient internal communication and sharing of data.

d) Providing ubiquitous access to data (for those with the proper security permissions).

e) The application should be easy for non-technical personnel to use, without extensive user training.

f) Response time of the system should allow improved efficiency in the performance of routine tasks such as reports generation and data retrieval efforts.

g) The two systems must maintain a 24/7 operational uptime status with minimal downtime (notwithstanding hardware/software maintenance schedules).

h) The systems will have sufficient disaster recovery plans in place that will allow SSD to be restored within 2 business hours and RBP will be available within 6 business hours after failure.

i) SSD will provide a reporting capability to monitor role and access assignment.

j) SSD and RBP will be available through currently supported version of common internet browsers, including Safari, Internet Explorer, and either Firefox or Chrome.

k) All systems are required to be adaptable to accept Internet Protocol Version 6 (IPV6) address format.

l) System Fixes / Corrections (unforeseen) – Optional Line Item (Subject to Availability of Funds)

m) The Contractor shall provide system fixes / corrections to include the development and implementation of additional functionality within the application required to maintain compliance with and in response to changes in regulatory requirements and requests from Agency users to fix/correct deficiencies within the service.

n) These additional Tasks will be obtained on a Task Order basis. The Contractor shall provide design, programming, hardware, and project management, for system fixes / corrections or services that exceed basic service design and installation, or support activities. An example of these kinds of fixes / corrections or service might be providing a new application on the system that reflects a new business process or priority as set forth by USDA executive management or by a mandate from a Federal Oversight Agency.

o) For these task orders, the COR and the Contractor will review the requirements. After receiving a Request For Quotation (RFQ) with a Performance Work Statement, the Contractor shall submit to Contracting Officer a Technical and Price proposal including at a minimum the following:

Costs for programming

Equipment

Project Management

Continuing maintenance and support.

Training

Travel

Milestones for delivery

3) Maintenance

Maintenance includes emails, analysis, minor changes requiring no additional cost, error resolution, application/database/server maintenance.

4) Technical Support

a) The Contractor shall provide technical support to perform such services as password administration, system administration and system functionality help as well as system malfunction(s) and /or error(s) resulting is a partial or total loss of service. The objectives and measurements for the helpdesk service are described in Technical Exhibit 1, Performance Requirements Summary under the task called “Responsiveness.

b) The Contractor must ensure that all technical issues and anything that delays the processing of a retirement case which might result in a delayed retirement benefits must receive first priority for resolution.

c) The Contractor shall provide a technical report bi-weekly (every two weeks) to the USDA System Administrator to review all technical calls, outstanding issue and resolution.

5) System Notifications, Upgrades, Testing

a) The Contractor must notify the U.S. Department of Agriculture System Administrator(s) of any new software upgrades available to the service. The Government reserves the right to request service-wide software upgrades, in which case a contract modification will be executed to support this option.

b) The Contractor must be responsible for providing, installing and testing and supporting service-wide software upgrades and obtaining Government approval in writing prior to implementing any software upgrades.

c) The Contractor shall complete all service testing and service transition activities prior to seven (7) days after contract award, and ensure full operational capability of the production version on the same date.

6) Quality Control Plan – Performance Based

a) The Contractor shall establish a Quality Control Plan (QCP) to ensure that the requirements of the contract are met as specified in the Contractor’s proposal. This plan shall provide a detailed plan to assure an acceptable quality level is established and maintained. The initial QCP shall be submitted with the Contractor’s proposal. The final plan shall be delivered to the Contracting Officer’s Technical Representative (COTR) and Alternate Technical Contact (ATC) no later than 10 days after award of the contract. The Contracting Officer (CO) will notify the Contractor of acceptance or required modifications to the plan before services commence. If changes are needed to the QCP, they shall be completed before the Contractor commences services.

b) A performance-based Quality Control Plan shall include, but not be limited to the following:

An inspection program addressing the relevant services stated in this Performance Work Statement. It shall specify the critical quality control points to be inspected on both a schedule and unscheduled basis, and shall include the names, titles and qualifications of the individuals performing the inspections and the extent of their authority. An organizational chart illustrating functional roles will be included in the plan.

Methods of identifying deficiencies in the quality of services performed before the level of performance becomes unacceptable and corrective action that are needed; procedures for notifying the COTR and ATC when deficiencies are encountered; planned corrective actions, dates for implementation or completion of correction actions and descriptions of proposed sampling techniques for follow-up inspections. (i.e., a Continuous Improvement Process (CIP)).

Methods of documenting and enforcing quality assurance operations of the Contractor’s work, including inspection, testing, implementation of corrective actions, and follow-up inspections.

The format for the Contractor’s Quality Assurance Report.

7) The Contractor, throughout the term of the contract shall maintain documentation of all quality control inspections, inspection results, and corrective actions required and performed. This documentation will become the property of USDA and will be included in the monthly activity report.

3. IT Accessibility Requirements

a. Section 508 of the Rehabilitation Act, as amended by the Workforce Investment Act of 1998 (P.L. 105-220) requires that when Federal agencies develop, procure, maintain, or use information and communication technology (ICT), it shall be accessible to people with disabilities. Federal employees and members of the public who have disabilities must have access to, and use of, information and data that is comparable to people without disabilities.

Products, platforms and services delivered as part of this work statement that are ICT, or contain ICT, must conform to the Revised 508 Standards, which are located at 36 C.F.R. §

1194.1 & Apps. A, C & D, and available at https://www.access-board.gov/guidelines-and-standards/communications-and-it/about-the-ict-refresh/final-rule/text-of-the-standards-and-guidelines

b. Applicable Functional Performance Criteria: All functional performance criteria apply when using an alternative design or technology that achieves substantially equivalent or greater accessibility and usability by individuals with disabilities, than would be provided by conformance to one or more of the requirements in Chapters 4-6 of the Revised 508 Standards, or when Chapters 4-6 do not address one or more functions of ICT.

c. Applicable requirements for software features and components: All WCAG Level

AA Success Criteria, 502 Interoperability with Assistive Technology, 503 Application

d. Applicable requirements for hardware features and components: All requirements apply

e. Applicable support services and documentation: All requirements apply

4. Instructions to Offerors

a. Provide an Accessibility Conformance Report (ACR) for each commercially available Information and Communication Technology (ICT) item offered through this contract. Create the ACR using the Voluntary Product Accessibility Template Version 2.1 or later, located at https://www.itic.org/policy/accessibility/vpat.

Complete each ACR in accordance with the instructions provided in the VPAT template. Each ACR must address the applicable Section 508 requirements referenced in the Work Statement. Each ACR shall state exactly how the ICT meets the applicable standards in the remarks/explanations column, or through additional narrative. All "Not Applicable" (N/A) responses must be explained in the remarks/explanations column or through additional narrative. Address each standard individually and with specificity, and clarify whether conformance is achieved throughout the entire ICT Item (for example - user functionality, administrator functionality, and reporting), or only in limited areas of the ICT Item. Provide a description of the evaluation methods used to support Section 508 conformance claims. The agency reserves the right, prior to making an award decision, to perform testing on some or all of the Offeror’s proposed ICT items to validate Section 508 conformance claims made in the ACR.

b. Describe your approach to incorporating universal design principles to ensure ICT products or services are designed to support disabled users.

c. Describe plans for features that do not fully conform to the Section 508 Standards.

d. Describe "typical" user scenarios and tasks, including individuals with disabilities, to ensure fair and accurate accessibility testing of the ICT product or service being offered

Section 508 – Accessibility of Information and Communications Technology

(a) This Migration of eRecruit to Amazon Web Services is subject to Section 508 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 (29 U.S.C. 794d) as amended by the Workforce Investment Act of 1998 (P.L. 105-220). Specifically, subsection 508(a)(1) requires that when the Federal Government procures Information and Communications Technology (ICT)1, the ICT must allow Federal employees and members of the public with disabilities comparable access to and use of information and data provided to Federal employees and members of the public without disabilities.

(b) The ICT accessibility standards as 36 CFR Part 1194 were developed by the Architectural and Transportation Barriers Compliance Board (also known as the Access Board) and apply to contracts, task orders, and indefinite quantity contracts on or after June 25, 2001.

(c) Each Information and Communications Technology (ICT) product or service furnished under this contract shall comply with the Information and Communications

1 Please note that the term Information and Communications Technology (ICT) is synonymous with Electronic and Information Technology (EIT), the previously used term. The term ICT will be used to meet international standards after the release of the Section 508 Refresh.

Technology Accessibility Standards (36 CFR 1194), as specified in the contract, at a minimum. If the Contracting Officer determines any furnished product or service is not in compliance with the contract, the Contracting Officer will promptly inform the Contractor in writing. The Contractor shall, without charge to the Government, repair or replace the non-compliant products or services within a period of time specified by the Government in writing. If such repair or replacement is not completed within the time specified, the Government shall have the following recourses:

1) Cancellation of the contract, delivery, or task order, purchase or line item without termination liabilities; or

2) In the case of custom Information and Communications Technology (ICT) being developed by a contractor for the Government, the Government shall have the right to have any necessary changes made or repairs performed by itself or by another firm for the non-compliant ICT, with the contractor liable for reimbursement to the Government for any expenses incurred thereby.

(d) The contractor must ensure that all ICT products and services that are less than fully compliant with the accessibility standards are provided pursuant to extensive market research and are the most current compliant products or services available to satisfy the contract requirements.

(e) For every ICT product or service accepted under this contract by the Government that does not comply with 36 CFR 1194, the contractor shall, at the discretion of the Government, make every effort to replace or upgrade it with a compliant equivalent product or service, if commercially available and cost neutral, on either a contract specified refresh cycle for the product or service, or on a contract effective option/renewal date, whichever shall occur first.

Section 508 Compliance

The Contractor shall comply with the standards, policies, and procedures below. In the event of conflicts between the referenced documents and this Migration of eRecruit to Amazon Web Services, the Migration of eRecruit to Amazon Web Services shall take precedence.

Section 508 Accessibility Standards

1) 29 U.S.C. 794d (Rehabilitation Act as amended)

2) 36 CFR 1194 (Section 508 standards)

3) http://www.access-board.gov/sec508/508standards.htm (Section 508 standards)

4) FAR 39.2 (Section 508)

5) http://www.ocio.usda.gov/document/departmental-regulation-4030-001 (USDA standards, policies, and procedures for Section 508)

In addition, all contract deliverables are subject to these standards.

All web content or communications materials produced, regardless of format (text, audio, video, etc.), must conform to the applicable Section 508 standards to allow Federal employees and members of the public with disabilities comparable access to and use of information and data provided to Federal employees and members of the public without disabilities. All contractors (including sub-contractors) and consultants responsible for preparing or posting content must comply with the applicable Section 508 accessibility standards and, where applicable, those set forth in the referenced policy or standards document above. Remediation of any materials that do not comply with the applicable provisions of 36 CFR Part 1194 as set forth in the Migration of eRecruit to Amazon Web Services shall be the responsibility of the contractor or consultant.

The following Section 508 provisions apply to the products and/or services identified in this Migration of eRecruit to Amazon Web Services:

36 CFR Part 1194.21 provisions a-l

36 CFR Part 1194.22 provisions a-p

36 CFR Part 1194.23 provisions a-k[4]

36 CFR Part 1194.24 provisions a-e

36 CFR Part 1194.25 provisions a-j[4]

36 CFR Part 1194.26 provisions a-d

36 CFR Part 1194.31 provisions a-f

36 CFR Part 1194.41 provisions a-c

The following Section 508 provisions apply for software development material identified in this Migration of eRecruit to Amazon Web Services:

For software development, software applications, and operating systems the contractor shall comply with the following standards, policies, and procedures:

Section 508 Accessibility Standards

1) 29 U.S.C. 794d (Rehabilitation Act as amended)

2) 36 CFR 1194 (Section 508 standards)

a. 36 CFR Part 1194.21 provisions a-l

b. 36 CFR Part 1194.31 provisions a-f

c. 36 CFR Part 1194.41 provisions a-c

For web-based applications (intranet, internet information and applications, 16 rules), the contractor shall comply with the following standards, policies, and procedures:

Section 508 Accessibility Standards

1) 29 U.S.C. 794d (Rehabilitation Act as amended)

2) 36 CFR 1194 (Section 508 standards)

a. 36 CFR Part 1194.21 provisions a-l

b. 36 CFR Part 1194.22 provisions a-p

c. 36 CFR Part 1194.31 provisions a-f

d. 36 CFR Part 1194.41 provisions a-c

For telecommunication products and services the contractor shall comply with the following standards, policies, and procedures:

Section 508 Accessibility Standards

1) 29 U.S.C. 794d (Rehabilitation Act as amended)

2) 36 CFR 1194 (Section 508 standards)

a. 36 CFR Part 1194.23 provisions a-k

b. 36 CFR Part 1194.31 provisions a-f

c. 36 CFR Part 1194.41 provisions a-c

For video and multimedia applications (including training materials), the contractor shall comply with the following standards, policies, and procedures:

Section 508 Accessibility Standards

1) 29 U.S.C. 794d (Rehabilitation Act as amended)

2) 36 CFR 1194 (Section 508 standards)

a. 36 CFR Part 1194.24 provisions a-e

b. 36 CFR Part 1194.31 provisions a-f

c. 36 CFR Part 1194.41 provisions a-c

For self-contained and closed products, the contractor shall comply with the following standards, policies, and procedures:

Section 508 Accessibility Standards

1) 29 U.S.C. 794d (Rehabilitation Act as amended)

2) 36 CFR 1194 (Section 508 standards)

a. 36 CFR Part 1194.21 provisions a-l

b. 36 CFR Part 1194.25 provisions a-j

c. 36 CFR Part 1194.31 provisions a-f

d. 36 CFR Part 1194.41 provisions a-c

For desktop and portable computers, the contractor shall comply with the following standards, policies, and procedures:

Section 508 Accessibility Standards

1) 29 U.S.C. 794d (Rehabilitation Act as amended)

2) 36 CFR 1194 (Section 508 standards)

a. 36 CFR Part 1194.21 provisions a-l

b. 36 CFR Part 1194.26 provisions a-d

c. 36 CFR Part 1194.31 provisions a-f

d. 36 CFR Part 1194.41 provisions a-c

For help desk and other support services, the contractor shall comply with the following standards, policies, and procedures:

Section 508 Accessibility Standards

1) 29 U.S.C. 794d (Rehabilitation Act as amended)

2) 36 CFR 1194 (Section 508 standards)

a. 36 CFR Part 1194.31 provisions a-f

b. 36 CFR Part 1194.41 provisions a-c

If the help desk or other support services include training, contractor must also comply with the following standards, policies, and procedures in addition to 36 CFR Part 1194.31 provisions a-f and 36 CFR Part 1194.41 provisions a-c:

a. 36 CFR Part 1194.21 provisions a-l (installable and web-based training)

b. 36 CFR Part 1194.22 provisions a-p (web-based software)

All Information and Communications Technology (ICT) subject to the 36 CFR 1194 standards will have a Section 508 usability and acceptance test where Section 508 compliance will be validated. This test must be administered by a Federal Section 508 Testing Center.

All maintenance for Information and Communications Technology that requires upgrades, modifications, installations, and purchases will adhere to the Section 508 standards and 36 CFR 1194.

WCAG 2.0 Compliance

The Contractor shall comply with the standards, policies, and procedures below. In the event of conflicts between the referenced documents and this Migration of eRecruit to Amazon Web Services, the Migration of eRecruit to Amazon Web Services shall take precedence.

Custom ICT Development Services When contractor provides custom ICT development services pursuant to this contract, contractor shall ensure the ICT fully conforms to the applicable Revised 508 Standards prior to delivery and before final acceptance.

Installation, Configuration, and Integration Services When contractor provides installation, configuration, or integration services for equipment and software pursuant to this contract, the offeror shall not install, configure, or integrate the equipment and software in a way that reduces the level of conformance with the applicable Revised 508 standards.

Maintenance, Upgrades, and Replacements The contractor shall ensure maintenance upgrades, substitutions, and replacements to equipment and software pursuant to this contract do not reduce the original level of conformance with the applicable Revised 508 standards at the time of the contract award.

Service Personnel The contractor shall ensure the personnel providing the labor hours possess the knowledge, skills, and ability necessary to address the applicable Revised 508 standards defined in this contract, and shall provide supporting documentation upon request.

Hosting Services When providing hosting services for electronic content provided by the agency, contractor shall not implement the hosting services in a manner that reduces the existing level of conformance of the electronic content with applicable Revised 508 standards. Throughout the life of the contract, the agency reserves the right to perform testing on a vendor or contractor’s hosted solution to verify conformance with this requirement.

Validation for ICT Items When purchasing ICT where 1) 508 validation is not possible prior to award, 2) when ICT will be changed after the award, or 3) ICT will be hosted in a third-party environment, contractor shall test and validate the ICT solution for conformance to the Revised 508 standards, in accordance with the requirement testing methods, as defined by the agency. Throughout the life of the contract, the agency reserves the right to perform testing to verify conformance with this requirement.

Documentation The contractor shall maintain and retain full documentation of the measures taken to ensure compliance with the applicable requirements, including records of any testing or demonstrations conducted.

Conformance Reporting Prior to acceptance, contractor shall provide an Accessibility Conformance Report (ACR) for each ICT item that is developed, updated, configured for the agency, and when product substitutions are offered. The ACR should be based on the latest version of the Voluntary Product Accessibility Template (VPAT) provided by the Information Technology Industry Council (ITI). To be considered for award, an ACR must be submitted for each ICT item, and must be completed according to the instructions provided by ITI.

When the contractor is required to perform testing to validate conformance to the agency’s accessibility requirements, contractor shall provide a Supplemental Accessibility Conformance Report (SAR) that contains the following information:

Accessibility test results based on the required test methods.

Documentation of features provided to help achieve accessibility and usability for people with disabilities.

Documentation of core functions that cannot be accessed by persons with disabilities.

Documentation on how to configure and install the ICT item to support accessibility.

When an ICT item is an authoring tool that generates content (including documents, reports, videos, multimedia productions, web content, etc.)., provide information on how the ICT item enables the creation of accessible electronic content that conforms to the Revised 508 Standards, including the range of accessible user interface elements the tool can create.

Before final acceptance, the contractor shall provide a fully working demonstration of the completed ICT Item to demonstrate conformance to the agency's accessibility requirements. The demonstration shall expose where such conformance is and is not achieved.

Before acceptance, the agency reserves the right to perform independent testing to validate that the ICT solution provided by the contractor conforms to the applicable Revised 508 standards.

Non-Compliance Before final acceptance of any ICT item, including updates and replacements, if contractor claims its products or services satisfy the applicable Revised 508 standards specified in the contract vehicle, and the contracting officer determines that any furnished ICT item is not in compliance with such requirements, the contracting officer will promptly inform contractor in writing of the non-compliance. contractor shall, at no cost to the agency, repair or replace the non-compliant products or services within the period specified by the contracting officer.

5. APPLICABLE STANDARDS

a. FedRAMP ATO requirements

b. USDA CIO ATO requirements

c. Single Sign-on (SSO) capable with USDA eAuthentication compliance.

d. Receipt of a USDA Authorization to Operate (ATO) must be in place before going operational.

6. ACCEPTANCE CRITERIA

1. All deliverables will be reviewed by the USDA, OHRM, HRESM Director. The Director, HRESM will review all deliverables and determine if they are within contract scope as identified in the PWS and acceptable.

2. Prior to acceptance, the government reserves the right to perform testing on required ICT items to validate the offeror’s Section 508 conformance claims. If the government determines that Section 508 conformance claims provided by the offeror represent a higher level of conformance than what is actually provided to the agency, the government shall, at its option, require the offeror to remediate the item to align with the offeror’s original Section 508 conformance claims prior to acceptance.

7. SPECIAL REQUIREMENTS

The contractor must be able to transition from NTIS to GovCloud hosting while delivering the same fully-operational recruitment solution and data currently in use including integrations with EmpowHR, USAJOBS, and SSO.

8. KICK-OFF MEETING

A Kick-off Meeting will be scheduled within five business days or a mutually agreed upon date after award at the USDA, Whitten Building Washington, D.C, 20250. The Contractor’s Program Manager shall be in attendance preferably in person. However, a teleconference may be allowed at the discretion of the COR.

9. PLACE OF PERFORMANCE

While there may be occasional on-site visits with USDA leadership in Washington DC, most work will be accomplished virtually requiring access and extensive use of the internet and communication tools to accommodate virtual meetings and information sharing.

10. HOURS OF OPERATION

The normal office hours of operation will be between the hours of 9:00 a.m. and 8:00 p.m. EST, however; the actual system uptime must be 99.95%.

The Contractor must at all times maintain an adequate workforce for uninterrupted performance of all tasks defined within this PWS. When hiring personnel, the Contractor shall keep in mind that the stability and continuity of the workforce are essential to support successful service delivery.

11. PERIOD OF PERFORMANCE

Base Period: Jun 1, 2020 through May 31, 2021 Option Year 1: Jun 1, 2021 through May 31, 2022 Option Year 2: Jun 1, 2022 through May 31, 2023 Option Year 3: Jun 1, 2023 through May 31, 2024 Option Year 4: Jun 1, 2024 through May 31, 2025

Continuing Resolution: September 30 of each year marks the end of the federal government fiscal year. The federal government normally operates under a continuing resolution from October 1 through approximately February/March of each year until the federal budget is passed, signed by the President of the United States and the USDA Agencies receive their congressional approved operating budgets for the year.

12. INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY

a. Return of Data

Data and information developed, entered, and processed in support of this contract shall be considered Government property. All data and/or materials provided to the Contractor to accomplish individual deliverables shall be returned to the Government or destroyed at the end of each applicable deliverable unless the Contractor specifically requests and receives approval from the Issuing Agency COR to maintain copies of this data. The Contractor is responsible for distributing data and/or materials given to members of the Contractor’s team. None of this data will be released to any other Government organization or other organizations of individuals without the express written approval of USDA unless otherwise specified.

Chen, Evan - DM-OHRM, Washington, DC 2019-09-30 14:25:00

Across USDA coverage for longer hours of operations.

Chen, Evan - DM-OHRM, Washington, DC 2019-09-30 14:24:00

Industry cloud standard for 99.95%

b. Confidentiality and Non-Disclosure

Any USDA proprietary information, data, and/or equipment that the Contractor has been granted access by USDA to perform work under this order, will be returned to the USDA when no longer required to perform work under this order. The public release of the above USDA Proprietary information must be authorized in writing by the Contracting Officer.

The Contractor shall immediately notify the Contractor Program Manager, the USDA Issuing Agency COR and the Issuing Agency Contracting Officer upon discovery of any inadvertent disclosures of information. All information arising from this task, both hard copy and electronic, shall be returned to the Issuing Agency COR at task completion.

The Contractor must agree that:

The draft and final deliverables and all associated working papers and other materials deemed relevant by the Issuing Agency COR that have been generated by the Contractor in the performance of this task order are the property of the U.S. Government and must be submitted to the Issuing Agency COR at the conclusion of the tasks.

All documents produced for this project are the property of the U.S. Government and cannot be reproduced or retained by the Contractor. All appropriate project documentation will be given to the Issuing Agency COR during and at the end of this contract. The Contractor will release no information. Any request for information relating to this Statement of Work presented to the Contractor must be submitted in writing to the Contracting Officer, who in turn will provide a written response. The Contractor employees must sign Non-Disclosure Statements, under assignment of this contract.

c. Sensitive Information Storage and Disclosure

Sensitive information, data, and/or equipment will be disclosed only to authorize personnel on a Need-To-Know basis. The holder shall ensue that appropriate administrative, technical, and physical safeguards are established to ensure the security and confidentiality of this information, data, and/or equipment will be returned to Government control; destroyed; or held until otherwise directed. Destruction of items shall be accomplished by tearing into small parts;

burning; shredding or other method that precludes the reconstruction of the material, consistent with GSA guidelines.

Work on this contract may require that personnel have access to Privacy Information. Personnel shall adhere to the Privacy Act, Title 5 of the U. S. Code, Section 552a and applicable agency rules and regulations.

The USDA Issuing Agency COR shall ensure that all contract personnel take the required USDA Security Awareness and Rules of Behavior Training.

13. PHYSICAL SECURITY

Contractor custody of sensitive information must be protected under The Privacy Act of 1974, 5 U.S.C. § 552a -- as amended. The Contractor shall be responsible for safeguarding Personally Identifiable Information (PII) data against unauthorized disclosure, dissemination or modification in accordance with the requirements, law and USDA PII policy and regulations.

This shall include but is not limited to: Privacy and PII data located in IT Systems, software, research data / information, personnel (institutional knowledge) and buildings/offices.

All Contractor personnel who work at USDA must be US Citizens and obtain approval for facility access.

14. PERSONNEL SECURITY REQUIREMENTS

a. Homeland Security Presidential Directive Requirements. Contractor personnel must comply with USDA Homeland Security Presidential Directive (HSPD-12), “Policy for a Common Identification Standard for Federal Employees and Contractors,” and Federal Information Processing Standards Publication (FIPS PUB) 201, “Personal Identity Verification (PIV) of Federal Employees and Contractors.”

Although the information being processed through this service is not classified, the information is considered highly sensitive PII and must be protected accordingly. It is imperative that company personnel who possibly could access the data being processed, have an appropriate level of background investigation on file. The company shall be responsible for insuring that only personnel possessing the appropriate level of background investigation were instrumentally involved with the data processed by this service.

Only US citizens are authorized to work under this contract.

b. Identification. USDA requires government issued permanent or visitor identification badges and display of them at all times while on the premises.

c. National Agency Check with Inquiries (NACI). The minimum Personnel Security Investigative (PSI) requirement for a Contractor is a NACI. All positions within the USDA are assigned Position Sensitivity Designations (PSDs) based upon the risk/damage an unauthorized disclosure would cause to the Agency and/or National Security. The Issuing Agency COR will advise the Contractor of the assigned designation and investigative requirements at the kickoff meeting/at the onset of contract discussions. Based upon the assigned sensitivity designation, the minimum level PSI may not meet the requirements and a higher level of investigation and/or Security Clearance may be determined and required after contract award.

A list of all Contractor personnel assigned to this task with the dates and types of security background investigation checks completed will be submitted to the Issuing Agency COR prior to the initiation of any work effort charged against this PWS.

d. Key Personnel.

Key personnel are defined as personnel considered essential to the performance of work under this contract. For the purposes of this contract the key personnel positions have been identified as:

1) Program Manager:

2) Subject Matter Experts:

Program Manager: The Contractor shall submit the resumes of its proposed Program Manager.

All onsite personnel shall have and be able to provide proof of an active background investigation clearance.

This Program Manager will serve as a single point of contact for this contract. The Program Manager is considered a working team member.

The Program Manager (PM) shall be the Contractor's authorized liaison with the Issuing Agency COR. The PM is responsible for formulating and enforcing work standards, assigning Contractor schedules, reviewing work discrepancies, supervising Contractor personnel and communicating policies, purposes and goals of the organization to subordinates. The PM shall be responsible for the overall contract performance.

The Program Manager shall be responsible for serving as the coordinating single point of contact between the Contractor and Government. This individual shall be responsible for technical and management direction, submission reports and general support and coordination to the COR and Government staff, as needed and authorized by the COR. The Program Manager shall be fully authorized to direct and supervise day-to-day activities of Contractor and third-party Contractors needed to meet the contract requirements.

Selection, scheduling, control and supervision of the Contractor’s employees are solely the Contractor’s responsibility. The Government and the Contractor understand and agree that the services to be delivered under this contract are non-personal services and the parties recognize and agree no employer-employee relationship exists or shall exist under the contract between the Government and the Contractor.

Subject Matter Experts (SME):

The Contractor must ensure that personnel will have the necessary training, experience, and certifications.

The Contractor shall submit the resumes of the Key Personnel; Program Manager and Subject Matter Experts.

e. Personnel/Performance Replacement

In the event that it becomes necessary for the Contractor to substitute a key person, the Contractor shall request in writing such substitutions in accordance with the following conditions that shall be strictly adhered to and must be approved by the COR:

1) All substitutes shall have qualifications that are at least equal to those of the person being replaced.

2) All appointments of key personnel shall be approved by the COR and no substitutions of such personnel shall be made without the advance written approval of the COR and the Contracting Officer.

3) All proposed substitutions must be proposed in advance and approved by the COR within 15 business days, if a security clearance is required. All proposed substitution personnel shall be submitted in writing to the COR.

4) Request for substitution of key personnel shall provide a detailed explanation of the circumstances necessitating substitution, a resume of the proposed substitute and any other information requested by the COR to make a determination as to the appropriateness of the proposed substitute’s qualifications.

5) The USDA Issuing Agency COR will notify the Contractor and the USDA Issuing Agency Contracting Officer in writing of his/her approval or disapproval of all requests for substitution of key personnel. All disapprovals will require re-submission of another substitution by the Contractor within 15 calendar days.

f. Release of Information

No USDA data shall be divulged to any unauthorized person, for any purpose. Therefore, the Contractor shall clear with the Contracting Officer any public release of any information.

Information includes news stories, articles, sales and marketing information, advertisements, etc.

All requests for public release of information shall be submitted via email to the Contracting Officer and addressed to:

United States Department of Agriculture Office of Communications (OC) 1400 Independence Avenue, SW Washington, DC 20250

The Contracting Officer shall submit the Contractor’s Request For Press Release to the Office of Communications for approval. The Contractor shall not release any information to the public without official OC approval from the Contracting Officer.

15. QUALITY CONTROL PLAN – Performance Based

The Contractor shall provide a Quality Control Plan (QCP) to ensure that the requirements of the contract are met as specified in the Contractor’s proposal. This plan shall provide a detailed plan to assure an acceptable quality level is established and maintained. The initial QCP shall be submitted with the Contractor’s proposal. The final plan shall be delivered to the Issuing Agency COR and the no later than business 5 days after award of the contract. The Issuing Agency COR will notify the Contractor and Contracting Officer of acceptance or required modifications to the plan before services commence. If changes are needed to the QCP, they shall be completed before the Contractor commences services.

This contract requires the Contractor to maintain a thorough quality control program with the aim of identifying and correcting deficiencies in the quality of services before performance becomes unacceptable.

As part of the Quality Control Program, the Contractor shall develop a Quality Control Plan (QCP) that describes the Contractor’s procedures for monitoring the overall performance on the contract.

The COR shall notify the Contractor, orally or in writing, of deficiencies in the plan and allow five

(5) business days for a revision to be submitted.

A performance-based Quality Control Plan shall include, but not be limited to the following:

a. An inspection program addressing the relevant services stated in this PWS. It shall specify the critical quality control points to be inspected on both a schedule and unscheduled basis, and shall include the names, titles and qualifications of the individuals performing the inspections and the extent of their authority. An organizational chart illustrating functional roles will be included in the plan.

b. Methods of identifying deficiencies in the quality of services performed before the level of performance becomes unacceptable and corrective action is needed; procedures for notifying the Issuing Agency COR when deficiencies are encountered; planned corrective actions, dates for implementation or completion of correction actions and descriptions of proposed sampling techniques for follow-up inspections. (I.e. a Business Improvement Process

(BRP).

c. Methods of documenting and enforcing quality assurance operations of the

Contractor’s work, including inspection, testing, implementation of corrective actions, and follow-up inspections. The record of inspections shall be kept and made available to the Government, when requested, throughout the performance period, and for the period after completion, until final settlement of any claims under this agreement.

d. The Contractor, throughout the term of the contract shall maintain documentation of all quality control inspections, inspection results, and corrective actions required and performed.

This documentation will be included in the quarterly activity report as described in Section 10.0, Key Deliverables, and Quality Control Plan.

e. Performance standards are an essential measure of Contractor performance. Standards should be designed and met in such a manner as to assure quality. To this end, the COR will monitor the quality of the Contractor performance. This monitoring has two aspects that will meet the needs of the Quality Assurance Monitoring and Quality Assurance Review. All items listed below are measurable and are in accordance with this PWS.

16. KEY DELIVERABLES

Item

DELIVERABL

E/ EVENT

TITLE

FREQUENCY

DESCRIPTION

DOCUMENT

STRUCTURE

AND

CONTENTS

DELIVERY

FORMAT

DUE BY

1 Kick-Off Meeting

Performed one time

The Kick-Off Meeting provides introductions and discussions to include implementation strategy, discuss and/or confirm assumptions with USDA staff, build the statement of the project’s vision and discuss administrative matters.

Please refer to the Functional Tasks for details of the Kick-Off Meeting

In person or virtual.

Not Later Than 5 business days after award.

2 Proposed Quality Control Plan

See Paragraph 15 Via email to the

COR.

Due with the Proposal

3 Final Quality Control Plan

See Paragraph 15 Via email to the

COR.

Not Later Than 5 business days after Kick-off Meeting.

Item

DELIVERABL

E/ EVENT

TITLE

FREQUENCY

DESCRIPTION

DOCUMENT

STRUCTURE

AND

CONTENTS

DELIVERY

FORMAT

DUE BY

4 Release of Claim & Contract Completion Statement

Delivered immediately following submission of the final invoice and after the Contractor has notified the COR and Contracting Officer of all unliquidated obligations.

The Release of Claim & Contract Completion Statement is required to close out the order.

The Contractor shall obtain the COR signature prior to submitting the completed form to the applicable Contracting Officer. See Attachment 2

See Attachment 2 Via Email to the COR and Contracting Officer.

Submit to the COR and Contracting Officer immediately following submission of the final invoice and after the Contractor has notified the COR and Contracting Officer of all unliquidated obligations.

Contractor must obtain

COR

signature on Release of Claim & Contract Completion Statement prior to submission to the Contracting Officer.

Attachmen…