AMNT 0003 - DOL RFQ 1605C5-25-R-00002 0003.pdf

(x)

1605C5-25-R-00002 x x copies of the amendment; (b) By acknowledging receipt of this amendment on each copy of the offer submitted ; or (c) By separate letter or telegram which includes a reference to the solicitation and amendment numbers. FAILURE OF YOUR ACKNOWLEDGEMENT TO BE RECEIVED AT

THE PLACE DESIGNATED FOR THE RECEIPT OF OFFERS PRIOR TO THE HOUR AND DATE SPECIFIED MAY RESULT IN REJECTION OF YOUR OFFER. If by virtue of this amendment you desire to change an offer already submitted , such change may be made by telegram or letter, provided each telegram or letter makes reference to the solicitation and this amendment, and is received prior to the opening hour and date specified.

x

CAS

Washington DC 20210 200 Constitution Ave, NW S-4307 Customer Acquisition Services US Department of Labor

07/08/20250003

13. THIS ITEM ONLY APPLIES TO MODIFICATION OF CONTRACTS/ORDERS. IT MODIFIES THE CONTRACT/ORDER NO. AS DESCRIBED IN ITEM 14.

12. ACCOUNTING AND APPROPRIATION DATA (If required) is not extended.is extended, Items 8 and 15, and returning

Offers must acknowledge receipt of this amendment prior to the hour and date specified in the solicitation or as amended , by one of the following methods: (a) By completing

The above numbered solicitation is amended as set forth in Item 14. The hour and date specified for receipt of Offers

11. THIS ITEM ONLY APPLIES TO AMENDMENTS OF SOLICITATIONS

FACILITY CODE CODE

10B. DATED (SEE ITEM 13)

10A. MODIFICATION OF CONTRACT/ORDER NO.

9B. DATED (SEE ITEM 11)

9A. AMENDMENT OF SOLICITATION NO.

CODE

8. NAME AND ADDRESS OF CONTRACTOR (No., street, county, State and ZIP Code)

7. ADMINISTERED BY (If other than Item 6)CODE 6. ISSUED BY

PAGE OF PAGES

4. REQUISITION/PURCHASE REQ. NO.3. EFFECTIVE DATE2. AMENDMENT/MODIFICATION NO. 5. PROJECT NO. (If applicable)

1. CONTRACT ID CODE

AMENDMENT OF SOLICITATION/MODIFICATION OF CONTRACT

07/08/2025

CHECK ONE A. THIS CHANGE ORDER IS ISSUED PURSUANT TO: (Specify authority) THE CHANGES SET FORTH IN ITEM 14 ARE MADE IN THE CONTRACT

B. THE ABOVE NUMBERED CONTRACT/ORDER IS MODIFIED TO REFLECT THE ADMINISTRATIVE CHANGES (such as changes in paying office, C. THIS SUPPLEMENTAL AGREEMENT IS ENTERED INTO PURSUANT TO AUTHORITY OF:

D. OTHER (Specify type of modification and authority) appropriation date, etc.) SET FORTH IN ITEM 14, PURSUANT TO THE AUTHORITY OF FAR 43.103(b).

E. IMPORTANT: Contractor is not, is required to sign this document and return __________________ copies to the issuing office.

ORDER NO. IN ITEM 10A.

14. DESCRIPTION OF AMENDMENT/MODIFICATION (Organized by UCF section headings, including solicitation/contract subject matter where feasible.)

The purpose of this amendment is the following:

1. Publish the Request for Proposal (RFP) Questions and Answers,

2. Extend the solicitation to Thursday, September 4, 2025, 5:00 PM Eastern Daylight Time

(EDT),

3. Provide revised documents consistent with the responses in the RFP Questions and Answers,

4. Issue a text-accessible version of the revised RFP.

The following documents are included with this amendment:

1. “AMNT 0003 - DOL RFQ 1605C5-25-R-00002 0003”

2. “AMNT 0003 - RFP Attachment 3 - Pricing Sheet”

3. “AMNT 0003 - RFP Attachment 4 - RFP Question and Answer”

Continued ...

16A. NAME AND TITLE OF CONTRACTING OFFICER (Type or print)15A. NAME AND TITLE OF SIGNER (Type or print)

15C. DATE SIGNED 16B. UNITED STATES OF AMERICA 15B. CONTRACTOR/OFFEROR 16C. DATE SIGNED

(Signature of person authorized to sign) (Signature of Contracting Officer)

SHAYLA E. BATTLE

STANDARD FORM 30 (REV. 10-83)

Prescribed by GSA

FAR (48 CFR) 53.243

NSN 7540-01-152-8070

Previous edition unusable

Except as provided herein, all terms and conditions of the document referenced in Item 9 A or 10A, as heretofore changed, remains unchanged and in full force and effect .

TEL: EMAIL: 202-693-7176 battle.shayla.e@dol.gov

ITEM NO. SUPPLIES/SERVICES QUANTITY UNIT UNIT PRICE AMOUNT

NAME OF OFFEROR OR CONTRACTOR

2 139

CONTINUATION SHEET

REFERENCE NO. OF DOCUMENT BEING CONTINUED PAGE OF

(A) (B) (C) (D) (E) (F)

1605C5-25-R-00002/0003

4. “AMNT 0003 - Wage Determinations for CES DCCs”

Period of Performance: 02/06/2026 to 02/05/2027

NSN 7540-01-152-8067 OPTIONAL FORM 336 (4-86)

Sponsored by GSA

FAR (48 CFR) 53.110

1605C5-25-R-00002 0003 Current Employment Statistics (CES)

SECTION B – SF 1449 CONTINUATION PAGE

B.1 CONTRACT TYPE & COST/PRICE SCHEDULE

The Government anticipates an award of one contract which has both firm-fixed-price and/or labor-hour line items. See Attachment 3 – Pricing Sheet CES and Technical Exhibit 3 below for the detailed cost/price information.

B.2 DISCOUNTS

Offerors shall factor in all costs and any applicable discounts of performing the requirements under this solicitation.

END OF SECTION B

SECTION C – PERFORMANCE WORK STATEMENT

PART 1 - GENERAL INFORMATION

1.1 Mission

To secure and maintain survey participation and the collection of confidential employment, hour, and wage data used for the development of principal federal economic indicators that measure the health of the U.S. economy.

1.2 Description of Services/Introduction

The Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) collects data each month on employment, hours, and earnings from a sample of nonfarm establishments through the Current Employment Statistics (CES) program. The CES survey includes about 122,000 businesses and government agencies, which cover approximately 666,000 individual worksites drawn from a sampling frame of Unemployment Insurance (UI) tax accounts covering roughly 11 million establishments. The active CES sample includes approximately one-third of all nonfarm payroll employees in the 50 states and the District of Columbia. From these data, a large number of employment, hours, and earnings series in considerable industry and geographic detail are prepared and published each month.

The CES survey collects the following data elements from business establishments:

• All Employees (AE)

• Women Employees (WE)

• Production and Nonsupervisory Employees (PE)

• AE Payroll

• AE Hours

• AE Commissions (paid at least once per month)

• AE Overtime Hours (manufacturing only)

• PE Payroll

• PE Hours

• PE Commissions (paid at least once per month)

• PE Overtime Hours (manufacturing only)

For more information on the data collected by CES, please see Technical Exhibit 5 – CES Forms and Data Elements.

The primary statistics derived from the CES survey are monthly estimates of employment, hours, and earnings for the nation, states, and major metropolitan areas. Preliminary national estimates for a given reference month are typically released on the third Friday after the conclusion of the reference period in conjunction with data derived from a separate survey of households, the Current Population Survey (CPS). The reference period for the CES survey is the pay period which includes the 12th of the month. For more information on the CES production schedule, please see Technical Exhibit 6 - CES Schedule.

For more information on CES, please visit https://www.bls.gov/ces/.

The contractor shall provide all personnel and supervision to provide non-personal services necessary to perform BLS CES Data Collection activities as defined in this Performance Work Statement, except as Specified in Part 3 as government-furnished property and services. The contractor shall perform to the standards in this contract action.

1.3 Background

BLS is pursuing a contract to outsource data collection activities to a contractor. Specifically, BLS is seeking for a contractor to perform Current Employment Statistics (CES) Data Collection Center (DCC) operations.

Each month, the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) collects data on employment, payroll, and paid hours from a sample of establishments.

CES has a comprehensive program of new sample unit enrollment in four CES Data Collection Centers. Nearly all initial CES enrollment occurs in the DCCs via Computer Assisted Telephone Interviewing (CATI). After successful enrollment the DCCs will collect data via CATI before transferring to a hybrid collection mode called Flex reporting. Flex reporting is a dynamic collection method where CES attempts to collect microdata via the BLS web collection tool based on a respondent’s previous reporting behavior. With Flex reporting, the DCCs still perform initial enrollment for each case via telephone and collect the data for three months prior to the case being eligible for Flex. Once a case is converted to Flex, the respondent will receive email prompts during the beginning of the collection cycle. If the respondent does not report online by their typical reporting timeframe, the DCC will contact the respondent to collect the data via CATI. Flex designated cases are DCC-owned and credited to the DCCs, whether the data was collected via CATI or the web collection tool. Approximately 25 percent of all ongoing CES monthly collection occurs in the DCCS, where 56 percent of those cases are collected via Flex web collection. The DCCs are responsible for resolving all Flex cases that fail edit and screening checks. In addition, the DCCs conduct an ongoing program of refusal conversion.

CES respondents who are not Flex but also report via the web collection tool are called Web respondents. These firms are enrolled by the DCCs but are transferred to Web at the respondent’s request. Web respondents are also prompted monthly via email but are not contacted by the DCC for monthly nonresponse. Data collected through this method are subject to a series of edit and screening checks and the Help Desk is required to resolve any failures prior to being transmitted to CES. About 10 percent of CES data are collected by Web.

The BLS Electronic Data Interchange (EDI) Center enrolls and collects data from large firms, typically those with fifty or more worksites. Firms that report to the EDI Center provide an electronic file to CES each month in a prescribed file format. This file includes data for all of the firm's worksites. The file is received, processed, and edited by the EDI Center. About 56 percent of CES data are collected by EDI.

https://www.bls.gov/ces/

The CES DCCs collect less than one percent of CES data by fax.

For the establishments that do not use the above methods, data are collected using other web collection tools, email, or other special arrangements. Approximately eight percent of CES data are collected in these manners.

CES engages in continuous process improvement activities to improve quality and efficiency and often implements changes that may affect how data are collected or processed. For more information on the evolution of CES data collection, please visit:

https://www.bls.gov/opub/mlr/2016/article/one-hundred-years-of-current-employment-statistics-data-collection.htm

a) CES Survey Units

The CES survey consists of certainty selected and probability selected units. All government units, units with large levels of employment, and units processed by the EDI Center are certainty selections and remain in the CES survey indefinitely. All remaining units are selected by probability and remain in the CES survey for at least two years, but typically no more than four consecutive years. All new probability selections and some certainty selections are enrolled by the DCCs.

For more information on the CES sample, please visit:

https://www.bls.gov/web/empsit/cestn.htm

1.4 Objectives

The contractor shall provide non-personal services for the CES program with survey data collection services at the government Data Collection Centers in Atlanta, GA; Dallas, TX;

Kansas City, MO; and Fort Walton Beach, FL. Limited telework flexibility will be provided.

Further, the contractor shall provide Help Desk services in Suitland, MD. The contractor shall engage in their best effort to provide quality control (QC), training, and project management to support contractor operations at the Data Collection Centers and Help Desk and fulfill the DCC’s mission.

The government retains responsibility for CES survey methodology, procedures, and tools including:

• Sampling methodology and selection.

• Assignment of cases for enrollment and collection to Data Collection Centers.

• Data collection instruments, including all hardware, software, and dashboards.

• Policies and procedures for enrollment, collection, and refusal conversion.

https://www.bls.gov/opub/mlr/2016/article/one-hundred-years-of-current-employment-statistics-data-collection.htm https://www.bls.gov/opub/mlr/2016/article/one-hundred-years-of-current-employment-statistics-data-collection.htm https://www.bls.gov/web/empsit/cestn.htm https://www.bls.gov/web/empsit/cestn.htm

• BLS-created training materials.

1.5 Scope

The contractor shall provide data collection services for the CES surveys in Federal government DCCs, with limited telework flexibility. The contractor shall engage in best efforts to perform activities which include but are not limited to the following:

a) Perform address refinement activities on sample units, known as cases, provided by the government to verify and update unit registry information, confirm the business is still operational, and identify a point of contact (POC) to receive enrollment packages prepared by the contractor. This activity ensures that the government has the most current sample unit contact information to successfully enroll participants into the survey.

b) Secure sample unit respondent participation in the survey, known as enrolling cases, to ensure consistent participation that is representative of the sample frame across all government-provided sample panels.

c) Contact refusal cases to attempt to convert them into respondents and increase respondent participation in the survey.

d) Contact enrolled respondents who report data via BLS’s proprietary Computer Assisted Telephone Interview (CATI) system on a monthly basis to collect current month data and missing data from previous months, reviewing and addressing edit and screening errors flagged by the CATI system during the call with respondents.

e) Schedule dates and times with the respondent to collect data for the following month to increase the likelihood of successful collection.

f) Attempt to transition respondents with established survey participation to the government data collection website to streamline data collection and provide contractor staff with additional time to work on address refinement and enrollment.

g) Contact web respondents who did not submit data after receiving government-issued reminder emails to improve data collection rates.

h) Attempt to minimize collection by fax, email, and other means to reduce the risk of breaches and errors from manual data entry.

i) Contact respondents whose reported microdata failed edit and screening tests to obtain and enter corrected data or enter explanatory comment codes into the CATI system to either confirm the accuracy of or correct the data so they can be included in estimation.

j) Operate a Help Desk to support web respondents, manually enter data received from the government, and resolve data quality issues to ensure the accuracy of the data so they can be included in estimation.

k) Assist the government in troubleshooting and resolving systems problems and formulate recommendations on complex technical problems, as well as provide recommendations on software and hardware changes when needed to support the continual improvement of government operations.

l) Resolve issues related to information technology issues expeditiously to maintain high levels of productivity.

The contractor shall provide quality control, training, and project management oversight to support contractor activities and ensure that acceptable quality levels are consistently met or exceeded.

1.6 Period of Performance

The period of performance shall be for one (1) Base Period of 12 months and four (4) 12-month option periods:

Base Period: 02/06/2026 – 02/05/2027 Option Period 1: 02/06/2027 – 02/05/2028 Option Period 2: 02/06/2028 – 02/05/2029 Option Period 3: 02/06/2029 – 02/05/2030 Option Period 4: 02/06/2030 – 02/05/2031

The government reserves the right to extend the term of this contract action at the prices set forth in Section B in accordance with the terms and conditions contained in clause 52.217-9 entitled, “Option to Extend the Term of the Contract”.

1.7 General Information

1.7.1 Quality Control

The contractor shall develop and maintain an effective quality control program to ensure services are performed in accordance with this PWS. The contractor shall develop and implement procedures to identify, prevent, and ensure non-recurrence of defective services. The contractor’s quality control program is the means by which they assure themselves that their work complies with the requirement of the contract. At a minimum, the contractor shall develop quality control procedures that address the areas identified in the Performance Requirements Summary Matrix.

After acceptance of the quality control plan, the contractor shall receive the Contracting Officer’s (CO) acceptance in writing of any proposed change to their Quality Control Plan.

1.7.2 Quality Assurance

The government shall evaluate the contractor’s performance under this contract action in accordance with the Quality Assurance Surveillance Plan. This plan is primarily focused on what the government must do to ensure that the contractor has performed in accordance with the performance standards. It defines how the performance standards will be applied, the frequency of surveillance, and the minimum acceptable defect rate(s). The government will establish a Quality Assurance Surveillance Plan for each task contained in this PWS.

1.7.3 Government Remedies

The Contracting Officer shall follow FAR 52.212-4, “Contract Terms and Conditions- Commercial Items” or 52.246-4, “Inspection of Services-Fixed Price” for contractor’s failure to perform satisfactory services or failure to correct non-conforming services.

1.7.4 Recognized Holidays

The contractor is not authorized to perform work on recognized holidays without the prior approval of the Contracting Officer. Approved work performed on holidays or non-workdays shall be billable at regular rates.

New Year’s Day Martin Luther King, Jr.

Inauguration Day (Washington, DC area only) Washington’s Birthday Memorial Day Juneteenth Independence Day Labor Day Columbus Day Veterans Day Thanksgiving Day Christmas Day

1.7.5 Unscheduled Dismissals

Certain events, such as Executive Orders, inclement weather, or emergencies may result in the closure of a government facility. Contractor employees may be required to work on federal holidays as determined by the terms and conditions of their contract or task order.

• Contractor employees are required to work on dates considered holidays by Executive Orders, during inclement weather or emergencies, unless the contract terms and conditions authorize a paid holiday.

• If the government facility in which a contractor employee is scheduled to work is closed due to the holiday declared by Executive Order, inclement weather, or emergencies, and the employee is not required to report to work, payment will not be made for those hours if the subject contractor or task order is a Time and Materials type contract, e.g., a Labor Hour contract.

Similarly, if the contract is of a Fixed Price nature, no deductions shall be made from the contract price for the holiday, inclement weather, or emergencies.

• The contractor employee shall abide by their employer’s stated policy on how to handle the closure of a contractor work site. For example, a contractor employee may be performing administrative functions or other non-critical duties in government-owned or controlled space under a task order issued under a Multiple Award Schedule contract. If an Executive Order creates a government holiday that closes the contractor employee’s duty station, the Government will not pay the contractor for that day, if the contract was awarded on a time or materials basis.

(Whether the contractor employee is compensated by the employing contractor is a different matter).

• In the alternative, if a contractor was performing guard services in a federal building and a holiday, inclement weather, or emergency was declared, work performance would still be necessary. It is expected that the contract or task order would specifically address building protection in the case of these events.

• With respect to telecommuting, pursuant to FAR § 7.108, which implemented section 1428 of Public Law 108-136, an agency shall generally not discourage a contractor from allowing its employees to telecommute in the performance of government contracts. If telecommuting is not a viable option for performance under a contract or task order, the contracting officer shall make a pre-award determination stating that the requirements of the agency, including security requirements, cannot be met.

1.7.6 Hours of Operation

Please refer to the Place of Performance section below for the hours of operation. Hours of operation are subject to change by the government.

1.7.7 Place of Performance

a) Data Collection Centers

The DCCs are located in Federal government facilities in Atlanta, GA, and Dallas, TX, and in government leased space in Kansas City, MO, and Fort Walton Beach, FL. Limited telework flexibility is available under conditions listed in section 1.7.8. All four DCCs are responsible for cases nationwide; assignments are not made on a regional basis. All employees must live within commuting distance of the DCC they report to.

*Hours of operation are subject to change.

The total number of workstations listed in the chart above includes cubicles and private offices available to contract staff at each DCC and represents the maximum number of staff that can work at each site. Interviewer workstations are cubicles and supervisory workstations are typically private offices, dependent on availability. Interviewers are not allowed to use private offices. If additional funding and equipment become available, the maximum number of staff may be increased at the government’s discretion.

DCC Address Hours of Operation* Workstations

Atlanta 61 Forsyth St, S.W.

Atlanta, GA 30303 6 am – 7 pm (Eastern) 72

Dallas

525 Griffin St Suite 221 Dallas, TX 75202 6 am – 7 pm (Central)

Kansas City

2300 Main St Room 11048 Kansas City, MO 64108 6 am – 7 pm (Central) 110

Fort Walton Beach

73 Eglin Pkwy, Ste 303 Fort Walton Beach, FL 32548

6:30 am – 5:30 pm (Central) 115

The government reserves the right to open new DCC locations and/or close existing DCC locations. In the event that DCCs are added or removed, workload will be redistributed across the DCCs according to workstation and staffing availability.

b) CES Help Desk

The Help Desk is based in the BLS National Office in Suitland, MD. The Help Desk is primarily responsible for supporting web respondents. The Help Desk also manually enters data received at the National Office and resolves data quality issues.

Help Desk Address Hours of Operation Workstations*

Suitland, MD

Bureau of Labor Statistics 4600 Silver Hill Rd Hillcrest Heights, MD 20746

7:30 am – 8 pm (Eastern)

*The total number of CES Help Desk staff is 5, but this number may increase as determined by the government. The BLS headquarters is not expected to have physical space to house the CES Help Desk in the Suitland Federal Center. Help Desk interviewers will be granted 100% telework flexibility; however, they must still reside within commuting distance of the BLS headquarters. If physical space is secured for the CES Help Desk, Help Desk interviewers will be subject to the same telework flexibilities afforded to interviewers in the DCCs.

1.7.8 Telework

Telework flexibility is provided to the contractor. Only contractor staff with satisfactory performance shall be deemed eligible to telework. Contractor staff eligible to telework must conform to the requirements set forth in this PWS.

The contractor shall submit a Telework Plan for BLS approval that identifies metrics for how the contractor will deem interviewers as eligible to telework and determine which staff should be on site within a given day. The Telework Plan shall ensure that on-site staff be representative of the contractor’s staff and at a minimum include recent hires, trainers, low performers in need of support, high performers to provide mentoring and training, and enough supervisors on site to monitor interviewers working in federal facilities. Individual contractor staff who lack an adequate work environment (e.g., no suitable off-site workspace, or personal residence having inadequate Internet connection) shall be permitted to work on-site. Contractor staff who are determined to be eligible for telework but have a preference to work on-site shall be permitted to work on-site. The PM and contract management team must rely on productivity data to demonstrate that contractor staff in a telework status are as productive as when they are working on-site in federal facilities. Telework in any location other than contractor staff’s residence must be approved by the DCC Manager.

Contractor staff deemed eligible to telework under a Telework Plan approved by the government must complete the DOL Telework training requirements prior to being permitted to work remotely. Telework-eligible contractor staff must be within commuting distance of their physical work locations and must be available to be recalled into the office by the contractor with one business day’s notice. Contractor staff on a telework status who experience hardware or technical issues that cannot be addressed remotely shall report to the federal facility to have equipment repaired no later than the next business day when they are scheduled to work following the determination that technical issues must be resolved on-site. The contractor shall not be compensated for commute times for teleworking staff bringing their government-furnished equipment for troubleshooting or repairs.

The government may, at its discretion, limit the number of contractor staff permitted in the office at a given time, in which case the Telework Plan should be used to determine which contractor staff will be in a telework status. The government reserves the right to review the Telework Plan at its discretion and request changes. The government also reserves the right to rescind the Telework Plan and recall contractor staff into the office with five business days’ notice.

The government may, at its discretion, require that all contracting staff telework on specified dates to ensure preparedness for continuity of operations.

All teleworking sites must be documented and approved by the Contracting Officer’s Representative (COR) prior to use. All telework sites must meet the security requirements described in the BLS Confidentiality and Security Requirements.

1.7.9 Type of Contract

The government anticipates the award of a hybrid firm-fixed-price and labor hours contract.

Project management, supervision, and training are expected to be covered under a firm-fixed-price component. All other labor categories are expected to be covered under a labor hours line item.

1.7.10 Security Requirements

a. Confidentiality and Security

The contractor shall comply with the attached the BLS Confidentiality and Security Requirements. Contractor personnel with access to BLS sensitive information must become agents of the BLS by signing a BLS Agent Agreement and completing BLS confidentiality training. The BLS Confidentiality and Security Requirements, which include the Confidentiality Information Protection and Statistical Efficiency Act and the BLS Agent Agreement, can be found in Attachments A.1 and A.2, respectively.

b. Physical Security

The contractor shall be responsible for safeguarding all government property provided for contractor use. At the close of each work period, government facilities, equipment, and materials shall be physically secured.

c. Key Control

The contractor shall establish and implement methods of making sure all keys/key cards issued to the contractor by the government are not lost or misplaced and are not used by unauthorized persons. NOTE: All references to keys include key cards. No keys issued to the contractor by the government shall be duplicated. The contractor shall develop procedures covering key control that shall be included in the Quality Control Plan. Such procedures shall include turn-in of any issued keys by personnel who no longer require access to locked areas. The contractor shall immediately report any occurrences of lost or duplicate keys/key cards to the Contracting Officer.

d. Lost Keys

In the event keys, other than master keys, are lost or duplicated, the contractor shall, upon direction of the Contracting Officer, re-key or replace the affected lock or locks; however, the government, at its option, may replace the affected lock or locks or perform re-keying. When the government, the total cost of re-keying or the replacement of the lock, performs the replacement of locks or rekeying or locks shall be deducted from the monthly payment due the contractor. In the event a master key is lost or duplicated, the government and the total shall replace all locks and keys for that system cost deducted from the monthly payment due the contractor.

f. Key Use

The contractor shall prohibit the use of government issued keys/key cards by any persons other than the contractor’s employees. The contractor shall prohibit the opening of locked areas by contractor employees to permit entrance of persons other than contractor employees engaged in the performance of assigned work in those areas, or personnel authorized entrance by the Contracting Officer.

g. Lock Combinations.

The contractor shall establish and implement methods of ensuring that not all lock combinations are revealed to unauthorized persons. The contractor shall ensure that lock combinations are changed when personnel having access to the combinations no longer have a need to know such combinations. These procedures shall be included in the contractor’s Quality Control Plan.

h. Conservation of Utilities

The contractor shall instruct employees in utilities conservation practices. The contractor shall be responsible for operating under conditions that preclude the waste of utilities, which include turning off the water faucets or valves after using the required amount to accomplish cleaning vehicles and equipment.

1.7.11 Data Rights

The government has unlimited rights to all documents and materials produced under this contract. All documents and materials, to include the source codes of any software, produced under this contract shall be government owned and are the property of the government with all rights and privileges of ownership/copyright belonging exclusively to the government. All materials supplied to the government will be the sole property of the government and may not be used for any other purpose. This right does not abrogate any other government rights.

1.7.12 Special Qualifications

Not applicable.

1.7.13 Post Award Conference/Periodic Progress Meetings

The contractor agrees to attend any post award conference convened by the contracting activity or contract administration office in accordance with Federal Acquisition Regulation Subpart

42.5. The CO, COR, and other government personnel, as appropriate, may meet periodically with the contractor to review the contractor's performance. At these meetings, the CO will apprise the contractor of how the government views the contractor's performance and the contractor will apprise the government of problems, if any, being experienced. Appropriate action shall be taken to resolve outstanding issues. These meetings shall be at no additional cost to the government.

1.7.14 Contracting Officer’s Representative

A COR will be delegated separately.

1.7.15 Key Personnel

The contractor shall identify the key personnel that will be responsible for managing the contract. The Project Manager is considered key personnel for the contract. See 5.7.1 for PM requirements. The PM shall be the single point of contact for the management of this contract.

The PM is responsible to the COR and the CO for compliance with all the requirements of this contract. This is expected to be a full-time position.

The PM shall supervise and maintain a comprehensive management organization over staff working on this contract. A staff management plan delineating the lines of authority shall be maintained and provided to the COR on a quarterly basis. The PM must meet with the COR and other program officials no less than once per month to discuss issues related to the administration of the contract and actual performance on respective tasks. The contractor shall be available to attend in-person at the BLS National Office in Suitland, MD, forattend these virtual meetings at least once quarterly; other all meetings can be held by conference call or other virtual method.

The contractor shall not remove or divert key personnel unless written notice is provided at least 30 business days prior to the removal. Furthermore, a replacement for the key personnel must be approved by the CO at least 10 business days prior to the removal to ensure business continuity and transfer of institutional knowledge.

In the event that any of the key personnel named in the contractor’s proposal, as accepted by the government, are unable to perform because of death, illness, resignation from the contractor’s employ, or other reasons, the contractor shall submit a written notice immediately to the CO. A detailed explanation of the circumstances necessitating the proposed substitutions, complete resumes for the proposed substitutes, and any other information that the CO deems pertinent to approve the substitution shall be submitted to the CO as soon as possible, but no later than 30 days after this initial written notification. No substitution is to be made without prior written approval by the CO. The Project Manager is designated as Key Personnel.

1.7.16 Identification of Contractor Employees

All contract personnel attending meetings, answering government telephones, and working in other situations where their contractor status is not obvious to third parties are required to identify themselves as such to avoid creating an impression in the minds of members of the public that they are government officials. They must also ensure that all documents or reports produced by contractors are suitably marked as contractor products or that contractor participation is appropriately disclosed. Contractor personnel will be required to obtain Personal Identity Verification (PIV) cards from a Government Services Administration credentialing center to access government facilities and networks.

1.7.17 Contractor Personnel Conduct

Contractor personnel’s conduct shall not reflect discredit upon the government. The contractor shall ensure that personnel present a professional appearance. The contractor’s employees shall observe and comply with all local policies and procedures posted at each site concerning fire, safety, environmental protection, sanitation, security, and possession of firearms or other lethal or illegal weapons or substances. The contractor is responsible for ensuring that any contractor employees providing services under this contract conduct themselves and perform services in a professional, safe, and responsible manner. The contractor shall ensure no contractor employees conduct political-related activities or events in any government or government-leased facilities.

The contractor shall abide by all applicable regulations, publications, manuals, and local policies and procedures. The contractor shall adhere to and use the versions/revisions in effect. The contractor shall comply with the policies and procedures set forth in all such documents.

1.7.18 Organizational Conflict of Interest

Contractor and subcontractor personnel performing work under this contract action may receive, have access to or participate in the development of proprietary or source selection information (e.g., cost or pricing information, budget information or analyses, specifications or work statements, etc.) or perform evaluation services which may create a current or subsequent Organizational Conflict of Interests (OCI), as defined in FAR Subpart 9.5. The contractor shall notify the Contracting Officer immediately whenever it becomes aware that such access or participation may result in any actual or potential OCI and shall promptly submit a plan to the Contracting Officer to avoid or mitigate any such OCI. The contractor’s mitigation plan will be determined to be acceptable solely at the discretion of the Contracting Officer and in the event the Contracting Officer unilaterally determines that any such OCI cannot be satisfactorily avoided or mitigated, the Contracting Officer may affect other remedies as he or she deems necessary, including prohibiting the contractor from participation in subsequent contracted requirements which may be affected by the OCI.

1.7.19 Phase In/Phase Out Period

To minimize any decreases in productivity and to prevent possible negative impacts on additional services, the contractor shall have personnel on board during the forty-five (45) day phase in/phase out periods. During the phase in period, the contractor shall become familiar with performance requirements in order to commence full performance of services on the contract action start date.

PART 2 - DEFINITION & ACRONYMS

Contracting Officer’s Representative. A representative from the requiring activity assigned by the Contracting Officer to perform surveillance and to act as liaison to the contractor

Defective Service. A service output that does not meet the standard of performance associated with it in the Performance Work Statement.

Quality Assurance. Those actions taken by the government to assure services meet the requirements of the Performance Work Statement.

Quality Assurance Surveillance Plan. An organized written document specifying the surveillance methodology to be used for surveillance of contractor performance.

Quality Control. Those actions taken by a contractor to control the performance of services so that they meet the requirements of the PWS.

Best Effort: That effort expended by the contractor to perform within the awarded ceiling price all work specified in this acquisition and all other obligations under this acquisition. This effort includes providing required qualified personnel, properly supervised, and following industry accepted methodologies and other practices. The effort is further characterized by operating at all times with the government’s best interest in mind, using efficient and effective methods, and demonstrating sound cost control. The effort must be identical to the effort that would be expended if this were a firm-fixed price acquisition and the contractor’s profits were dependent upon reducing costs while meeting the government’s requirements in terms and quality and schedule. Failure to provide this required effort may result in the withholding of payment for hours expended that do not qualify as best effort or a reduction in the rate per hour to reflect decreased value of services received.

PART 3 – GOVERNMENT-FURNISHED PROPERTY, EQUIPMENT, AND SERVICES

3.1 General

The government will provide office space for the Data Collection Centers that includes office furniture (desks, chairs, and office storage), information technology (computers, printers, monitors, keyboards, and internet connections), normal office supplies (pens, paper, staplers, etc.), electronic fax services, internet, and telephone access. The government will provide headsets for teleworking.

3.2 Equipment

The government will not provide private desktop printers for the offices. The government will not provide additional equipment for home offices such as standing desks, additional keyboards, or monitors. The contractor shall be responsible for providing any equipment deemed necessary for reasonable accommodations approved for contractor staff.

The government will not provide office space for a project management office. The government will provide a laptop computer to the PM.

The government will retain title to all government-furnished property. All materials developed by the contractor under this contract shall become the property of the U.S. Department of Labor.

The government-furnished property and the materials developed by the contractor under this contract shall only be used for the performance of this contract.

The government will maintain all facilities and equipment that shall be provided for use by the contractor. Additionally, the contractor shall ensure that its personnel do not misuse any government-furnished property.

The government will provide CATI and Help Desk processing software.

If due to the default, negligence (whether of action or omission), or dishonesty of the contractor or its employees, or any combination of the prior activities, any government-owned or controlled property is lost or damaged as a result of the contractor’s performance of this contract, the contractor shall be responsible to the government for such loss or damage.

Any separating contractor staff shall return all equipment upon their last day including laptops, wired and wireless headsets and docking stations, and power cords for the laptops. After five workdays, if the equipment is not returned, the contractor shall replace it or pay for the replacement cost. The government at its option, may, in lieu of payment, require the contractor to replace, at its own expense, all property lost or damaged. The contractor shall not provide computer hardware or software without approval from the government. The contractor shall provide a plan on how to reimburse the government for equipment lost or damaged by contractor staff.

3.3 Services

3.3.1 Utilities

The government will ensure all utilities in the facility will be available for the contractor’s use in performance of tasks outlined in this PWS.

3.4 Facilities

The government will furnish all necessary workspace required for contractors working onsite to support the effort(s) outlined in this PWS, to include desk space, telephones, computers and other items necessary to maintain an office environment.

PART 4 - CONTRACTOR FURNISHED ITEMS AND SERVICES

4.1 General

Except for those items specifically stated to be government-furnished in Part 3, the contractor shall furnish all other items required to perform the services in this PWS.

4.2 Clearance

The contractor’s employees, performing work in support of this contract action shall have undergone the DOL Department of Personnel Suitability and Security clearance process prior to onboarding.

PART 5 - SPECIFIC TASKS

The contractor shall provide for the program support activities to plan, monitor, and control work assignments to ensure that all work assignments are completed in a timely, cost effective, and highly competent manner. The integration and coordination of all activities needed to execute the task shall be timely, complete, and effective.

The following tasks must be conducted within the guidelines of the BLS Data Integrity document. For more information, please see Attachment 2 – BLS Confidentiality and Security Requirements – 2.A.3 – Data Integrity Document.

Task Sub-task Sub-task Number

Address Refinement 5.1.1 Enrollment Of New Sample 5.1.2 Refusal Conversion 5.1.3

Address Refinement and Enrollment

Address Refinement and Enrollment Performance Measures

5.1.4

CATI Collection 5.2.1 Web Collection 5.2.2 Fax Collection 5.2.3 Email Collection 5.2.4

Multi-Modal Collection

Collection Performance Measures 5.2.5 Web Respondent Support 5.3.1 Web Edit Reconciliation and Data Quality

5.3.2

Data Processing 5.3.3 Other Help Desk Support Activities 5.3.4

Help Desk

Help Desk Performance Measures 5.3.5 Collection Training 5.4.1 Non-Response Prompting Training 5.4.2 Address Refinement Training 5.4.3 Enrollment Training 5.4.4 Annual Recertification 5.4.5 Other Required Training 5.4.6

Training

Training Performance Measures 5.4.7 Government Quality Assurance 5.5.1 Contractor Quality Control 5.5.2

Quality ControlManagement

Quality Control Performance Measures

5.5.3

Phase-In Of Work 5.6.1 Program Support Activities 5.6.2

Project Management

Phase-Out Of Work 5.6.3

Task Sub-task Sub-task Number

Project Management Performance Measures

5.6.4

5.1. Address Refinement and Enrollment

5.1.1 Address Refinement

a) The government will provide quarterly enrollment panels, containing business establishments that need to be enrolled into the CES survey over the next calendar quarter. A business establishment consists of a single Unemployment Insurance (UI) number, which can contain one or more business worksites with shared ownership in a single state. The government will cluster UIs by Federal Employer Identification Number (EIN) and load the resulting cases into the government CATI system. The contractor shall distribute cases to contractor staff using the government CATI system. While the government provides enrollment panels on a quarterly basis, the contractor may exercise their discretion in when and how they choose to assign cases to interviewers. For more information, please see Technical Exhibit 8 – CES CATI System.

b) The government will provide case registry information that will usually contain the business name, UI, EIN, North American Industry Classification System (NAICS) code, and address.

Point of contact (POC) information, including name and telephone number, is sometimes provided to the contractor.

The contractor shall verify and update case registry information, confirm that the business is still operating, and call the establishment to identify a POC who will receive a physical or electronic survey enrollment package. The contractor shall use the government CATI system telephone auto dialer for all outgoing calls. No calls can be made from non-government-furnished equipment. While working onsite, contractor staff must use government-designated telecommunication methods and protocols unless otherwise approved by the government. The contractor shall use workstation mode which connects the physical phone to the laptop in the interactive voice response system unless directed otherwise by the government. The contractor shall use session-initiated protocol station mode in the interactive voice response system while teleworking unless directed otherwise by the government. The contractor shall enter the POC information into the government CATI system. The contractor shall use the government CATI system or DCC Manager–approved workarounds to print forms.

c) The government will provide electronic or physical enrollment materials as needed.

The contractor shall prepare physical enrollment packages as needed, including cover letter, form, brochures, and pocket folder, for mailing by assembling materials and stuffing envelopes.

The contractor shall prevent confidentiality breaches by verifying that inserts for each envelope are only for one POC.

The government will provide pre-paid postage envelopes for all physical enrollment packages.

The contractor shall deliver completed enrollment packages to a designated onsite location for mail pick-up.

5.1.2 Enrollment of New Sample

a) The contractor shall call the POC for the new enrollment case to verify physical address and obtain an email address. The contractor shall send POC an enrollment package and verify receipt. The contractor shall use the government CATI system telephone auto dialer for all outgoing calls. The contractor shall solicit survey participation, which typically includes the following steps:

• Explain the CES survey

• Detail the scope of the survey request

• Answer respondent questions

• Verify UI number

• Update respondent contact information

• Collect data for all CES data items that are available

• Determine if data are consistent with quarterly UI records, and

• Plan for future monthly collection

Survey enrollment typically requires multiple contacts to successfully convert a POC to a CES respondent. The contractor shall make the necessary number of contacts to complete enrollment.

The contractor shall work to convert initial refusals to productive cases before marking initial refusals as final refusals. The contractor shall identify another POC or transfer the case to a different interviewer, if necessary, in order to convert an initial refusal into a productive case.

b) The contractor shall provide at least one bilingual (English/Spanish) staff member at each DCC to enroll and collect data from Spanish speaking respondents. (Note: enrollment and collection in Spanish is rare, far less than one percent of cases).

5.1.3 Refusal Conversion

The government will identify previous final refusal cases that should be re-attempted for enrollment. Typically, the government will wait for at least one year after initial attempted enrollment to provide these refusal cases to the contractor. The government will load these refusal conversion cases into the government CATI system.

The contractor shall distribute refusal conversion cases to contractor staff using the government CATI system. Interviewers should take the Refusal Aversion Training prior to engaging in refusal conversion activities. The contractor shall attempt to obtain survey participation from the cases selected for refusal conversion by following the steps for Address Refinement and Enrollment.

5.1.4 Address Refinement and Enrollment Performance Measures

a) Quality Standards

The contractor shall attempt to enroll all new sample cases provided by the government within a calendar quarter. The contractor must attempt to contact all of the approximately 70,000 cases provided per year for enrollment (this number can vary by plus or minus 5% per year).

The contractor shall attempt to enroll all refusal conversion cases provided by the government within a calendar quarter. The contractor is expected to contact the approximately 8,000 cases that will be provided per year (this number can vary by plus or minus 20% per year).

b) Acceptable Quality Level (AQL)

Quarterly Panel Enrollment Response (excluding UI Number Enrollment Verification) The…