VSS_Site_Visit_2018_-_NVC.pdf

Bureau of Consular Affairs (CA) Office of Visa Services (VO)

The Visa Support Services (VSS) Program

Solicitation Number: 19AQMM18R0428 Center Site Visit

November 8 (NVC)/15 (KCC), 2018

Site Visit Logistics

Ground Rules

This site visit is to help improve the understanding of Government requirements and to provide basic familiarization with the center and its operations.

Please limit verbal questions to the brief Q&A session; otherwise written questions regarding information gained from the visit can be submitted on the index cards provided.

All Q&A as well as a copy of this presentation will be posted on www.fbo.gov

Statements or representations made during the conference are not legally binding, and any official changes to the solicitation will be made only as an amendment to the Request For Proposal (RFP).

Direct all inquires to the Acquisition Office c/o Kathleen Mejia:

mejiakj@state.gov

Site Visit Logistics

NVC

Registration

Restrooms

Evacuation Procedures

Electronic Devices

Escorting

Printed Materials

Site Visit Agenda

The Visa Support Services (VSS) Program (~40 minutes)

VSS Overview

Center Overview

Break (~15 minutes) Facility Walk-through (~90 minutes)

Q&A (~15 minutes)

VSS Overview

Consular Affairs

Our Mission

The Bureau of Consular Affairs (CA) is the public face of the Department of State for millions of United States citizens and foreign nationals around the world, a service-oriented global enterprise and policy partner.

CA is responsible for the welfare and protection of U.S. citizens abroad, the issuance of passports and other documentation to citizens and nationals, and works to protect U.S. border security and facilitate legitimate travel to the U.S.

Within CA, the Visa Services Office (VO) encompasses all aspects of visa policy, procedures, and information related to U.S. visa adjudication for foreign citizens, who apply at U.S. Embassies and Consulates, seeking to come to the United States.

Consular sections overseas issued nearly 560K immigrant visas and nearly 9.7M non-immigrant visas in FY2017

Where VSS Fits

Services provided through the VSS program support CA’s strategic priorities and enable the Bureau to satisfy mission-critical national security and customer service objectives

Process cases for immigrant, diversity, and petition-based non-immigrant visa applicants before they are adjudicated overseas

Coordinate with the public, petitioners, beneficiaries, DOS stakeholders, and interagency partners

Accept and review petitions

Forward approved petitions to DOS

Review revocation requests from DOS

Receive and review VSS inputs

Adjudicate visa applications at 220+ locations worldwide

Request petition revocations

Posts VSS Program USCIS

Perform facial recognition checks for all visa and passport applications

Modernization of Visa Services

Digital / Paperless Workflow – The Modern Immigrant Visa (MIV) is one example of the technology transformation that CA is undertaking; this and similar efforts will greatly affect how the centers and posts interact with customers and perform adjudications.

National Security – Driven by world events and policy direction, CA requires a growing suite of vetting capabilities commensurate with its constantly evolving, important, and visible role in national security.

Resource Constraints – Balancing growing visa demand, national security, and customer service requirements within the limitations of available resources, CA must continue to realize opportunities to streamline and improve the efficiency and effectiveness of global visa operations.

TWO PAPER-BASED

LOGISTICS WAREHOUSES

AN INTEGRATED DIGITAL

CUSTOMER SERVICE

OPERATION

TO: FROM:

• Services configured for a digital environment

• Flexible operating and delivery models • Paper heavy warehouse and logistics operation

• Siloed units / centers

• Reactive responses

• Volume as primary driver of work

• Lack of interoperability

• Largely distinct operations

• Increasing visa volume

• Technology advances

• CA resource constraints

• Immigration reforms

• Policy changes and increased vetting requirements

• Mission-wide enterprise system rollout

ADDITIONAL INFLUENCES

AFFECTING MODERNIZATION

• Full end-to-end processing capability across centers

• Integrated national security and customer service

• Interagency involvement

• Greater transparency, outreach, and quality

VSS Program Evolution

Preparing for the Future

VSS will encounter higher demand for increasingly complex services in support of mission-critical national security and customer service objectives with an increasingly lower tolerance for risk and service disruption. Examples include:

Digitization and interagency collaboration – DHS/USCIS transmitting scanned NIV petitions, eventually transmitting NIV and IV petition data

Customer Service – Shifting model toward self-service, more efficient inquiry resolutions, and proactive outreach to reduce inquiry volume and enable greater flexibility to respond to a wide array of stakeholders

Overseas Collaboration – Expanding the connectivity between overseas and domestic processes to achieve greater global visa operations efficiency

Immigration Roles – Additional types of vetting and investigations to support new policies, fraud prevention, and national security standards

Service Portfolio Overview

Defining VSS Program Support for Global Visa Operations

As global visa operations have grown more dynamic and complex, so have the requirements of the VSS program

Rather than enumerating all of the transactional processes that are performed today, the PWS identifies and articulates the scope of VSS in terms of the underlying capabilities and services that contribute to and ultimately enable the program to meet its objectives.

This enables VSS to accommodate future products and processes while facilitating ongoing improvements to existing operations

This emphasizes necessary outcomes without artificially limiting flexibility and innovation (e.g., by location)

This highlights the importance of successfully integrating mission-facing capabilities (national security and customer service) with mission-enabling capabilities (logistics, administration, and management)

Service Portfolio Overview

Data Verification

2.1 Inquiry

Management

Tier 0/1/2 Inquiry Resolution

Process Communications

2.2 Outreach

Data Entry Document Review

1. National Security Services 2. Customer Services

1.1 Case Fulfillment

Biometric Validation

1.3 Biometric

Validation

Fraud Documentation and Reporting

Fraud Research and

Analysis

Stakeholder Management

1.2 Investigation, Authentication, & Analysis

Interview Scheduling

4. Management Services

Performance Management

Recruiting & Retention

4.3 Personnel Management

Labor Management

Workload Distribution

Operations Reporting

Quality Management

4.1 Service Management & Quality

Demand Management

Contract Management Training

Information Systems

Maintenance

Database Admin

IT Testing

4.2 Information Systems Management

IT Collaboration

Network Admin

IT Inquiry Support

IT Strategy

Security Clearance

Management

FOIA Management

Operations Excellence

Document Sort

3. Logistics and Administrative Services

Document Filing Document Intake & Case Creation

3.1 Intake

Document Digitization

Document Destruction

Case

Transport Case Storage

3.2 Paper Handling

Case Shipment Preparation

3.3 Distribution

Equipment Maintenance Facilities Support

3.4 Site Support

Vehicle Maintenance

Administrative Support

3.5 Office Management

Safety and Security

Center Overview

Scope of Center

FY 2018 Center-Specific Statistics

Physical Layout

NVC: 71,000 Sq Feet

MRB: 48,000 Sq Feet

Workload (as of September 17, 2018):

IV Intake: 426,475 cases

IV Fulfillment: 542,535 cases

Inquiry Management: 1,595,441 telephone inquiries; 1,509,885 written inquiries;

Biometric Validation: # facial recognition reviews

Staffing (as of June 2018):

Government: 8 at NVC

Contractor: 750+

While some exceptions exist, most IV cases go through 5 steps while processing at a consular center:

1. IV Intake – Receipt of petition, scanning, file movements

2. IV Case Fulfillment – Petition details entered into database

3. IV Case Fulfillment – Gathering of fees, documents and forms

4. IV Case Fulfillment – Review of submitted document and forms

5. Outreach – Scheduling of a visa interview

Paper-based vs. digital processing

Paper = IVIS

Fully Electronic = PIVOT

Products and Services

Immigrant Visa (IV) Case - Overview

Inquiry Management Outreach

National Security Services Customer Services

Case Fulfillment

Biometric Validation

Investigation, Authentication, &

Analysis

Management Services Logistics and Administrative Services

Intake Paper Handling Distribution Personnel

Management

Service Management &

Quality

Information Systems

Management

Site Support

Office Management

Products and Services

The Post Liaison Unit

The post liaison team must consist of a cadre of highly skilled professionals with the ability to not only respond to post inquiries, but to identify pain points, anticipate needs and deliver solutions.

Post liaisons are post’s trusted advisors, with the knowledge and connections to solve problems and prevent their recurrence. Post liaisons spend a significant amount of time communicating with visa stakeholders, including NVC and KCC teams, the Visa Office, and consular sections overseas.

Post liaisons support operations through scheduling of interviews, adjudication refusal analysis, and by serving as a go-to resource on visa processing at the centers.

Inquiry Management Outreach

National Security Services Customer Services

Case Fulfillment

Biometric Validation

Investigation, Authentication, &

Analysis

Management Services Logistics and Administrative Services

Intake Paper Handling Distribution Personnel

Management

Service Management &

Quality

Information Systems

Management

Site Support

Inquiry Management

The centers respond to telephone inquiries, email inquiries and letter inquiries from petitioners, applicants, third party agents, attorneys, congressional offices, post and other government agencies.

Typical inquiry topics include:

Status on Document Review document and form submissions General case statuses Case currency Immigrant Visa Application Form Fees Civil Documents Contact info updates Document Review checklists

Inquiry Management Outreach

National Security Services Customer Services

Case Fulfillment

Biometric Validation

Investigation, Authentication, &

Analysis

Management Services Logistics and Administrative Services

Intake Paper Handling Distribution Personnel

Management

Service Management &

Quality

Information Systems

Management

Site Support

Inquiry Management

Infrastructure:

Each center uses Outlook for email responses NVC has call management software (AVAYA) for incoming calls and has a separate call recording system (NICE)

The Government expects that the offeror will work to implement proactive communication initiatives, with an overall goal of reducing inbound inquiry volumes.

Effective inquiry deflection and proactive automated communications will help to reduce operational costs to the offeror, as the CLIN structure does not pay per unit transactions in the inquiry management service.

Successful inquiry resolution in vital to applicant success and efficiency in case fulfilment

The Facial Recognition (FR) Unit

The FR program is a shared workload between the centers, with KCC performing as the primary, and is the frontline biometric validation for national security services.

Core Services include providing biometric validation services to posts (Visa

FR, 17.8M) and to passport processing centers (Passport FR, 17.9M).

Reviews are sent to a center and entered into an electronic queue within the

Consular Consolidated Database (CCD). Contract staff then review a gallery of possible matches to determine whether the visa or passport applicant has a matching biometric record in Government databases.

Both centers are expected to perform this service, with workload sharing and coordination communication occurring in real-time.

Inquiry Management Outreach

National Security Services Customer Services

Case Fulfillment

Biometric Validation

Investigation, Authentication, &

Analysis

Management Services Logistics and Administrative Services

Intake Paper Handling Distribution Personnel

Management

Service Management &

Quality

Information Systems

Management

Site Support

Fraud Prevention Unit (FPU)

VSS Fraud Prevention efforts specialize in U.S. entity research using Open Source Intelligence (OSINT) Techniques

Currently1 140 total research analysts and support staff 102 at KCC 38 at NVC

Provides in-depth entity research and report writing which can be used to brief law enforcement agencies

Adaptive and agile units with specialized programs to address emerging concerns and policy changes

1As of June 2018

Inquiry Management Outreach

National Security Services Customer Services

Case Fulfillment

Biometric Validation

Investigation, Authentication, &

Analysis

Management Services Logistics and Administrative Services

Intake Paper Handling Distribution Personnel

Management

Service Management &

Quality

Information Systems

Management

Site Support

FPU efforts at NVC

Touching on various service areas

Different process streams

Etc.

Anti-fraud prescreening

Review and route petition revocation requests, USCIS reaffirmations and revocations

Document verifications

Site Visits

Management Services

Service Management and Quality

Information Systems Management

Personnel Management

Inquiry Management Outreach

National Security Services Customer Services

Case Fulfillment

Biometric Validation

Investigation, Authentication, &

Analysis

Management Services Logistics and Administrative Services

Intake Paper Handling Distribution Personnel

Management

Service Management &

Quality

Information Systems

Management

Site Support

Tour Logistics

Two Groups

Color-Coded Name Tags

Inquiry Management Outreach

National Security Services Customer Services

Case Fulfillment

Biometric Validation

Investigation, Authentication, &

Analysis

Management Services Logistics and Administrative Services

Intake Paper Handling Distribution Personnel

Management

Service Management &

Quality

Information Systems

Management

Site Support

Break

Facility Walk-Through

Facility Walk-Through

Reminders / More Ground Rules

Touching on various service areas

Different process streams

Etc.

Hold all questions; use the index cards

Take everything with you

Phones and electronic devices off

Stay with the group; refrain from side conversations or other group distractions

Submit questions as you turn in your visitor badge before exiting the building

Q&A / Dismiss