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Section C - Description/Specification/Work Statement

(1) Description/Specification/Work Statement

A.

BACKGROUND and NEED

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s (CDC) mission is to promote the health and quality of life by preventing and controlling disease, injury, and disability. As part of this mission, CDC is tasked with implementing programs to ensure that people around the world will live safer, healthier lives through protecting Americans at home and abroad from health threats via a transnational prevention, detection and response network and establishing CDC and the United States Government as trusted and effective resources for health development around the globe. CDC addresses critical global public health challenges through working with a diverse set of partners to support the development and implementation of culturally-appropriate public health interventions. Through health promotion activities, both domestically and abroad, CDC contributes to reductions in global morbidity and mortality.

CDC provides national and global leadership to improve the health of people in all life stages and in all settings. It carries out this role by monitoring health, developing health improvement strategies, providing financial and technical assistance to a variety of domestic and international partners and conducting other activities. There are major programs that have been implemented globally within the last several years that have greatly expanded the global mission of the CDC and have prompted the need for increased services and staffing domestically to support those activities. As more international health crises are identified, the CDC Global Health mission and response is expanded. The major international programs currently are the President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR), Global Disease Detection (GDD), Pandemic and Avian Influenza Initiative, Polio Elimination worldwide, Reduction of Measles Related Mortality and Promotion of Child Health. CDC currently has over 200 staff in 45 countries around the world and those global staff are supported by the CIO’s and programs here in Atlanta. CDC requires outside assistance in meeting its responsibilities on occasion and this scope of activities and CDC international support will expand as the need arises globally and this contract would cover that increased mission.

Additionally, there has been an overseas rightsizing initiative so that only those individuals who must be stationed overseas are located at international sites and much of the support is provided from Atlanta and other CDC locations domestically. To facilitate this mission, CDC is charged with specific responsibilities, which often necessitate seeking outside professional and technical expertise. Several steps must be taken to accomplish this, which include developing strategic and operational plans for implementation based on expert input from a variety of individuals and organizations, developing an internal CDC capacity for program implementation, and providing technical assistance to implementation partners. The international contractor expertise by domestic staff is critical to the achievement of the overall efforts under these programs. In scaling up for the global mission, the mechanisms for hiring staff are often limiting and can take months to finalize. In addition, there are very limited mechanisms for hiring expert consultants to provide technical assistance. These impediments and delays in hiring staff hinder program development. It is therefore essential that CDC supplement its technical and professional staff through Contractor support.

CDC will furnish the Contractor with the information and materials needed to complete the tasks described below. These materials may include country program descriptions and scopes of work as well as relevant policies, procedures, and guidelines that become available periodically throughout the contract period. Additional information about PEPFAR can be obtained at www.pepfar.gov, and for CDC’s Global AIDS Program at www.cdc.gov/nchhstp.

B. SCOPE OF WORK

The services to be acquired under this contract provide a mechanism for various operational support and professional services tasks, studies, and projects to be performed for CDC throughout the United States. The Contractor is advised that it is not possible to determine the precise types or amounts of services, supplies, and/or equipment that will be ordered during the term of the contract. The Contractor shall be obligated to perform within the minimum and maximum order limitations set forth in clauses 52.216-19, Order Limitations. The time of issuance and amount of work in task orders cannot be accurately predicted. The Government will make every effort to give the Contractor advance notice of requirements, but the services for which this contract will be used could address an immediate need involving an emergency or short notice requirement. Services to be performed shall be non-personal and not inherently governmental services. Supplies and equipment are incidental to the required services to be performed and shall be ordered on an as needed basis on each individual task order. Some temporary international travel may be necessary and will be detailed in each individual task order.

C. TECHNICAL REQUIREMENTS

The following tasks below are representative examples of tasks, which may be ordered through the issuance of individual task orders under this contract. This listing provides the types of tasks, which may be conducted and is not represented as being complete or all-inclusive. This Statement of Work shall function as a Performance Work Statement.

Provide Professional/Technical, General Administrative, and Medical/Scientific Support Services The Contractor shall provide short term and long term technical, support, and professional services to various offices within the United States in support of the CDC as outlined in the individual task orders. The Contractor shall design, manage, and implement programs for global health activities to include but not limited to HIV/AIDS, Infectious Diseases, Global Disease Detection (GDD), training of staff, population, and basic education activities. This list is not all inclusive of the activities that are supported by CDC. As the support of global health initiatives increase, this contract will provide support. These individuals may be recruited from both within the Contractor’s organization and through its network of contacts. The Contractor shall recruit and assign staff for tasks that fall into three categories of assistance: support services, professional services, and medical/scientific services. Many of the personnel hired by this contract will be required to travel on short-term assignments or temporary duty in International locations. The contractor must be capable of providing travel management expertise and assistance to their employees to include airline tickets, Immunizations, Passports, Visas, Insurance, Medical Emergencies, Emergency Evacuation, foreign country tax issues, compliance with international country laws and other details necessary to perform the task order.

It is the intention of the Government to issue multiple awards as a result of this solicitation for the following Support Services:

Professional/Technical Services

This category includes occupations having a recognized status based upon acquiring professional knowledge through prolonged study or experience. This category also includes occupations concerned with providing technical assistance to public health, medical and scientists personnel in both laboratory and office activities. Characteristic of occupations in this category is the requirement for knowledge of scientific research techniques and analyzing data. This category may also include occupations concerned with providing technical solutions with regards to security compliance, training, operational support, technical and development support, international or global experience and technical knowledge in a myriad of international activities. Characteristic of occupations in this category are the requirements for knowledge of information technology principles and techniques and public health program management experience that is less than full professional knowledge but which nevertheless enables the technician to understand how and why a specific device, skill, or system operates.

Examples of these professions include, but are not limited to public health, epidemiology, social/behavioral sciences, research and science, accounting, finance, administration, and business. Staff assigned to these duties must possess the ability to communicate well both orally and in writing and the ability to relate to diverse groups of people. This category may also include technical support positions for any international activities at CDC.

Medical/Scientific Services This category includes occupations having a recognized status based upon acquiring professional knowledge through the study of sciences such as biology, chemistry, physics, physiology, psychology, and medicine. These professions perform medical, public health, epidemiology, or behavioral sciences. This category also includes occupations having a recognized status based upon acquiring professional knowledge through the study of public health, epidemiology, and behavioral sciences.

Examples of these professions include, but are not limited to microbiologists, pharmacists, registered nurses, physicians, hospital ancillary personnel, surgeons, medical epidemiologist, research personnel, health and behavioral scientist, occupational healthcare providers, behavior modification specialists and other related fields. To be a medical/scientific employee, a person must not only be a professional but must be involved essentially in discharging professional duties. This category may also include medical/scientific support positions for any international activities at CDC.

General Administrative Services

This category includes occupations providing administrative assistance and support to technical, professional, medical, and scientific personnel. This category may include occupations concerned with preparing, transcribing, transferring, systematizing, and preserving written communications and records; gathering and distributing information; operating office machines; storing, distributing, and accounting for storage of material; operating office equipment; originating and distributing correspondence in both written and electronic formats, and performing other administrative duties. The computer skill requirements shall include but not limited to Microsoft Word, Excel, PowerPoint, and Microsoft Outlook.

Examples of these professions include, but are not limited to secretary, administrative support, office automation and other related fields. Staff assigned to these duties must possess the ability to communicate well both orally and in writing and the ability to relate to diverse groups of people. This category may also include support positions for any international activities at CDC.

D. SPECIAL REQUIREMENTS

As part of providing services under this contract, the Contractor shall meet the following requirements:

1. Management

The Contractor shall employ management practices that ensure all requirements are fulfilled in a technically compliant and timely manner and manage services on a global basis. This includes both day-to-day contract requirements and individual task order requirements and objectives.

2. Recruitment and Retention

The Contractor shall employ hiring and retention practices that ensure the Contractor is able to identify, screen, place, monitor, train, practice good management and payment practices to retain qualified candidates to fulfill service requirements under this contract. The Contractor shall maintain a database of applications for appropriate candidates, accessible by education, field of expertise, work experiences, certifications, languages and other skills.

3. Supervision

Differing task order requirements, as well as the number and types of skills involved, will necessarily result in a variety of different approaches to supervision. These two examples are intended to be illustrative rather than definitive when providing a wide variety of services in a number of locations:

A task order may require a number of skill categories to perform a single task (e.g., operate a small laboratory or staff the Global Travel Management Office). In these instances, it is anticipated that the “senior” technical skill category may assume a supervisory responsibility.

A number of task orders may require single on-site individuals. In these instances, off-site supervision with occasional visitation is usually the most economical method to be used.

A task order may require a significant amount of same skill categories (e.g., travel managers). In this instance, any salary supplement for the contractor’s “lead” individual may be negotiated in the task order.

4. Contractor Personnel

The Contractor shall provide English-speaking and foreign language translators, skilled personnel, with the professional and management services necessary to successfully meet Government requirements. Required skill categories are defined in terms of typical duties and performance level standards.

The Contractor shall provide skill levels and labor mix appropriate for the task(s) to be performed.

The Contractor and Contractor employees shall conduct only business covered by this contract during periods paid for by the Government and shall not conduct any other business on Government premises.

Federal regulations prohibit the use of any controlled substances and alcoholic beverages while Contractor employees are working on Federal property or in Federal installations. Contractor personnel shall be made aware of these requirements prior to commencing work under this contract.

All Contractor personnel shall be United States (U.S.) citizens or permanent residents. Any exceptions to the citizenship requirement in the United States, territories, and possessions must involve individuals legally in the country, holding valid work permits. All services provided by persons who are not United States citizens require the prior written approval of the Contracting Officer.

Contractor personnel are expected to conduct themselves in a professional and courteous manner at all times. Inappropriate conduct and/or substance abuse will not be tolerated. The Contractor will be responsible for removing the individual from the facility and taking such other action as appropriate.

If unusual behavior and conditions threaten the orderly conduct of business occurring during the course of an assignment, the Contractor will be responsible for removing the individual from the facility and taking other action as appropriate.

If the Contractor personnel must speak and read in a language other than English, or have other required skills, the Government will state those requirements in the task order request and subsequent task order.

5. Training

The Contractor, at its own expense, shall perform training, except:

The Government will provide orientation and training on specific department, unit, site, programs or education requirements, policies, and procedures peculiar to the work to be performed by the Contractor.

If the Contractor changes employees during the performance of tasks frequently enough to interfere with Government operations and impose a burden on Government training staff, the Contractor will be subject to training cost negotiation, in addition to review of whether performance levels have been met.

Limited training of Contractor employees may be authorized (i.e., when the client changes software systems during the performance of an ongoing task and it is determined to be in the best interest of the Government to retain a Contractor employee for corporate experience and familiarity with the project in progress.)

The Government will not authorize training for Contractor employees to attend seminars, symposiums, or user group conferences unless certified by the Contractor that attendance is mandatory for the performance of task requirements and such training is approved in advance by the Project Officer.

Training at Government expense shall not be authorized for replacement personnel for the sole purpose of keeping Contractor employees abreast of advances in the state-of-the-art technology or for training Contractor employees on equipment, computer languages, and computer operating systems for which training is available on the commercial market.

When the Government has given prior approval for training to meet special requirements that are peculiar to a particular task order, the Government will reimburse the Contractor for tuition, travel, and per diem as required in accordance with Federal Travel Regulations, as well as for labor hours at the rate designated in the task for the particular skill level.

The Contractor shall assume full responsibility for keeping Contractor employees abreast of advances in state-of-the-art technologies.

6. Workload Management

The Contractor shall implement management systems and controls for recording and monitoring workloads for all tasks. This system shall include a means for acquiring signed time cards (by the point of contact on the task order) to be submitted with invoices for firm fixed price and cost reimbursement task orders. The systems shall be capable of providing historical and in-process workload data segregated by task order.

7. Security Requirements

a) The highest level of security required under this contract is “Secret”. In order to be eligible for work requiring facility and individual security clearances, the Contractor shall acquire and maintain security clearances up to and at this level. If a Contractor does not have the appropriate clearances, it will not be eligible to propose on task orders requiring security clearances.

b) This contract may require access to “For Official Use Only” Information. In performing this contract the Contractor may:

i) Have access to classified information at a Government activity.

ii) Receive and generate classified information.

iii) Fabricate, modify or store classified hardware.

Task orders will reflect any security requirements. If the proposed contracted employee already has a security clearance, the acceptability of that clearance will be reviewed at that time by the customer Security requirements should be passed down to any and all subcontractors. If security clearances are required, the Contractor will be responsible for having the individual complete the security clearance form and submit the form in accordance with government procedures (which can vary depending upon the type of security clearance). The clearance process generally takes from two to six months, inclusive of the investigation, depending upon the clearance level required.

8. Transition and Succession

The Contractor shall have a transition and succession plan that demonstrates the capability to ensure a smooth transition with current contracts and/or successor contracts with a minimum of disruption to customer services.

Within 15 calendar days of contract award, the Contractor will meet with the Project Officer to identify Contractor employees who have provided services to various customer agencies under other contracts that may be transitioned to this contract. Determinations will be made in cases where there is some question as to whether a person would be “continuing” to perform the same or substantially the same service for CDC.

At the end of the contract period, the Contractor may be required to continue performance to complete tasks (as compared to level of effort task orders) issued prior to the effective date of any successor contract, unless terminated by the CO. The Contractor shall also be expected to work with the follow-on Contractor's) to ensure a smooth transition. Within 10 calendar days of the award of the successor contract, the Contractor will be required to meet with CDC Project Officer and the new Contractor to discuss and identify any outstanding transition issues. CDC will be responsible for the costs of this transition period.