20220425 PWS Focus Group_final.docx

Department of Homeland Security U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services External Affairs Directorate Performance Work Statement USCIS Contact Center Assessment

70SBUR22I00000029

Attachment A

May 27, 2022

1.0 TITLE OF PROJECT

The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) External Affairs Directorate (EXA), USCIS Contact Center Assessment.

2.0 BACKGROUND INFORMATION

The External Affairs Directorate (EXA) mission is to ensure that USCIS conveys unified, timely, and accurate messaging to our workforce and external stakeholders. Through public outreach, online tools, digital access, and educational resources, we increase understanding of immigration, promote the importance of U.S. Citizenship, and enhance the experience for all we serve at USCIS. Most of this service is done through the USCIS Contact Center (UCC) and the 1-800 number system for USCIS. The 1-800 line provides the general public with prompt and accurate information to their telephonic inquiries regarding immigration laws and benefits. The UCC 1-800 number receives more than 1 million telephonic inquiries a month. When a Respondent/Stakeholder calls the UCC 1-800 number, the call goes directly to an Interactive Voice Response (IVR) system, which is available in English and Spanish. Roughly 6 million calls are escalated from the IVR to the Tier 1 Contact Center. If the Respondent/Stakeholder cannot receive resolution to their inquiry through the IVR, the Respondent/Stakeholder can request to speak to a live Tier 1 contracted Information Specialist (IS) at a Tier 1 location. After speaking to an IS, if the Respondent/Stakeholder requires additional support or has a unique and complex scenario, the IS will transfer the call to an Immigration Services Officer (ISO) at a USCIS Contact Center, roughly 1.2 million of all calls received by Tier 1 ISs are transferred to Tier 2 ISOs. In this second line of support, ISOs who are USCIS federal employees have an extensive immigration law background, provide more case specific information and resolution to Respondents/Stakeholders inquiries. Tier 2 Contact Center ISOs are located in Contact Center East, Contact Center West, and Contact Center Mid-west.

USCIS also provides information to Respondent/Stakeholder via the USCIS website (www.uscis.gov) and has also implemented a number of self-service options available on the website. USCIS has offices throughout the United States that Respondent/Stakeholder visit in order to apply for immigration related services and benefits, and to have interviews with Immigration Services Officers (ISOs) and Adjudication Officers (AOs). USCIS Local Offices have information rooms that have various presentation graphics materials available to Respondent/Stakeholder, which contain immigration related information on policies, immigration laws, and procedures to apply for immigration benefits. The USCIS myUSCIS website and online tools will allow Respondent/Stakeholder to locally manage their application.

3.0 PLACE OF PERFORMANCE

Primary place of performance is the contractor’s facility and secondary location the government facility. If necessary, the contractor shall be available for onsite meetings at USCIS on a weekly, monthly and quarterly basis for a minimum number of 40 times a year. Government location is at EXA Headquarters located at 5900 Capital Gateway Drive, Camp Springs, MD 20529, as directed by the Project Manager/Program Manager and for work at other USCIS locations within the geographic United States, and as required by the Performance Work Statement (PWS).

4.0 PERIOD OF PERFORMANCE

The period of performance shall be for a base period of six (6) months and four (4) 12-month options.

5.0 TYPE OF CONTRACT

The government will award a Firm-Fixed-Price contract.

6.0 SCOPE

This contract will have the capability to:

Conduct focus groups which include asking questions about:

· USCIS Telephone Contact Center

· USCIS Website Services: myUSCIS (Help Center, EMO, and Account Experience)

· Visits to USCIS Local Offices

· USCIS Military Help Line

· USCIS multilingual outreach services

· Perception of the immigration process

· Reasons for which participants are personally planning or not planning to apply for specific benefits (e.g., naturalization)

· The immigration process and experience

· Understanding of information (e.g., Public Charge)

· Stakeholder Online Tools (such as USCIS’ Interactive Virtual Assistant “Emma, myUSCIS, Live Agent Chat, and others)

7.0 SPECIFIC TASKS/SERVICES REQUIRED

Task 7.1: Conduct Virtual Focus Groups Sessions

The contractor shall organize, facilitate, and collect data from virtual focus group sessions. The virtual focus groups shall be held five (5) times each year on an as needed basis and each event will have two (2) sessions, which can be in English and/or Spanish. The government can request additional focus group based on business needs. The government will notify the contracting office for assistance in facilitating this request. Once the request has been discussed and approved between the contracting office and the contractor, the program manager will notify the contractor of the requirements after receiving approval from the contracting office for the additional focus group.

The government can elect to have in-person focus groups based on business needs instead of virtual focus groups sessions at different locations. If the government decides that an in-person focus group should be held, the in-person focus group will be held in the geographical locations of the South East, North East, Midwest, and Western regions of the United States. The government will select the geographical locations within the United States, and the focus group sessions will be held with USCIS Respondents/Stakeholders who obtain benefits from the same local office and/or the USCIS Contact Center. The sessions shall be held the same day with an afternoon session followed by an evening session.

The contractor shall identify and use an in-person focus group facility centrally located and accessible to public transportation, and parking facilities. The contractor shall pay all rental and other related costs of the facility. The facility must be approved by the COR and PM before the focus groups are scheduled. The facility must be a formal Focus Group facility with a separate observation area for participants and observers capable of handling up to 12 participants and 15 observers. The facility must have a large meeting room that can seat eight to twelve people at a conference room table. In addition, the facility shall have an adjoining room that will allow observers to view the live panel discussion without the participants’ awareness, and a separate area that serves as a reception room and refreshment area. The facility must also be equipped with AV equipment, high speed internet and wireless access. The contractor shall facilitate the Focus Groups and provide all logistical support necessary. The address and directions of the facility must be provided to the PM three weeks prior to the focus group events. If Focus Group participant(s) require special accommodation(s), the contractor shall make such arrangements.

The demographics for each focus group (whether virtual or in-person) will be determined based on the subject to be discussed.

As required, the contractor shall organize, facilitate, collect data through a virtual focus group session, and provide a final report. The virtual focus group will take place through a virtual connection. These sessions will be held virtually, using the necessary equipment and software to allow USCIS Respondent/Stakeholder to participate from different locations across the country, and allowing observers to join virtually as well. The sessions shall be held the same day with an afternoon session followed by an evening session.

The contractor will facilitate the virtual focus group session. The virtual focus group will be held in English and/or Spanish, as directed by USCIS. For the session conducted in Spanish, the Contractor shall provide translation for the government observers.

During each focus group session conducted by the contractors’ facilitator, questions will be asked to identify problems encountered with services offered by EXA or with the immigration process in general. The purpose is to assess Respondent/Stakeholder satisfaction with these services, or with the immigration process, and to ask for recommendations on improvement. Focus groups will be held in English and/or Spanish, as directed by USCIS. Up to half of the focus group sessions may be conducted in Spanish and/or in another language, requested by the government.

The government will provide the contractor with an ANI electronic data list of USCIS Respondent/Stakeholders and e-mail addresses from which Respondent/Stakeholders will be selected to participate in the focus group sessions. The contractor shall contact the Respondent/Stakeholders by email and telephone to reach out to them to ensure that the participants have access to a computer. Participants in the focus groups will consist of 8 to 12 USCIS Respondent/Stakeholders per session who are selected to participate in the virtual sessions and are selected by a screening process designed by the government. In addition to the USCIS Respondent/Stakeholder, government employees will also be selected as observers during the focus group sessions. The contractor shall be responsible for organizing the focus group, recruiting the participants, and facilitating the virtual panel discussions using pre-selected questions approved by the Program Manager (PM) about services received from the USCIS.

The contractor shall identify the appropriate methodology and software solutions to support focus group sessions to allow participants to join virtually and observers to attend in person or online. Translation services, transcription fees, technological equipment, and any travel costs associated with conducting the focus groups will be incurred by the contractor. Moreover, the contractor shall allow observers to join the focus group sessions virtually (if needed) in order to listen in and communicate with the facilitator without interrupting the participants.

If focus group participant(s) require special accommodation(s), the Contractor shall make such arrangements.

The contractor shall facilitate the virtual focus groups and provide all logistical support necessary during the sessions and prior to the sessions (such as testing with participants to ensure that the virtual connection work properly to conduct the virtual sessions). The contractor must not take the time slated for the virtual focus group to ensure that participants virtual connection work properly.

The general information about the virtual focus group sessions must be provided to the CO, COR, and PM three weeks prior to the focus group events. Additionally, the contractor shall provide a Focus Group Moderator’s guide that outlines the questions that will be asked. The moderator’s guide shall be submitted to the CO, COR, and PM for approval no later than ten (10) days prior to each scheduled Focus Group event. The contractor shall conduct the focus group session and shall send the transcription file of the focus group along with the Focus Group Report in an electronic format according to the delivery schedule in Section 8.6 Deliverable Table. For focus groups conducted in Spanish, the contractor shall provide a Focus Group Moderato’s guide that outlines the questions that will be asked and also provide the transcription file in both English and Spanish. The transcription file shall be used for reporting and analysis and maintained by the contractor for the entire period of performance of the task order.

The contractor shall use the data collected to produce reports following each virtual focus group to include graphs and matrixes (if applicable). The virtual focus group report shall include the methodology used to collect the data, a sample of the survey instrument, and a copy of the transcription file. The contractor shall submit the report following the delivery table in Section 8.6 Deliverable Table.

For Respondent/Stakeholders satisfaction-focused virtual focus group sessions, the contractor shall provide a virtual focus group Moderator’s guide that outlines the questions that will be asked. For focus groups conducted in Spanish, the contractor shall provide a Focus Group Moderato’s guide that outlines the questions that will be asked and also provide the transcription file in both English and Spanish. The moderator’s guide must be submitted to the COR/PM for approval no later than ten (10) days prior to each scheduled virtual focus group event. The contractor shall send the transcription file of the virtual focus group along with the virtual focus group report in an electronic format according to the delivery schedule in Section 8.6 Deliverable Table. The transcription file shall be used for reporting and analysis and maintained by the contractor for the entire period of performance of the contract. The timeline for the deletion of the transcription file will be established by the government PM.

For Respondent/Stakeholder satisfaction-focused virtual focus group sessions, the contractor shall ask questions that pertain to the following USCIS Services but not limited to:

· USCIS Telephone Contact Center services and Contact Center entire operations

· USCIS Website Services: myUSCIS (Help Center, EMO, and Account Experience)

· Visits to USCIS Local Offices

· USCIS Military Help Line

· USCIS multilingual outreach services

· Perception of the immigration process

· Reasons for which participants are personally planning or not planning to apply for specific benefits (e.g., naturalization)

· The immigration process and experience

· Understanding of information (e.g., Public Charge)

· Respondent/Stakeholder Online Tools (such as USCIS’ Interactive Virtual Assistant “Emma, myUSCIS, Live Agent Chat, and others)

For any other concept virtual focus group sessions, the contractor shall provide a Virtual Focus Group Moderator’s guide that outlines the questions that will be asked. The moderator’s guide must be submitted to the COR/PM for approval no later than ten (10) days prior to each scheduled Focus Group event. The contractor shall send the transcription file of the virtual focus group along with the Virtual Focus Group Report in an electronic format according to the delivery schedule in Section 8.6 Deliverable Table. The transcription file shall be used for reporting and analysis and maintained by the contractor for the entire period of performance of the contract. The timeline for the deletion of the transcription file will be established by the government PM.

The contractor shall use the data collected to produce reports following each focus group to include graphs, analysis, Respondent/Stakeholder response, raw data, and matrixes. The Virtual Focus Group report shall include the methodology used to collect the data, and a sample of the survey instrument. The contractor shall submit the report following Section 8.6 Deliverables Table.

Task 7.2: EXA Focus Group Security and Data Protection/Deletion Procedures The contractor will be required to obtain clearance for a Work Place as a Service (WPaas) Network to be compliant with USCIS Security measures in order to handle ANI data and/or any PII. The contractor must be cleared by USCIS Security and must obtain PIV compliancy in order to obtain Respondent/Stakeholder’s email addresses. ANI data files provided by USCIS and ANI data (telephone numbers, online survey tools information, emails, and any PII) shall be deleted/destroyed one year after resolved, or when no longer needed for business use, whichever is appropriate after the contractor has received the ANI data files from USCIS, per government guidance. The same guidance as listed above applies to myUSCIS e-mail address files and myUSCIS e-mail addresses after the contractor has received the myUSCIS e-mail address files from a USCIS WPaas Network, per government guidance. In addition, all other data collected through online survey tools as well, (such as USCIS’ Interactive Virtual Assistant “Emma”) shall be deleted/destroyed one year after resolved, or when no longer needed for business use, whichever is appropriate after the contractor has received the data.

The contractor will ensure the security and confidentiality of USCIS Data; protect against any anticipated threats or hazards to the security or integrity of the USCIS data; protect against unauthorized access to or use of the USCIS data; ensure the proper disposal of USCIS data, as further defined herein; and ensure that all subcontractors, if any, comply with all of the foregoing. The contractor must conduct formal USCIS security awareness training, records management, and privacy awareness training, for all personnel and contractors as soon as reasonably practicable after the award of the contract or prior to being appointed to work on USCIS data and annually recertified thereafter. Documentation of these training must be retained by the contractor, confirming that these training and subsequent annual recertification process have been completed, and available for review by the COR.

The contractor will not transmit any unencrypted USCIS data over the internet or a wireless network and will not store any USCIS data on any mobile computing device such as a laptop computer, USB drive or portable data device, except where there is a business necessity and then only if the mobile computing device is protected by industry-standard encryption software provided and approved by USCIS.

If the contractor suspects or becomes aware of any unauthorized access to any USCIS data or Personal data by any unauthorized person or third party or becomes aware of any other security breach relating to Personal data held or stored by the contractor under this contract agreement, the contractor shall immediately notify USCIS in writing and shall fully cooperate with USCIS at contractor’s expense to prevent or stop such data breach. In the event of such data breach, contractor shall fully and immediately comply with applicable laws, and shall take the appropriate steps to remedy such data breach. Contractor will defend, indemnify, and hold USCIS, its Affiliates, and their respective officers, directors, employees, and agents, harmless from and against any and all claims, suits, causes of action, liability, loss, costs, and damages, including reasonable attorney fees, arising out of, or relating to any third-party claim arising from breach by contractor of its obligations contained in this section, except to the extent resulting from the acts or omissions of USCIS. All Personal data to which contractor has access under this contract agreement, is between contractor and USCIS, will remain the property of USCIS. USCIS hereby consents to the use or disclosure of Personal data to the extent such use is necessary for the contractor to carry out its duties and responsibilities under this contract agreement, or as required by law.

Any USCIS data must be contained in a secure, environmentally controlled storage areas owned, operated, or contracted for by the contractor, and all media containing USCIS data must be encrypted.

All electronic storage media containing USCIS data must be wiped or degaussed for physical destruction or disposal, in a manner meeting forensic industry standards such as the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) Guidelines for media sanitation. Contractor must maintain documented evidence of data erasure and destruction. This evidence and/or any other methodology used to dispose/delete USCIS data must be available for review at the request of USCIS.

The contractor shall periodically demonstrate the deletion of data as required by the government through written, and/or email notification. The government PM will verify this by requesting a team meeting to visually see the data being deleted/destroyed or by the receipt of an audit log documenting this information or by email and/or telephonic verification.

USCIS reserves the right to review contractor’s policies and procedures used to securely maintain ANI data and any PII data to be held in confidence, in compliance with USCIS reasonable instruction regarding the handling of such data, and the disposal/deletion of data received from USCIS.

Upon termination or expiration of the contract or at USCIS direction at any time in its sole discretion, whichever is earlier, contractor shall immediately provide proof of the disposal/deletion of any and all PII and data which it has received under this contract.

Task 7.3: Focus Group Data Deletion ANI data files provided by USCIS and ANI data (telephone numbers and/or email addresses), or data provided to the contractor to support identifying and selecting Focus Group participants shall be deleted/destroyed one year after resolved, or when no longer needed for business use, whichever is appropriate after the contractor has received all such information from USCIS.

8.0 DELIVERABLES

The following table lists all deliverables. Each deliverable has an estimated performance period and an expected due date. Requests for delays or extensions may be submitted to the CO via the COR. The CO has the sole discretion to grant or deny delays and extensions. A copy of all deliverables shall be sent to the CO, COR and PM.

The contractor shall provide all deliverables to the COR as specified in the Performance Work Statement (PWS) for review and acceptance. The contractor shall provide the deliverables in electronic format to the extent possible. All virtual focus group methodology used/survey instruments and documentation develop by the contractor shall become the property of the Government and shall not contain proprietary markings.

The government will have ten (10) working days to review and provide comments to the contractor prior to acceptance of all deliverables. Reports shall be submitted in the most recent Microsoft Office report compatible programs including Word (.DOC), Excel (.XLS) and PowerPoint (PPT, PPS). Disable all macros on all files. If different versions of Microsoft Office are used, then Office 2010 must still be able to open the documents with little or no change. The government is not responsible for any format changes due to the use of a different version of Microsoft Office.

The contractor shall have ten (10) working days to respond after receipt of government comments. The contractor shall submit all deliverables to the CO, COR and PM for review and acceptance.

8.1: Project Development Plan The contractor shall prepare an updated project development plan and submit it to the CO, COR and PM. See Section 8.6 for deliverable schedule. The Project Development Plan shall address the major tasks, timelines, and schedules in order to conduct each focus group. The contractor shall provide updates to the project development plan as directed by the CO/COR throughout the performance of the contract.

8.2: Program Management Plan Contractor shall submit a draft Program Management Plan (PMP) at the Post Award Conference. The plan shall include the methodology used for conducting focus groups and quality measures to ensure the information gathered is complete, accurate and reliable. The Contractor shall submit a policy and procedures guidelines for the management and safeguarding of USCIS data as well as an erasure/destruction and/or deletion methodology used for the disposal of said data. The final PMP shall be presented thirty (30) days after Post Award Conference and the contractor shall submit it to the CO, COR and PM. The government will have ten (10) working days to review and provide comments to the contractor prior to acceptance of the Final Project Management Plan. See Section 8.6 Deliverable Table for deliverable schedule.

8.3: Report and Status Meetings The contractor shall submit a report which summarizes data collection and covers all the work performed in each focus group. The report shall give an overview of all Respondent/Stakeholder responses collected for USCIS Contact Center for the focus groups. The contractor shall submit a preliminary report within 48 hours following the end of each focus group. Final report should be submitted thirty (30) working days following the end of each focus group. Contractor shall be available for impromptu meetings upon request of the Government. The report shall be submitted in accordance with Section 8.6 Deliverable Table. The report shall contain, but is not limited to, the following:

8.3.1: Management Summary The contractor shall document any major problems/issues, current expenditures by work hours, and any significant progress or events.

8.3.2: Narrative The contractor shall describe work performed on each task during the reporting period and work expected to be performed during the next month, including discussions of any problems/issues and recommendations.

8.3.3: Report Headings The heading on all reports shall contain the following information:

· Contract Number

· Name of Contractor

· Phone Number of Contractor

· Period of Performance

· Total Dollar Value

· Title of Project

· Management Summary

· Narrative

· Problems and Issues

· Ad-hoc reports

8.4: Status Meetings with CO, COR, and PM The contractor shall meet with the CO, COR, and the PM upon request of the Government to discuss performance on tasks and to address any problems or concerns involving this contract to ensure tasks and deliverables are met.

Topics of discussion may include but are not limited to:

Project progress:

a. Compliance with project schedule and deliverables; discuss any changes or amending or deliverables and/or information in reports per governments feedback

8.5 Transition Support Plan

In the event the follow-on contract is awarded to other than the incumbent contractor, the incumbent contractor shall provide all reasonable support to the government and the successful offeror to ensure an orderly transition and minimize any impact on the operation. The incumbent contractor recognizes that the services provided by this contract are vital to the government’s overall effort; that continuity therefore must be maintained without interruption; that upon expiration of this contract, a successor, either the government or another contractor, will require assistance from the incumbent contractor; and the incumbent contractor must give its best efforts and cooperation in order to effect an orderly and efficient transition from its operation to a successor. The incumbent contractor shall provide a comprehensive transition plan not later than the follow-on contract post award conference for approval by the Contracting Officer. The transition plan shall include provisions for incumbent contractor actions to assist and coordinate with the government and the successor contractor in the changeover of all functions on the contract performance start date. The transition schedule shall be coordinated with all affected activities and managed to minimize any adverse impact on the mission.

8.6 Deliverable Table

Distribution

Security Awareness Training

9.0. POST AWARD CONFERENCE

The contractor shall meet with the Government CO, COR, and PM at a location and time as scheduled by the CO. The meeting will be held to establish the roles and responsibilities of the government officials who will administer the contract and other items relevant to the contract. Items discussed will include, but are not limited to, will be authority of government personnel who will administer the contract, specific contract deliverables requirements, special contract provisions, the government procedures for monitoring and measuring performance, transition in, and contractor billing/payment procedures.

Indicate when the GFP will be furnished Date/Event Indicate when the GFP will be returned If GFP is procured under separate contracts, state the contract number or solicitation number

10.0 PERFORMANCE REQUIREMENTS SUMMARY/ACCEPTABLE QUALITY LEVELS

The Performance Requirements Summary (PRS) is a listing of the service outputs under the contract that are to be evaluated on a regular basis, the surveillance methods to be used for these outputs, and the performance requirement of the listed outputs.

During the Respondent/Stakeholder satisfaction-focused focus group sessions, the contractor shall ask questions that pertain to the following USCIS Services but not limited to:

· The USCIS Contact Center telephone services

· USCIS Website Services

· Visits to USCIS Local Offices

· USCIS Military Help Line

· USCIS outreach services

· Respondent/Stakeholder Online Tools (such as USCIS’ Interactive Virtual Assistant “Emma,” myUSCIS, ELIS inquiries, Live Agent Chat, and others)

· Immigration Process and Experience

Survey data process, deletion/disposal shall be executed in accordance with the guidance addressed under the PWS