2025-R-001 (RFP) Information Technology Support Contract V Amendment 004 .pdf

SECTION A – SOLICITATION/CONTRACT FORM

SOLICITATION, OFFER AND AWARD

1. CONTRACT NO. SOLICITATION NO.

2025-R-001

2. TYPE OF SOLICITATION

3. EFFECTIVE DATE

See Block 22

4. REQUISITION/

PURCHASE NO.

N/A

5. ISSUED BY CODE 6. ADDRESS THE OFFER TO (if other than Item 5)

Office of the Sergeant at Arms United States Senate Senate Office Building Washington, DC 20510-7207

Attn: Contracts Department Office of the Sergeant at Arms United States Senate 2 Massachusetts Avenue, NE Washington, DC 20002

SOLICITATION

7. FOR INFORMATION

CALL OR E-MAIL

A. NAME: Nicole Barnes Sr. Procurement & Contracting Specialist

B. TELEPHONE NO: 202-224-9321 NO COLLECT

CALLS) or EMAIL: acquisitions@saa.senate.gov

8. TABLE OF CONTENTS

SEC DESCRIPTION PAGE(S) SEC DESCRIPTION PAGE(S)

PART I – THE SCHEDULE

A SOLICITATION/CONTRACT FORM I CONTRACT CLAUSES

B SUPPLIES OR SERVICES AND PRICE/COSTS

C STATEMENT OF WORK J LIST OF ATTACHMENTS

D PACKAGING AND MARKING K REPRESENTATIONS AND CERTIFICATIONS

E INSPECTION AND ACCEPTANCE L INSTRUCTIONS, CONDITIONS AND NOTICES TO OFFERORS

F DELIVERIES OR PERFORMANCE

G CONTRACT ADMINISTRATION DATA M EVALUATION FACTORS FOR AWARD

H SPECIAL CONTRACT REQUIREMENTS N CONTRACTOR PROPOSAL

OFFER (Must be fully completed by Offeror)

9. In compliance with the above, the undersigned agrees, if this offer is accepted within calendar days (90 calendar days unless a different period is inserted by the Offeror) from the date of receipt of offers specified above, to furnish any of the items upon which prices are offered at the price set opposite each item, delivered at the designated point(s), within the specified schedule.

10. ACKNOWLEDEMENT OF AMENDMENTS AMENDMENT NO. DATE AMENDMENT NO. DATE

(The Offeror acknowledges receipt of amendments to the SOLICITATION for Offerors and related documents numbered and dated:

001 2/14/2025 004 4/14/2025

002 3/14/2025

003 4/1/2025

11A. NAME TIN NO Dunn & Bradstreet

12. NAME AND TITLE OF PERSON AUTHORIZED TO SIGN

AND ADDRESS

OF OFFEROR

OFFER (Type or Print)

11B. TELEPHONE NO. 11C. CHECK IF REMITTANCE ADDRESS IS

DIFFERENT FROM ABOVE - ENTER SUCH ADDRESS

IN SCHEDULE

13. SIGNATURE 14. DATE SIGNED

AWARD (To be completed by Senate)

15. ACCEPTED AS TO ITEMS NUMBERED 16. AMOUNT

In accordance with purchase orders issued under this contract

16. SUBMIT INVOICES TO ADDRESS SHOWN IN BLOCK 19 (4

copies unless otherwise specified)

ITEM

18. ADMINISTERED BY (If other than Item 5) CODE 19. PAYMENT WILL BE MADE BY CODE

Office of the Sergeant at Arms United States Senate Financial Department Washington, DC 20510-7205

20. NAME OF CONTRACTING OFFICER

David W. Baker

21.UNITED STATES SENATE (signature of Contracting Officer) 22. DATE SIGNED

IMPORTANT — Award will be made on this Form, or other authorized official written notice mailto:acquisitions@saa.senate.gov

SECTION B - SUPPLIES OR SERVICES AND PRICE/COSTS

B.1 Scope

The United States Senate (“Senate”) Office of the Sergeant at Arms (“SAA”) is responsible for managing the Information Technology Support Contract (“ITSC”) for the outsourcing of essential IT services in support of the IT Support Program. The IT Support Program will provide support services for workstation and server hardware, operating system software, and application software as well as help desk services, break-fix and maintenance services, and on-site maintenance and support for the Senate in Washington, DC, and the fifty (50) states for Senate Member, Committee, Leadership and Officer Offices.

Hardware acquisition, maintenance and support includes, but is not limited to, workstations, laptops, file servers, scanners, printers, videoconferencing, televisions, flat panel monitors and smart boards, and wireless mobile technology (devices, platforms, and WANs). Software support includes, but is not limited to operating systems, communication packages, and commercial software applications. Support includes the staffing of a hotline/help desk and providing for other support functions. All requirements herein are mandatory unless otherwise noted.

It is the expectation that all Contractor personnel performing under this Contract shall always maintain open lines of communication, share relevant information, and coordinate efforts with the SAA, to ensure prompt resolution of customer problems across all aspects of customer service and technical operations.

B.2 Description of Services

The Contractor shall furnish all management, supervision, labor, as well as supplies and shall work such hours, including overtime, weekend, and holiday work, as may be necessary to ensure the performance of work in accordance with the Senate requirements which are set forth in Section C.

Working together with the SAA, the Contractor may develop and present for consideration to the Senate new and innovative approaches for continuous improvement in providing these services to the Senate.

The Contractor shall present new approaches to the SAA COR for review. The SAA will modify this Contract, in accordance with I.1 Changes, if an approach or approaches are accepted by the SAA.

For DC based staff, no travel outside of a fifty (50) mile radius of Washington, DC (Metropolitan Washington Area) is anticipated under this Contract. In the event that travel outside of the Metropolitan Washington Area is required under a task order issued under this Contract, the Contractor shall provide a firm-fixed-price for the required long-distance travel and the SAA may approve the travel by the issuance of a written task order or task order modification prior to the Contractor incurring any travel costs.

B.3 Contract Type

The SAA will award a single Indefinite Delivery/Indefinite Quantity (“IDIQ”) contract utilizing Firm-Fixed- Price (FFP) and Labor-Hour (LH), and Time and Materials Task Orders for products and services.

a. Delivery or performance shall be made only as authorized by Task Orders issued in accordance with this Contract ("Task Orders"). The SAA shall purchase products or services by issuing a written Task Order signed by the SAA Contracting Officer, indicating specific products, quantities, total price, delivery dates, and/or any other special instructions. The SAA may issue multiple Task Orders for the products or services during the Contract term. The SAA reserves the right to award contracts or issue task orders to other contractors for the same or similar product or services.

b. All Task Orders are subject to approval and acceptance by the Contractor, which shall use commercially reasonable efforts to either accept or reject such orders within five (5) business days from receipt thereof.

c. Any Task Order issued during the effective period of this Contract and not completed within that period shall be completed by Contractor within the time specified in the applicable Task Order.

The Contract shall govern the parties' rights and obligations with respect to that Task Order to the same extent as if the order were completed during the Contract term.

B.4 Term

The Contract will have a two-year Base Period and options for four (4) one-year renewal periods, subject to the availability of funds. Exercise of option(s) will be in accordance with Section H.9, Exercise of Options.

B.5 Price Re-determination and Adjustment

The Contractor may offer a price reduction at any time effective upon the date offered by the Contractor and will apply to all services performed or products purchased on or after the effective date of price change. Price increases must be mutually agreed to and incorporated into the Contract through a modification hereto.

B.6 Pricing Schedule

The schedule contains the firm-fixed prices or labor hour rates for the Contractor that will be used to provide either firm-fixed-price or Labor-hour Task Orders issued by the SAA under this Contract. All pricing shall be fully burdened with all administrative costs, inclusive of local travel, local transportation, and other direct costs (ODCs).

B.6.1 Pricing Table

All prices are shown in USD

Line Item # Description

Unit of Measure

Estimated Quantity

Fixed Unit Price

Total Price / Not to Exceed Price

Transition Period: July 1, 2025 – September 30, 2025

0006 Contract Transition (FFP) LOT 1 $0.00 $0.00

All prices are shown in USD

Line Item # Description

Unit of Measure

Estimated Quantity

Fixed Unit Price

Total Price / Not to Exceed Price

BASE PERIOD: October 1, 2025 – September 30, 2027

0001 IT Purchasing (See Appendix A-2)

0002 Installations (FFP) LOT 1 $0.00 $0.00

0003 Help Desk (FFP) LOT 1 $0.00 $0.00

0004 Asset Management (FFP) LOT 1 $0.00 $0.00

0005 Unspecified IT Support Services (LH) TBD

0006 Reserved

0007 ITSC Program Management (FFP) LOT 1 $0.00 $0.00

0008 System Consultants (LH) HOUR 1 $0.00

System Consultants – Recording Studio

(LH) HOURS $0.00 $0.00

0010 Optional Task Order Support (LH) TBD

SUB-TOTAL $0.00

OPTION PERIOD 1: October 1, 2027 – September 30, 2028

1001 IT Purchasing (See Appendix A-2)

1002 Installations (FFP) LOT 1 $0.00 $0.00

1003 Help Desk (FFP) LOT 1 $0.00 $0.00

1004 Asset Management (FFP) LOT 1 $0.00 $0.00

1005 Unspecified IT Support Services (LH) TBD

1006 Reserved

1007 ITSC Program Management (FFP) LOT 1 $0.00 $0.00

1008 System Consultants (LH) HOUR 1 $0.00

System Consultants – Recording Studio

(LH) HOURS $0.00 $0.00

1010 Optional Task Order Support (LH) TBD

SUB-TOTAL $0.00

OPTION PERIOD 2: October 1, 2028 – September 30, 2029

2001 IT Purchasing (See Appendix A-2)

2002 Installations (FFP) LOT 1 $0.00 $0.00

2003 Help Desk (FFP) LOT 1 $0.00 $0.00

2004 Asset Management (FFP) LOT 1 $0.00 $0.00

2005 Unspecified IT Support Services (LH) TBD

2006 Reserved

2007 ITSC Program Management (FFP) LOT 1 $0.00 $0.00

2008 System Consultants (LH) HOUR 1 $0.00

2009 System Consultants – Recording Studio (LH) HOURS $0.00 $0.00

2010 Optional Task Order Support (LH) TBD

SUB-TOTAL $0.00

OPTION PERIOD 3: October 1, 2029 – September 30, 2030

3001 IT Purchasing (See Appendix A-2)

3002 Installations (FFP) LOT 1 $0.00 $0.00

3003 Help Desk (FFP) LOT 1 $0.00 $0.00

3004 Asset Management (FFP) LOT 1 $0.00 $0.00

3005 Unspecified IT Support Services (LH) TBD

3006 Reserved

3007 ITSC Program Management (FFP) LOT 1 $0.00 $0.00

3008 System Consultants (LH) HOUR 1 $0.00

3009 System Consultants – Recording Studio (LH) HOURS $0.00 $0.00

3010 Optional Task Order Support (LH) TBD

OPTION PERIOD 4: October 1, 2030 – September 30, 2031

4001 IT Purchasing (See Appendix A-2)

4002 Installations (FFP) LOT 1 $0.00 $0.00

4003 Help Desk (FFP) LOT 1 $0.00 $0.00

4004 Asset Management (FFP) LOT 1 $0.00 $0.00

4005 Unspecified IT Support Services (LH) TBD

4006 Reserved

4007 ITSC Program Management (FFP) LOT 1 $0.00 $0.00

4008 System Consultants (LH) HOUR 1 $0.00

4009 System Consultants – Recording Studio (LH) HOURS $0.00 $0.00

4010 Optional Task Order Support (LH) TBD

TOTAL – All Years $0.00

B.6.2 Labor Rates

Description Labor Rate BASE PERIOD: October 1, 2025 – September 30, 2027 Labor Category 1 $0.00 Labor Category 2 $0.00 Labor Category 3 $0.00 Labor Category 4 $0.00 Labor Category n. $0.00 Description Labor Rate OPTION PERIOD 1: October 1, 2027 – September 30, 2028 Labor Category 1 $0.00 Labor Category 2 $0.00 Labor Category 3 $0.00 Labor Category 4 $0.00 Labor Category n. $0.00 Description Labor Rate OPTION PERIOD 2: October 1, 2028 – September 30, 2029 Labor Category 1 $0.00 Labor Category 2 $0.00 Labor Category 3 $0.00 Labor Category 4 $0.00 Labor Category n. $0.00 Description Labor Rate OPTION PERIOD 3: October 1, 2029 – September 30, 2030 Labor Category 1 $0.00 Labor Category 2 $0.00 Labor Category 3 $0.00 Labor Category 4 $0.00 Labor Category n. $0.00

Description Labor Rate OPTION PERIOD 4: October 1, 2030 – September 30, 2031 Labor Category 1 $0.00 Labor Category 2 $0.00 Labor Category 3 $0.00 Labor Category 4 $0.00 Labor Category n. $0.00

B.7 Ordering

An order for products and/or services under this Contract must comply with the following:

a. Any products or services to be furnished under this Contract shall be ordered by issuance of Task Order(s) by the Contracting Officer. Orders shall be addressed to the Contractor at the address in Section A, Block 11A of the Contract.

b. All Task Orders are subject to the terms and conditions of this Contract. In the event of conflict between a Task Order and this Contract, the Contract shall control in accordance with Section H.1, Order of Precedence. The parties shall not use Task Orders to modify the Contract.

c. Task Orders will be issued electronically by the SAA to the Contractor.

d. All Contractor price proposals must use the rates referenced in B.6 and be submitted to the SAA for proposal evaluation. Each Task Order will specify the contract type (Firm-Fixed-Price, Labor Hour or Time & Material) for the specific Task Order.

B.8 Contract Ceiling and Guaranteed Minimum

The maximum ceiling of this IDIQ contract is to be determined. There is no guaranteed minimum on this IDIQ Contract.

SECTION C -- STATEMENT OF WORK

C.1 Introduction

In this Statement of Work, the chart approach is used for defining all roles and responsibilities as listed in Table 1. The approach will utilize the RASCI Model (Responsible, Accountable, Supporting, Consulted, Informed).

Table 1. Definition of RASCI Model Code Role Role Detail Description

R Responsible

Individual operationally responsible for performing a sourcing activity.

Responsible individuals report to the Accountable individual.

Only one individual is responsible for any given activity.

Responsible is a proactive role.

A Accountable

Individual with final accountability for the results of a sourcing activity.

Accountability includes a mandate to dismiss or accept the results by activity as realized by the Responsible individual.

This individual also holds the budget to back the mandate.

Only one individual is accountable for any given activity.

Accountable is a reactive role.

S Supporting

Individuals who support the Responsible individual in realizing the sourcing activity.

They actively participate in realizing/executing/performing the activity.

Supportive individuals report to the Responsible individual.

Multiple individuals can participate in support of the Responsible individual for any given activity.

Supporting is a proactive role.

C Consulted

Individuals who should be consulted in realizing/executing/performing the activity, on the scope, budget, time and value of the activity.

Multiple individuals can be required to be heard for any given activity.

Consulted is a reactive role.

I Informed

Individuals who need to be informed but have no role in the realization/execution/performance of an activity, other than being informed of the result of the activity.

Multiple individuals can be informed of the results of any given activity.

Informed is a passive role.

C.1.1 The Senate environment consists of approximately 140 separate entities that are comprised of Member offices, Committees, Leadership offices, Officers of the Senate, and support organizations (See Attachment J-02, “U.S. Senate State Office Locations”. The Senate technical environment consists of a collection of Local Area Networks (LANs) connected through an overall enterprise architecture to facilitate communications within and between these networks, as well as to centralize services such as Internet/Intranet, enterprise e-mail and database services. (See Attachment J-04, “Technical Environment”).

The Senate’s standard Network Operating System is Microsoft Windows Server, and the standard messaging platform is Microsoft Exchange Server. The Senate reserves the right to switch to another operating system or to a different suite of applications under the terms of this Contract. The environment is known as Senate Messaging and Authentication Services (“SMAS”). The design consists of a single Active Directory Forest. SMAS provides authentication, messaging, and mobility services for all offices. Resources for offices are provided in a single Active Directory domain, separated by organizational units. All Active Directory domain controllers, Exchange servers and other integrated services physically reside in central locations and are administered by the SAA. However, the SAA, as the SMAS custodian, has delegated rights to administer office-specific resources (i.e. user accounts, mailboxes, and computers accounts) to individual office Systems Administrators. This delegation also allows administration of all office-maintained systems, for example Senate and Committee office servers, workstations, and printers.

Historically, there is some fluctuation in the number of workstations and LANs from year to year.

Supported locations in the Metropolitan Washington Area are listed in Section J, Attachment J-01, “Supported Washington, DC Site Locations.”

C.1.2 Section J, Attachment J-02, “U.S. Senate State Office Locations”, contains a list of the current state office locations that the Contractor is required to support information technology products.

Upon receipt of notification from the SAA State Office Liaison regarding changes in location; office openings; or closures, the Contractor shall promptly update the ticket tracking system with the revised location information, effective as of the official date of change. The Contractor is expected to provide simultaneous support for the current, new, and temporary state office locations during this period.

Additionally, a monthly report of U.S. Senate State Office Locations will be made available on a central file platform, such as Microsoft SharePoint.

Table 2 below presents an approximate summary of the current numerical and geographical distribution of the Senate’s IT hardware (IT hardware located within the Washington, DC area vs Senate State Office locations). For all the Senate’s standard supported hardware (Section J, Attachment J-08 – “Senate Standard Hardware Products”), support is provided as specified. The balance of the Senate’s IT hardware is supported by “best effort”, which is defined as a good faith effort to assess and possibly resolve a complex problem within one hour. Table 3 further explains the Contractor’s role in supporting Senate locations.

Table 2. Senate IT Hardware

Category DC State Grand Total Desktops and Workstations 7,752 3,468 11,220 Laptop, Notebook and Tablet Computers

11,617 3,678 15,295

Monitors 9,802 7,279 17,081 Cellular Phones and Accessories

12,382 8,881 21,263

Printers 2,607 1,806 4,413 Scanners 1,312 1,117 2,429 Servers (Physical and VMI) 1,531 1,024 2,555 Video Teleconferencing Hardware and Accessories 403 510 913

UPS Batt, Backup-Filter, Generators, Power 87 74 161

Televisions 5,729 1,262 6,991

Table 3. Senate Support Locations

Senate Support Locations Contractor Client

1. Support IT in the State offices. R, A, S C

2. Update ticket tracking system with current U.S. Senate Office Locations

R, A, S C

3. Support of DC and State Telephone Systems S R

4. Routing DC and State Telephone support calls R, S A

*The designations in the Contractor and Client column refer to codes defined within Table 1.

C.1.3 The information maintained in the various offices covered by this Contract (“Attachment J-01 Supported Washington DC Locations”;, J-02 “ U.S. Senate Office Locations”) is sensitive, requires a very high degree of physical and electronic security, and the Contractor shall not disclose this information without prior written approval by the SAA. In the performance of the requirements of the Contract, the Contractor shall make use of advanced technologies, improved workflows, and other alternatives;

however, the operational considerations of the Senate and the security of information will always take precedence (see Attachment J-10, “U.S. Sergeant at Arms Standard Operating Procedures (SOPS) for Cybersecurity”, Contractor Responsibilities for Cybersecurity).

C.1.4 The SAA plans a transition period for three (3) months after award to familiarize the Contractor with the Senate environment and better ensure a high-quality continuity of service under the Contract. To ensure a seamless transition of services from the Outgoing Contractor to the Incoming Contractor, the Outgoing Contractor shall provide all necessary support and cooperation during the twelve-week transition period. This support includes, but is not limited to, providing access to relevant documentation, facilitating knowledge transfer through meetings and training, responding promptly to requests for assistance, and cooperating fully with both the Incoming Contractor and the SAA throughout the transition process. The Outgoing Contractor’s designated Transition Point of Contact shall be actively involved in coordinating these activities to guarantee a smooth and efficient handover of service responsibilities.

C.1.5 The SAA licenses and currently uses the ServiceNow program, including modules for Service Desk, Incident Management, IT Acquisition tracking, and Request Management. Any reference to “ticket tracking system” or “ticket tracking software” as those terms are used in this Contract mean ServiceNow application, or any like system(s) that the Senate should decide to use in the future. All data for tracking tickets are entered into this system. All tracking tickets are generated by this system. In addition, the Contractor shall utilize the Knowledge-Centered Service (“KCS”) methodology, principles, and best practices in the delivery of Help Desk services under this contract. Key aspects of KCS methodology, principles, and best practices shall include:

a. Capturing solutions to customer issues within a knowledge base for reuse and continuous improvement;

b. Structured authoring of Help Desk articles to facilitate searching and self-service;

c. First call resolution empowerment for agents to immediately find and apply documented solutions;

d. Measuring and improving defined KCS metrics such as agent utilization of knowledge base, first contact resolution rates, publishing frequency, and search effectiveness;

e. Fostering a knowledge-sharing culture through communities of practice, recognition, and feedback loops; and

f. Aligning knowledge management processes with the Senate's mission and service delivery objectives.

C.1.5.1 The SAA reserves the right to audit and provide input on the Contractor’s KCS implementation and related operational practices. Contractor staff shall be sufficiently trained on the KCS methodology principles and tools utilized.

C.2 Background

C.2.1 Although Senate IT systems have evolved in recent years, much like the IT systems of other organizations of its size, the Senate is not quite like other comparable organizations since it has some special environmental elements that the Contractor must accommodate in performance of the Contract.

While many organizations strive for centralization of functions and services for efficient operations, the Senate is a historic institution with an operational environment decentralized to meet the unique needs of the Members and Committees. In this environment, Senate offices are required to employ System Administrators (“SAs”), who are typically the first line of technical support within an individual office (see Section C.6.3.1). The Contractor is required to work with the SAs to keep the Senate Office in optimal operational status.

C.2.2 A description of the Senate’s technical environment can be found in Section J, Attachment J-04, “Technical Environment.”

C.3 Quality Assurance

C.3.1 Quality Assurance Program

The Contractor shall be ISO/IEC 20000 certified in the areas of IT Acquisition (materials and hardware), and IT Installation (hardware/software). The following table, Table 4, identifies the Quality Assurance responsibilities that the Provider and Client will perform.

Table 4. Quality Assurance Program Quality Assurance Program Contractor Client

1. Maintain appropriate ISO/IEC 20000 series currency. R, A I

2. Exercise ISO/IEC 20000 series practices throughout the performance of this Contract.

R, A I

3. Provide a copy of the current ISO certifications and the dates of the last and next scheduled audits.

R, A I

4. Proprietary procedures must be made available for viewing as appropriate with assigned non-disclosure agreement.

R, A I

5. Provide experienced, qualified personnel, supervision, tools, materials (including manuals and schematics), parts, hardware, and transportation necessary to fulfill the IT support services requirements.

R, A I

6. Acquire ordered products; manage, track, and control orders throughout the acquisition life cycle for

R, A I all ordered Senate standard and non-standard IT hardware and software.

7. Contractor shall participate in DEP/ABM for Apple products introduced into the Senate environment. The suppliers to the Contractor must ensure Apple products are enrolled, and verified, in DEP/ABM before delivery/installation to a Senate customer.

R, A I

8. Manage the warranty of IT goods that the Senate purchases through the Contractor.

R, A I

9. Provide on-site maintenance and keep the Senate’s IT hardware in good operating condition consistent with Original Hardware Manufacturer (OEM) requirements.

R, A I

10. Provide other optional IT-related technical consulting support services, internal Senate operations support, to include System Consultant(s) that go beyond normal acquisition, installation, and problem management services. Optional Task Order Support Services are identified in Sections C.6.10

R, A I

11. Responsible for all costs of maintaining the ISO/IEC 20000 certification.

R, A I

*The designations in the Contractor and Client column refer to codes defined within Table 1.

C.3.2 Quality Assurance Process

The Contractor Program Manager (“PM”) is responsible for taking specific actions to ensure the quality of the Program Management process in the delivery of goods and services:

1. Support and advocate quality excellence at all times;

2. Provide training in ISO/IEC 20000 quality principles for program team members;

3. Take a leadership role in ensuring quality excellence in the entire support process;

4. Review all processes and workflows in the context of total quality management;

5. Correct any process deficiencies;

6. Employ continuous process improvement techniques;

7. Monitor response and resolution times; and,

8. Undertake any other actions necessary to the delivery of goods and services.

C.3.3 ISO/IEC 20000 Certification

Table 5 identifies general ISO/IEC 20000 requirements associated with this SOW.

Table 5. ISO Certification ISO Certification Contractor Client

1. ISO Certification in place at time of Contract Award

R, A I

2. Maintain valid ISO Certification R, A I

3. Establish and maintain a Quality Management System.

R, A I

4. Develop an electronic copy of the Procedures Manual within ninety (90) days of the end of the transition period.

R, A I

5. Update the Procedures Manual at least annually unless otherwise specified.

R, A I

6. Procedures Manual shall be available at all times to the Contractor PM and the COR or designee in an electronic format.

R, A I

7. The Procedures Manual is incorporated into this Contract by reference including any changes accepted and incorporated by mutual agreement.

R, A I

8. Make recommendations for any quality forms deemed necessary to meet ISO clauses which may include an Internal Quality Audit, certificates of training, discrepancy reporting, and related items.

R, A C, I

9. Establish reporting content, format, frequency and routing.

R, A I

10. Actively promote, support, and initiate continuous improvement to all processes and procedures used in this Contract.

R, A C, I

11. Coordinate periodic internal and external ISO/IEC 20000 quality management audits.

R, A I

12. Report results from internal and external ISO/IEC 20000 quality management audits.

R, A I

13. Establish written procedures associated with obtaining each service level and the contract deliverable.

R, A I

14. Report and track ISO non-conformances and corrective measures.

R, A I

*The designations in the Contractor and Client column refer to codes defined within Table 1.

C.4 Technical Objectives and Practices

The following are technical objectives, which are to be met as part of the Contract.

1. To optimize service delivery by acquiring IT support services from an ISO/IEC 20000 certified contractor;

2. To provide incentives to the successful Contractor to exceed established service levels across all functional areas;

3. To reduce the cost of acquiring IT hardware and software;

4. To enhance customer satisfaction, and;

5. To benefit from state-of-the-art processes and approaches to IT support services.

C.4.1 Technical Skills

In addition to the requirements in Section C.6.3.2.1, the Contractor shall update the technical skills of the Contractor staff as IT technology and the supported products evolve and new items are added to Section J, Attachment J-07, “Senate Standard Software Products”, and Section J, Attachment J-08, “Senate Standard Hardware Products.” The Contractor shall submit a report monthly that details the certifications and years of experience for each technician on the Installation team.

C.4.2 Monitoring of Trends

The Contractor shall identify and report common support and IT-related trends and issues within and related to the Senate environment in a format at the COR or designee’s discretion on a weekly basis.

C.4.3 Innovation

The Contractor shall foster an employment environment for its employees that permits innovation and encourages suggestions for creative approaches that would improve service to the Senate community by leveraging their Senate contract staff as well as corporate resources. The Contractor shall, twice each year at mutually agreed-upon dates, brief the COR on the Contractor’s employment of innovative practices and processes. The briefings shall begin at the conclusion of the Transition Period. Additionally, the Contractor shall, when requested, participate in Senate innovation upgrades, enhancements, automations, and changes.

C.4.4 Employee Interview Process

The Contractor shall incorporate industry best practices into its hiring process. As part of the activity in support of all tasks exercised under this Contract, the Contractor’s staff shall maintain updated and demonstratable expertise on the newest technology, ideas, and features regarding the hardware, software, and networking systems in use at the Senate using a professional approach to the provision of goods and services. Following the initial transition period, interviews for Washington, DC-based technicians shall include a practical skills assessment. The skills tested shall represent situations encountered within a typical Senate office.

C.4.5 New Employee Orientation

The Senate is a unique working environment. In this regard, the SAA will provide the transition team with a thorough orientation to the Senate environment. The Contractor shall provide that same thorough orientation to all new employees. The orientation will include, but not be limited to the following listed in Table 6.

Table 6. New Employee Orientation

New Employee Orientation Contractor Client

1. Tour of the Senate Buildings: provide familiarity with Senate supported locations in DC.

R, A S, C, I

2. Provide an overview of the Senate leadership, members, committees, and officers.

R, A S, C, I

3. Provide overview of the Senate as a working legislative institution and its effects on the business processes of the Contractor.

R, A S, C, I

4. Provide overview of the typical Senate office environment, including the role of the system administrator and other key office positions.

R, A S, C, I

5. Review of appropriate dress, conduct, and professionalism. R, A S, C, I

6. Explanation of the Senate Customer Support Guidelines (provided by the COR or designee).

R, A S, C, I

7. Overview of this Contract, service level agreements, and SAA organizational structure and functions.

R, A S, C, I

8. Provide overview of Senate IT environment to staff in a Technical Support role.

R, A S, C, I

9. Overview of products and services. R, A S, C, I

10. Provide a comprehensive understanding of their team’s role and available resources.

R, A S, C, I

*The designations in the Contractor and Client column refer to codes defined within Table 1.

C.4.6 Technician Preparation

The Contractor shall provide all its technicians with easy access to all supported technology. Prior to going to a Senate office to perform technical work, Contractor’s technicians shall:

a) Review the work status,

1) To review the work status, the technician shall read thoroughly all relevant tracking tickets with important information included in or attached to the tracking ticket that will enable the technician to efficiently meet the Senate customers’ needs.

b) Have all the necessary tools,

c) Have a copy of the tracking ticket and any related installation instructions, and

d) Have a work plan/approach in mind.

The Contractor technician shall take these steps so that the technician arrives in the office very well-informed such that Senate staff is not requested to reiterate information that is already documented in the tracking ticket.

C.4.7 Timeliness of Tracking Ticket Updates

The Contractor shall maintain and update all tracking tickets by providing a comprehensive status update for each relevant event. A ‘relevant event’ encompasses, but is not restricted to the following scenarios:

• Receipt of hardware/software from the supplier

• Staging of hardware prior to delivery or installation

• Enroute and arrival status of the technician(s)

• Disposition of hardware

• Any encountered problems or delays

• Completion of tasks and associated required forms

• Departure from the subject office

• User-provided information

• Asset-related details

• Scheduling information

• Associated materials

• Ticket/task assignment

In situations where the Contractor requires assistance from another SAA support group or Contractor team, the Contractor shall promptly assign a task within the open ticket, providing specific details for completion. Additionally, the Contractor shall utilize the ticket tracking system’s email feature to facilitate real-time communication with the customer, ensuring that updates are accurately recorded within the ticket. See Section C.6.3.9.

C.4.8 Office Profiles

The Contractor shall maintain an online profile of each office in the Senate’s trouble tracking application (see Section C.1.5), including a description of each supported office’s IT environment, support preferences, and any other data that will enable the technicians and the Contractor’s management team to understand the environment in which work is to be performed. The minimum data points of the office profiles are included in Section J, Attachment J-09, “Office Profile Data Points.” The Contractor shall verify and update current Office Profile data during the Transition period, and on a monthly schedule to ensure the information is accurate.

C.5 Service Level Agreement with Incentives and Penalties

Section J, Attachment J-05, “Service Level Agreement with Incentives and Penalties” summarizes the required service levels for the Installation and Help Desk work, as specified in Section C. The Service Level Agreement explains the incentives and penalties associated with the measurements described herein and provides the monthly calculations that result in the summary addition or subtraction from each month’s invoices.

The Contractor may petition the COR or designee in writing for an exception to service levels in a particular transaction when events beyond the Contractor’s control negatively impact the measurements. (See Section J, Attachment J-06, “Service Level Agreement Ticket Review Process.”)

C.6 Tasks

The Contractor shall perform the following tasks.

C.6.1 CLIN 1: Purchasing IT Materials and Hardware

THE SAA RESERVES THE RIGHT TO PROCURE INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY HARDWARE OR SOFTWARE

OUTSIDE OF THIS CONTRACT.

THE CONTRACTOR SHALL FULLY SUPPORT SENATE STANDARD HARDWARE AND SOFTWARE (See Section J, Attachment J-07, “Senate Standard Software Products”) PURCHASED OUTSIDE OF THIS CONTRACT.

C.6.1.1 IT Purchasing Overview

The Contractor shall be responsible for purchasing, tracking, receiving, testing, staging, warehousing, delivering, and installing all Senate standard and non-standard hardware and software. Standard hardware and software listed in Section J, Attachment J-07, “Senate Standard Software Products” and Attachment J- 08, “Senate Standard Hardware Products.”

Non-standard hardware and software are defined as hardware and software that are not listed in Section J, Attachment J-07, “Senate Standard Software Products”, or Attachment J-08, “Senate Standard Hardware Products.” The Senate reserves the right to substitute other manufacturers’ models, or other models within manufacturer lines as the Senate’s technology refreshment plans evolve. See Section C.6.1.7.

The Contractor shall provide all necessary personnel; facilities; hardware; supervision; tools; materials;

and incidental items necessary to successfully fulfill the Contract’s purchasing requirements at competitive prices.

All hardware and software purchased must be in accordance with requirements of Attachment J-20, “Section 208 Compliance Certificate.” The Contractor, as an agent of the Senate, must seek the best possible price on all hardware and software requested. Attachment J-07, “Senate Standard Software Products”, or Attachment J-08, “Senate Standard Hardware Products” contain examples of typically purchased items. These lists are not finite but cover the vast majority. Provisions are made to remove obsolete items and add new items as technology evolves. The Contractor shall leverage at every opportunity all special programs offered by the Original Hardware Manufacturers. The Contractor Program Management Office (“PMO”) will work with the COR or their designee to identify and establish a reporting structure and cadence that shows the use of these programs.

C.6.1.2 At the beginning of each fiscal year, the SAA will create task orders for hardware, software, and other products in the online catalog. When Offices submit orders for hardware or software, the SAA issues a release against the appropriate Blanket Purchase Agreement (“BPA”) to the Contractor as a purchase order. Occasionally the SAA will need to add funds to a BPA. In those cases, the SAA will hold invoices against the subject BPA for approximately five (5) business days. At the end of that period, the SAA will add funds to the BPA and processing of invoices against that BPA will resume.

C.6.1.3 The Senate has an Enterprise Agreement (“EA”) with Microsoft that currently includes workstation and server operating systems, Microsoft Office, and core Client Access Licenses (“or CALs”). The Contractor shall install, and support software covered under all Enterprise Agreements regardless of the origins of its licensing within the Senate.

C.6.1.4 Yearly Acquisition Installation Tickets

C.6.1.5 The table below provides historical information on yearly orders.

Table 8. Acquisition Installation Tickets

DC STATE

HOME

DELIVERY

TOTAL

Non-acquisition 606 184 790

Install 2294 2117 4411

Delivery 1993 611 341 2945

Move/Relocation 493 240 733

RTS 1912 1153 3065

Other Requests 119 43 162

2024 (election year)

Non-Acquisition 846 411 1257

Install 2076 836 2912

Delivery 878 274 246 1398

Move/Relocation 121 34 155

RTS 1316 344 1660

Other Requests 368 155 523

Note: Approximately 54% of acquisitions pertain to the Washington, DC offices, while 41% are allocated for Senate State Offices and the remaining 5% being allocated to Home Delivery. The relocation of existing (IT) hardware, occasionally facilitated through shipment by the SAA at its own expense, commonly transpires from Washington, DC to state offices. Notably, the procurement volume exhibits annual variability attributable to diverse factors, including election outcomes.

To ensure the seamless provision of services, the Contractor is obligated to furnish a sufficient workforce capable of fully supporting the SAA and all other Senate offices, while concurrently adhering to the specified service level requirements as detailed in Section J, Attachment J-05, titled "Service Level Agreement with Incentives and Penalties."

C.6.1.6 Contractor Responsibilities

The Contractor shall be responsible for the acquisition of IT materials and hardware for the United States Senate in performance of the Contract. To achieve the Service Levels for DC, State and Home acquisition tickets, the Contractor shall maintain a supply of stocked hardware at the offsite warehouse facility. When a product is unavailable within the SLA for three or more orders within five business days, the Contractor must propose a solution to SAA to ensure additional orders meet the SLA. Technicians dispatched by the

Contractor to support a state office should operate from sites within a fifty (50) mile radius of the state office location. The responsibilities of the Provider and Client are outlined in Table 9.

Table 9. Contractor Responsibilities Contractor Responsibilities Contractor Client

1. Ordering Senate standard and non-standard hardware and software. R, A I

2. Shipment of hardware between DC and State offices. R, A I

3. Breakdown and packing of state IT hardware. R, A C, I

4. Provide packing materials for shipment of hardware from a state office to a DC office.

A I, R

5. Provide installation (including moves and Returns to Stock (RTS)), maintenance and repair support during normal business hours in all fifty states via remote phone support and/or physical dispatch to the Senate supported location per attachments J-01 and J-02 for site locations.

R, A I

6. Maintaining acquisition records for tracking and controlling orders throughout the acquisition life cycle from receipt of requests through follow-ups, corrective actions, order fulfillment, and customer satisfaction.

R, A C, I

7. Establishing, updating and maintaining purchase order files for historical and tracking purposes.

R, A I

*The designations in the Contractor and Client column refer to codes defined within Table 1.

The Contractor shall be responsible for ensuring that the ordered products are compatible with the specific Senate Office environment where these products will be installed. A site survey may be required pursuant to Section C.6.2.2.1.

C.6.1.6.1 The Contractor shall support all procured hardware or software on the Senate Standard Software Products and Senate Standard Hardware Products lists whether purchased by the Contractor, the Senate, or already in place at the Senate (see Section J, Attachment J-07, “Senate Standard Software Products”, and Section J, Attachment J-08, “Senate Standard Hardware Products”). Additionally, the SAA may require the Contractor to work on unsupported products or not listed in the Attachment J-07, “Senate Standard Software Products”, or Attachment J-08, “Senate Standard Hardware Products.” as part of the core support contract.

C.6.1.6.2 The Contractor shall be responsible for testing each product purchased prior to installation to ensure proper operating condition. Testing procedures shall include integration as well as unit testing, to ensure that the pro duct performs properly as an integral unit. The Contractor shall be responsible for maintaining completed test logs and results from its unit and integration testing, which shall be made available to the Senate upon request. When a complete office is being moved, upgraded, or newly installed, each component shall be tested. When more than one computer is being installed or a server is being installed or upgraded, each component shall be tested in the final operating environment. The Contractor shall use its automated tools and manual test scripts to accomplish this testing.

C.6.1.6.3 The SAA provides an online Technology Catalog system that lists Senate approved hardware and software products. Table 10 describes the responsibilities related to the Technology Catalog.

Table 10. Technology Catalog System

*The designations in the Contractor and Client column refer to codes defined within Table 1.

C.6.1.6.4 Through the Technology Catalog, offices may submit a request for a quote for non-standard hardware and software. The Contractor shall provide price quotations within three (3) business hours of the request by Senate staff. Unsupported products require a Risk Assessment, in accordance with Attachment J-10 U.S. Sergeant at Arms Standard Operating Procedures (SOPS) for Cybersecurity.

Therefore, unsupported quoted items must be escalated to SAA for approval to proceed. Business hours for the purpose of this provision are 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. Eastern Time, Monday through Friday, excluding Federal holidays. Products purchased through the quote system will be installed and considered as supported by the Contractor.

C.6.1.6.5 The Contractor must monitor any special offers for the sale or licensing of products made available to the public and report on these efforts monthly. The format and delivery of this report will be worked out by the Contractor and COR or designee. The Contractor shall promptly extend any special offers available for products to the Senate. Additionally, the Contractor must maintain a relationship with suppliers to extend any special offers available for products to the Senate. Furthermore, the Contractor is required to provide quarterly and ad-hoc audit pricing reports to validate that special offers are being passed along to the Senate.

C.6.1.6.6 If the item or product is incorrect, inappropriate, inoperable, damaged or incompatible for the specific office environment, the Senate will not make payment for the product and related services.

In those cases where the SAA, Secretary of the Senate, or U. S. Capitol Police exercises the right to procure hardware or software outside of the scope of this Contract, the above provision for ordering accuracy lies with the Senate, and not the Contractor.

C.6.1.7 Rights and Title to Hardware and Software

Online Technology Catalog System Contractor Client

1. Maintain the content of the SAA and IT Contractor catalogs (including, but not limited to product additions, removals, pricing changes, etc) which source the Technology Catalog System.

R, A C, I

2 Complete changes to the catalog content within two (2) hours of written notification.

R, A C, I

3. Add new products to the online Technology Catalog. R, A C, I

4. Perform quarterly review of the online Technology Catalog content for accuracy.

R, A C, I

5. Provide documented quarterly review results with suggested action. R, A C, I

6. Attend Technology Catalog status and planning meetings. R, A C, I

All rights and title to hardware and software shall transfer to the Senate upon receipt of the goods. All Contractor purchase orders for hardware and software purchased by the Contractor in support of this Contract shall have the following legend:

"UNITED STATES SENATE, OFFICE OF THE SERGEANT AT ARMS CONTRACT # (Insert Contract Number). THE MATERIAL AND/OR SERVICE ON THIS ORDER IS BEING PURCHASED BY (Contractor's Name) ON BEHALF OF THE UNITED STATES SENATE AND ALL APPLICABLE RIGHTS, TITLE AND INTEREST SHALL INURE TO THE

UNITED STATES SENATE, AS REQUIRED."

C.6.1.8 IT Order Process for Hardware and Software

C.6.1.8.1 Regular Office Order (Overview)

The following is a brief overview of the current typical Senate Office ordering process, and the actions required, from the beginning of the order process to the completion of the installation.

Step 1. The Contractor will receive the Senate’s executed purchase order, applicable installation instructions (see Section J, Attachment J-11, “Installation Instructions”) and tracking ticket.

Step 2. The Contractor shall order the required products from a manufacturer or supplier and arrange for delivery to Senate locations.

Step 3. The Contractor shall notify the customer of receipt of purchase order by email.

Step 4. The Contractor shall offer a pre-installation meeting, delivery, or installation as required.

Step 5. The Contractor shall install or deliver the hardware for the customer within the specified Service Levels. (See Section J, Attachment J-05 “Service Level Agreement with Incentives and Penalties.”) Installation tickets may pertain to a single user fulfillment or cover multiple users on a single ticket.

Step 6. The Contractor shall obtain customer approval for the installation, secure the customer's signature on both the tracking ticket and either a partial or final Acknowledgment of Receipt (AOR) form (refer to Section J, Attachment J-12). Additionally, the Contractor must generate and deliver completed AOR packets for the Senate's asset management system (i.e., the Asset Manager) and subsequently close the tracking ticket when all products are installed or delivered.

Step 7. On the fifth business day after the installation or delivery has been completed, the Contractor will follow up with the Point of Contact (“POC”) to confirm that there are no outstanding issues or concerns and document the relevant ticket. (See Section 6.2.2.5.)

Step 8. The Contractor must provide written notification each month to the Contracting Officer’s Representative (COR) or their designee regarding all outstanding acquisition tickets that are more than sixty (60) days old and have not yet been scheduled for delivery or installation or require an AOR to be signed by the office.

AORs for state office installations shall be signed by the state point of contact or the system administrator in the Washington, DC office, according to the office’s preference, for partial and final delivery as listed in the profile for that office. (See Section C.4.8.)

The Contractor is responsible for producing the AOR and providing it to the office. Please refer to Section C.6.4 for more detailed information on Asset Manager and configuration tracking.

C.6.1.8.2 Should the Contractor determine a change order to an acquisition purchase order justifies an adjustment of an SLA period, the Contractor shall promptly escalate the issue in writing to the COR or designee at the time the Contractor becomes aware of the need for the adjustment.

C.6.1.8.3 Senate Member and Committee Office Funds IT Order Process Procedures

Each Senate Member and Committee office has the capability to use its own funds to purchase IT hardware. In this case, the original purchase order issued by the Senate Office or Committee is sent electronically to the Contractor to ensure proper order fulfillment and billing.