DRAFT

CONTROLLED UNCLASSIFIED INFORMATION (CUI)

SOURCE SELECTION INFORMATION – SEE FAR 2.101 & 3.104

PERFORMANCE WORK STATEMENT

Department of War Education Activity

4800 Mark Center Drive

Alexandria, VA 22350

SOURCE SELECTION INFORMATION – SEE FAR 2.101 & 3.104

CONTROLLED UNCLASSIFIED INFORMATION (CUI)

SOURCE SELECTION INFORMATION – SEE FAR 2.101 & 3.104

DEPARTMENT OF WAR EDUCATION ACTIVITY (DoWEA)

PERFORMANCE WORK STATEMENT (PWS)

FOR

AP® US HISTORY (APUSH) INSTRUCTIONAL RESOURCES

1. INTRODUCTION

1.1 Agency

The Department of War Education Activity (DoWEA), one of only two federally operated school systems, directs, coordinates, and manages pre-kindergarten through 12th-grade educational programs for the Department of War.

DoWEA operates 161 fully accredited schools, serving over 66,000 children of active-duty military and DoD civilian families. Our curriculum, resources and student achievement scores on standardized assessments compare favorably to those of high-performing US public school systems.

Operating as a field activity of the Office of the Secretary of War (Personnel and Readiness), DoWEA is overseen by a director located at our headquarters in Alexandria, VA. DoWEA’s schools are organized into three geographic areas: Americas, Europe, and Pacific. In the Americas, DoWEA operates 50 schools located in seven states, Puerto Rico, and Cuba. In Europe and the Middle East, DoWEA operates 64 schools located in

Germany, England, Netherlands, Belgium, Spain, Turkey, Bahrain, and Italy. In the Pacific, DoWEA operates

46 schools located in Korea, Japan (mainland and Okinawa), and Guam. DoWEA also operates a fully accredited virtual high school with teaching hubs in the Americas, Europe, and Pacific.

DoWEA has adopted College and Career Ready Standards (CCRS) in mathematics, literacy, the arts, social studies, and science, which are rigorous, research-based, and reflect the knowledge, skills and dispositions students need for success in college and/or careers as well as the College, Career, and Civic Life (C3) Framework for Social Studies State Standards.

1.2 Background

DoWEA has offered the AP® US History (APUSH) course for many years. Per Federal regulations, DoWEA must recompete this requirement in fiscal year 2026. Due to time constraints and related challenges, a one-year sole source bridge contract will be awarded in fiscal 2026, and a full and open competition will occur in fiscal year 2027.

1.3 Scope

The Contractor shall provide 100% digital instructional resources aligned to the APUSH curriculum framework, per https://advancesinap.collegeboard.org/english-history-and-social-science/us-history. The Contractor shall allow DoWEA to download the resources as needed. For example, a teacher may want to provide a printed worksheet for students or a student with an individual educational program (IEP) may require the textbook in print form. Note: All printed resources are for internal use only.

APUSH Students Teachers Above-School-

Level Experts*

Base Year 1,100 46 12

* Above-school level subject-matter experts only require digital access to the teacher resources.

2 REQUIREMENTS (OBJECTIVES)

2.1 Objective 1, Instructional Resources and Related Support

This objective is to provide students, teachers, and above-school-level experts with digital APUSH instructional resources and related support with the goal of preparing students to pass College Board’s APUSH examination.

The tasks listed below help the Contractor understand the requirements but are not exhaustive.

The Contractor shall develop a complete solution using a performance-based approach.

SOURCE SELECTION INFORMATION – SEE FAR 2.101 & 3.104

CONTROLLED UNCLASSIFIED INFORMATION (CUI)

SOURCE SELECTION INFORMATION – SEE FAR 2.101 & 3.104

2.1.1 Task 1, AP® US History Course Content—The Contractor shall:

2.1.1.1 Provide instructional resources aligned to the most current APUSH course content learning objectives, which are organized around the following themes:

1) American and National Identity (NAT), which focuses on how American identity and values have developed over time, including citizenship, constitutionalism, and culture.

2) Work, Exchange, and Technology (WET), which explores the development of American economies, labor systems, and technological innovations, and their societal impact.

3) Geography and the Environment (GEO), which examines how these two factors have influenced US history, including migration patterns and resource use.

4) Migration and Settlement (MIG), which looks at the movement of people to, from, and within the US, and how these movements have affected US society and culture.

5) Politics and Power (PCE), which analyzes the development of political institutions, political parties, and the role of the government in society.

6) America in the World (WOR), which focuses on US interactions with other nations and the influence of global events on US history.

7) American and Reginal Culture (ARC), which investigates the development of cultural values, practices, and artistic expressions in different regions and time periods.

8) Social Structures (SOC), which explores how social categories like race, gender, and class have shaped US life and institutions

2.1.1.2 Provide instructional resources aligned to the most current APUSH course themes and concepts, which are structured around the nine chronological periods listed below:

1) 1491–1607: Pre-Columbian societies to arrival of Europeans and beginning of colonization.

2) 1607–1754: Colonial development and interactions among Europeans, Native Americans, and Africans.

3) 1754–1800: American Revolution, formation of the government, and early national period.

4) 1800–1848: Expansion of democracy, market revolution, and reform movements.

5) 1844–1877: Manifest Destiny, Civil War, and Reconstruction.

6) 1865–1898: Industrialization, urbanization, and the Gilded Age.

7) 1890–1945: Progressive Era, World War I, the Great Depression, and World War II.

8) 1945–1980: Cold War, civil rights movements, and postwar prosperity.

9) 1980–Present: Contemporary America, globalization, and political shifts.

2.1.2 Task 2, Student Resources—The Contractor shall provide 100% commercial-off-the-shelf (COTS), digital resources that accomplish the following:

2.1.2.1 Address the content learning objectives around the themes, per PWS 2.1.1.1.

2.1.2.2 Address the chronological periods, per PWS 2.1.1.2.

2.1.2.3 Provide opportunities for students to learn historical thinking skills to include analyzing evidence and creating persuasive historical arguments and which can be divided into the following four skill types:

1) Chronological Reasoning: Comparing cause and effects; analyzing and evaluating historical patterns/change over time; connecting patterns of continuity and change to larger historical processes/themes; and analyzing and evaluating competing models of periodization of

US history

2) Comparison and Contextualization: Comparing related historical processes and develop-ments over time, across societies or within one society; evaluating multiple, differing perspectives of a given historical phenomenon; and evaluating ways events or processes connect to regional, national, or global events/processes occurring at the same time.

3) Arguments Based on Evidence: Analyzing commonly accepted historical events or processes across place, time, other societies or within the same society; constructing persuasive arguments through analysis of disparate evidence; synthesizing conflicting historical evidence in a persuasive argument; and making supportable inferences and conclusions based on analysis and evaluation of historical evidence.

4) Interpretation and Synthesis: Analyzing diverse historical interpretations; evaluating how historians’ perspectives influence their work and how models of historical interpretation change over time; drawing appropriately on ideas and methods from different fields of

SOURCE SELECTION INFORMATION – SEE FAR 2.101 & 3.104

CONTROLLED UNCLASSIFIED INFORMATION (CUI)

SOURCE SELECTION INFORMATION – SEE FAR 2.101 & 3.104

inquiry or disciplines; and applying insights about the past to other historical contexts or circumstances, including the present.

2.1.3 Task 3, Teacher Resources and Assessments—The Contractor shall provide COTS, digital resources:

2.1.3.1 Teacher resources shall include but not be limited to the following:

1) Background information and explanations of instructional models/learning strategies to improve student understanding.

2) Information about the management of the proposed resources, technology, and assessments needed to deliver instruction.

3) Research-based best learning strategies and practices to deliver instruction effectively.

4) Evidence correlating good APUSH exam results to the faithful implementation of the proposed resources and assessments.

2.1.3.2 Assessments shall closely approximate the AP® exam structure which include the following:

1) Multiple-Choice Questions, which analyze historical texts, interpretations, and evidence and which include primary and secondary sources, images, graphs, and maps—40 percent of the exam.

2) Short-Answer Questions, which include texts, images, graphs, and/or maps—20 percent of the exam.

3) Documents-Based Questions, which require the analysis and synthesis of historical data and assess written, quantitative, or visual materials as historical evidence—25 percent of the exam

4) Long Essays, which require analyzing a significant issue in US history and developing an argument based on that analysis—15 percent of the exam.

2.1.4 Task 4, Professional Learning—The Contractor shall:

2.1.4.1 Product Training: Provide asynchronous webinars and/or SCORM®-compliant modules that provide at a minimum an overview of the materials, explanation of the website(s), and directions for navigation. See PWS 3.10 for more information about SCORM® compliance.

2.1.4.2 Professional Learning: Provide three 2-hour synchronous webinars delivered during normal business hours in each region (US, Europe, and Pacific) in Base Year 1—a total of six contact hours. Note: The Government will determine the topics, dates, and times for each webinar in consultation with the Contractor post-award.

2.1.3.2.1 Dry Run: Present the professional learning to DoWEA staff at least 15 business days before the first regional presentation. Finalize the professional learning based on written feedback from the contracting officer’s representative (COR).

2.1.3.2.2 LMS: Post each webinar on our learning management system (LMS, Schoology).

2.2 Objective 2, General Requirements

2.2.1 Task 1, Technical Support: The Contractor shall provide industry-standard technical support for its digital resources for the life of the contract via telephone or email within one business day from the initial contact to include but not limited to assisting with service problems, product setup, upgrades, and troubleshooting.

2.2.2 Task 2, Technical Requirements for Digital Resources—The Contractor shall:

2.2.2.1 Provide digital resources designed to run in DoWEA’s learning management system (LMS, Schoology) and/or Google Classrooms, both of which operate within DoWEA’s virtual learning environment (VLE). In addition, provide teacher and student access to the Contractor’s digital resources through a single sign-on platform that uses one username and password to access what is needed, specifically, via DoWEA’s identity, rostering, and management platform (ClassLink).

2.2.2.2 Deliver digital resources in one of the following formats:

1) Integrated via DoWEA’s LMS to the digital resources hosted by the Contractor.

2) Hosted externally by the Contractor but accessible via DoWEA’s LMS to the digital assignments and assessments imported, hosted, and maintained in the LMS.

2.2.2.3 Ensure the course content meets the following specifications:

1) Conforms to IMS Learning Global Consortium (IMS) content packaging specifications.

2) Uses imported content, if required, conforming to IMS content packaging specifications.

3) Uses code that does not disable LMS features when digital resources are accessed.

SOURCE SELECTION INFORMATION – SEE FAR 2.101 & 3.104

4) Requires single—not multiple—authentications to access content via DoWEA’s LMS.

5) Incorporates, where applicable, assessments that are IMS Test and Question Interoperability

(QTI)-conformant.

6) Uses content-hosted externally that conforms to any of the existing versions of IMS

Learning Tools Interoperability (LTI), per www.imsglobal.org.

2.2.3 Task 3, Third-Party Programs, Software, and Applications: The Contractor shall ensure its own and its subcontractors’ (third-party) programs, software, and applications meet—at a minimum—the same technical requirements as the Contractor must meet, such as single sign on (SSO) and Federal Risk and

Authorization Management Program (FedRAMP) Level 2, etc. On a case-by-case basis, DoWEA may honor requests to waive the FedRAMP Level 2 requirement. For more information, see Technical

Exhibit #1, 1.1.

2.2.4 Task 4, Delivery of Digital Resources—The Contractor shall:

2.2.4.1 Deliver digital materials with instructions detailing how the resources can be accessed by teachers, students, and above-school-level educators, using DoWEA’s LMS (Schoology) and/or DoWEA’s single-sign on rostering platform (ClassLink).

2.2.4.2 Allow DoWEA to download the resources as needed. For example, a teacher may want to provide a printed worksheet for students or a student with an individual educational program

(IEP) may require the textbook in print form. Note: All printed resources will be for internal use only.

2.2.5 Meetings: Attend virtual meetings at no additional cost to the Government and provide the medium through which each meeting occurs, record each meeting’s minutes. Submit the draft minutes to the COR within two business days of the event and finalize the minutes two business days after receipt of written feedback from the COR. Note: Costs associated with attending any face-to-face meetings shall be handled/ paid for as stated in the contract.

2.2.5.1 Post-Award Conference: Participate in a video- or teleconference with the COR five business days after award IAW FAR Subpart 42.5.

2.2.5.2 IT Meeting: Convene a video- or teleconference with DoWEA Information Technology staff ten business days after award, per Technical Exhibit #1.

2.2.5.3 Other Post-Award Meetings: Meet with the Contracting Officer (KO), COR, and/or other Agency personnel, as appropriate, to review Contractor performance, as required by DoWEA. The KO may discuss the Agency’s view of Contractor performance, and the Contractor shall apprise the

Agency of any problems being experienced. The Contractor shall take appropriate action to resolve any outstanding issues the Agency raises.

2.3 Performance Standards and Acceptable Quality Levels (Objectives 1 and 2)

2.3.1 Performance Standard: Tasks shall be completed by the required completion date.

2.3.2 Acceptable Quality Level: See PWS Section 7, Performance Requirement Summary.

3 CONSTRAINTS

3.1 Place of Performance: Work shall be performed at the Contractor’s facilities.

3.2 Privacy—The Contractor shall:

3.2.1 User Accounts: Require, wherever applicable, that individual accounts possess unique usernames and passwords that do not require personally identifiable information (PII) to access online content, i.e., first & last name and any other unique personal information.

3.2.2 Contractor Personnel

▪ Ensure personnel assigned to this contract take proper precautions to protect information from disclosure. Collect and/or store all agency-owned or agency-controlled PII in accordance with the relevant requirements of the Privacy Act, 5 U.S.C, which may be found at the following URL:

http://www.archives.gov/about/laws/privacy-act-1974.html.

▪ All Contractor personnel that have access or may potentially have access to DoWEA data in any form shall be US citizens, including any third-party penetration (PEN)/security testers.

3.2.3 Privacy Training: Ensure Contractor staff who have access to DoWEA’s student, teacher and/or staff personally identifiable information successfully complete the DoD Privacy Act/Personally Identifiable

Information (PA/PII) training before gaining access to the data and yearly thereafter. Provide copies of the certificates of completion to the COR which can be audited at any time by the Chief Information

Security Officer (CISO) or his/her designee.

3.2.4 Privacy Verification: Provide the COR written verification of compliance with the Privacy requirements

(listed above) 120 calendar days prior to the expiration of each year’s contract option period or annually, as required. Note: After reviewing the Contractor’s verification, DoWEA reserves the right to ask for further verification data in order for DoWEA to comply with DoD’s evolving privacy mandates.

3.3 Liaison and Alternate Liaison—The Contractor shall:

3.3.1 Provide a liaison and alternate liaison to be responsible for the performance of work. Their names shall be designated in writing to the Contracting Officer. They shall have full authority to act for the

Contractor on all contract matters relating to the daily operation of this contract. Each shall have at least one year of experience working in a similar role.

3.3.2 Notify the COR in writing regarding any change in either the liaison’s role ten business days in advance of the change If the liaison or liaison alternate is changed post-award, the replacement shall meet or exceed the qualifications and experience of the person assigned upon contract award.

3.4 Holidays and Hours of Operation

3.4.1 The liaison or alternate liaison shall be available during the hours of 9AM to 3PM Eastern Standard

Time (EST), except for Federal holidays and Federal government closures/shutdowns. The following list shows recognized Federal holidays: New Year’s Day, Martin Luther King Jr.’s Birthday, Presidents

Day, Memorial Day, Juneteenth, Independence Day, Labor Day, Columbus Day, Veterans Day, Thanksgiving

Day, and Christmas Day.

3.4.2 Although there are different time zones within Europe and the Pacific and different hours for specific schools throughout DoWEA, the normal business hours for the regions roughly correspond to the following: Americas, 0700-1500 EST; Europe, 1300-2100 EST; and Pacific, 2000-0400 EST. there are different time zones within Europe and the Pacific and different hours for specific schools throughout

DoWEA, the normal business hours for the regions roughly correspond to the following: Americas, 0700-1500 EST; Europe, 0200-1000 EST; and Pacific, 2000-0400 EST.

3.5 Availability: The Contractor shall make all resources available for the life of the contract.

3.6 Copyright Dates

3.6.1 The Contractor shall provide the most recent copyright dated materials. The copyright preference applies only to student and teacher materials (e.g., the student textbook, teacher’s editions, etc.). The copyright preference does not apply to material included as part of the Contractor’s collection (that is, articles, leveled readers, big books, assessments, pictures, problems included in a textbook or supplemental to the teacher or student text).

3.6.2 The Contractor shall keep content/courseware current and updated regularly throughout the period of performance, as demonstrated by maintenance of an updated content copyright not to exceed one school year from its current date. For example, an eBook published in January 2025 would be acceptable for the 2025-26 school year and also the 2026-27 school year. It would not, however, be considered current for the 2027-28 school year.

3.7 Nondiscrimination: The Contractor shall provide resources free of bias regarding race, color, religion, sex, national origin, or disability.

3.8 Section 508 Compliance—The Contractor shall:

3.8.1 Background: Section 508 of the Rehabilitation Act, as amended by the Workforce Investment Act of

1998 (P.L. 105-220) requires Federal agencies that develop, procure, maintain, or use information and communication technology (ICT) to endure they are accessible to people with disabilities. Federal employees and members of the public who have disabilities must have access to and use of information/data that is comparable to people without disabilities.

3.8.2 Requirement: Ensure that products, platforms, and services delivered as part of this work statement that are ICT or contain ICT conform to the Revised 508 Standards, 36 C.F.R. § 1194.1 & Apps. A, C & D which are located at the following URL: https://www.access-board.gov/guidelines-and-standards/communications-and-it/about-the-ict-refresh/final-rule/text-of-the-standards-and-guidelines.

3.8.3 ARS: See the attached ICT Accessibility Requirements Statement (ARS). All functional performance criteria apply when using an alternative design or technology that achieves substantially equivalent or greater accessibility and usability by individuals with disabilities, than would be provided by conformance to one or more of the requirements in Chapters 4-6 of the Revised 508 Standards or when Chapters 4-6 do not address one or more functions of ICT. Note the guidance in the table below:

Applicable

Requirements Directions

Software Features and

Components

Applies to all WCAG Level AA Success Criteria, 502 Interoperability with

Assistive Technology, and 503 Applications.

Hardware Features and

Components All requirements apply.

Support Services and

Documentation All requirements apply.

Outputs/Deliverables Ensures that outputs/deliverables do not adversely affect accessibility features of the existing EIT technologies.

3.9 Sharable Content Object Reference Model® (SCORM®) Compliance: Provide digital modules, if included among the proposed/required resources, that are SCORM®-compliant. Note: The Department of War

Instruction (DoDI) 1322.26 mandates that modules comply with the latest possible version of SCORM®, per https://www.esd.whs.mil/Portals/54/Documents/DD/issuances/dodi/132226_dodi_2017.pdf?ver=2017-

10-05-073235-400.

3.10 Data & Data Rights: All data developed from any work awarded under this contract is and shall remain the property of the Government. The Contractor shall ensure that digital rights to all visual materials embedded in the resources will be given so that DoWEA for DoWEA’s internal use only may use resources without incurring copyright costs or infringing on copyright laws. All data developed from any work awarded under this contract is and shall remain the property of the Government.

3.11 Organizational Conflict of Interest (OCI): The Contractor (including any subcontractor) personnel performing work under this contract may receive, have access to, or participate in the development of, proprietary or

Privacy Act information (e.g., personal information, education, etc.) may create a current or subsequent OCI as defined in FAR Subpart 9.5. Whenever the Contractor becomes aware that such access or participation may result in actual or potential OCI, the Contractor shall (1) immediately notify the Contracting Officer

(KO) in writing and (2) promptly submit a plan to the KO to avoid or mitigate any such OCI. Note: The KO will unilaterally determine if the Contractor’s plan is acceptable. If the KO determines the plan cannot satisfactorily avoid or mitigate an OCI, s/he may implement other remedies to include prohibiting the Contractor’s further participation in contracted requirements.

4 GOVERNMENT-FURNISHED INFORMATION / RESOURCES

None

5 CONTRACT DELIVERABLES

Milestone/Deliverable Format PWS Planned

Frequency

Submit

To

Objective 1, Instructional Resources and Related Support

Task 1, APUSH Course

Content Digital 2.1.1

Ongoing, three days after receipt of the initial delivery order

COR

Task 2, Student Resources Digital 2.1.2 Ongoing, three days after receipt of the initial delivery order

COR

Task 3, Teacher Resources and Assessments Digital 2.1.3

Ongoing, three days after receipt of the initial delivery order

COR

Task 4, Professional

Learning

Zoom or

Teams

2.1.4 Scheduled post-award COR

Objective 2, General Requirements

Task 1, Technical Support Word 2.2.1 Ongoing after receipt of initial delivery order COR or

Milestone/Deliverable Format PWS Planned

Frequency

Submit

To

Requestor

Task 2, Technical Require-ments for Digital Resources Word 2.2.2 Ongoing COR/IT

Task 3, Third-Party Programs, Software, and Applications Word 2.2.3 Ongoing COR/IT

Task 4, Delivery of Digital

Resources Word 2.2.4

Ongoing access in three business days after receipt of a delivery order

COR

Constraints

User Accounts Digital 3.2.1 Ongoing after receipt of initial delivery order COR

Privacy Training Digital 3.2.3 Three days after receipt of a written request COR

Privacy Verification Digital 3.2.4 120 calendar days prior to end of contract year COR

6 ACRONYMS and DEFINITIONS

CCRS College and Career Ready Standards

PA/PII Privacy Act/Personally Identifiable Information

SCORM® Shareable Content Object Reference Model®

Contracting Officer (KO): Only individuals with the expressed authority to obligate (bind) the Government by means of entering, administering, and terminating contracts within the limits of the authority delegated via the KO’s warrant.

Contracting Officer’s Representative (COR): Qualified and trained Government employee, nominated by the requiring activity (RA) and appointed in writing by a KO primarily to perform specific technical or administrative functions on a specific contract(s); serves as the ‘eyes and ears’ of a KO to assure the Government’s best interests are protected via the terms and conditions of the contract(s). Appointed. CORs do not have the authority to obligate

(bind) the Government.

Contractor: Supplier or vendor contracted to provide specific supplies or services to the Government—may also be referred to as “the prime”.

Deliverable: Usually physically delivered items but may include such items as digital documents/reports.

Performance Requirements Summary (PRS): Tabular listing of performance objectives and standards.

Performance Work Statement (PWS): Statement of work for performance-based acquisitions describing the required results in clear, specific, and objective terms with measurable outcomes.

7 PERFORMANCE REQUIREMENT SUMMARY

Performance

Objective

Performance

Standard Acceptable Quality Level

Method of

Surveillance Inspector

Objective 1, Instructional Resources and Related Support

Task 1, APUSH

Course Content

PWS 2.1.1

Completed in required timeline

Access 24/7/365 except for scheduled downtimes and no more than one unscheduled downtime per year.

Normal usage of digital resources and customer complaints

COR &

customers

Task 2, Student

Resources, PWS 2.1.2

Completed in required timeline

Access 24/7/365 except for scheduled downtimes and no more than one unscheduled downtime per year.

Normal usage of digital resources and customer complaints

COR &

customers

Task 3, Teacher

Resources and

Assessments

PWS 2.1.3

Completed in required timeline

Access 24/7/365 except for scheduled downtimes and no more than one unscheduled downtime per year.

Normal usage of digital resources and customer complaints

COR &

customers

Task 4, Professional

Learning, PWS 2.1.4

Completed in required timeline

At least 75 percent of the participants rate the webinars as being good/helpful.

Feedback from

DoWEA-delivered survey

COR &

customers

Objective 2, General Requirements

Performance

Objective

Performance

Standard Acceptable Quality Level

Method of

Surveillance Inspector

Task 1, Technical

Support, PWS 2.2.1

Completed in required timeline

Acknowledge receipt of request within two hours. Resolve 90% of requests in one business day.

Resolve the remaining 10% in five business days.

Normal usage of digital resources and customer complaints

COR &

customers

Task 2, Technical

Requirements for

Digital Resources, PWS 2.2.2

Completed in required timeline

100% PWS-compliant Initial and random inspections

IT

Task 3, Third-Party

Programs, Software, and Applications, PWS 2.2.3

Completed in required timeline

100% PWS-compliant Initial and random inspections

IT

Delivery of Digital

Resources, PWS 2.2.4

Completed in required timeline

Ongoing access 24/7/365, except for scheduled downtimes and one unscheduled downtime per semester.

Normal ordering of resources and customer complaints

COR &

customers

Constraints

User Accounts, PWS 3.2.1

Completed in required timeline

100% PWS-compliant

Normal usage and customer complaints

COR &

customers

Privacy Training, PWS 3.2.3

Completed in required timeline

No more than one certificate per year sent to the COR more than three business days from the date of the COR’s request for it.

Receipt of a copy of the certificate

COR &

PII

Specialist

Privacy Verification

PWS 3.2.4

Completed in required timeline

Submitted 120 calendar days prior to the end of each contract year.

Written verification of compliance

COR &

PII

Specialist

Technical Exhibit #1 - TECHNICAL REQUIREMENTS

The Contractor shall comply with the applicable technical requirements detailed below.

1.1 Software and Cloud Security Requirements—The Contractor shall:

1.1.1 Ensure all online resources, cloud-based services and instructional software meet Department of War

(DoD) and DoWEA cybersecurity requirements as defined below. Note: Software, cloud services and associated websites are rigorously tested to ensure no security risks are posed to DoWEA infrastructure and its users.

1.1.2 Complete the Cloud Services questionnaire that was submitted as part of the proposal submission and provide copies of and/or access to any software listed in the proposed solution.

1.1.3 Ensure its content accessible from the web is compatible with the following browser platforms: Google

Chrome, and Edge. Ensure that any applicable STIGs are implemented.

1.1.4 Provide a plan of actions and milestones (POA&M) to mitigate any cybersecurity findings resulting from non-compliant and/or vulnerable components in 30 calendar days of written notification from DoWEA.

1.1.5 Be able to meet Federal Risk and Authorization Management Program (FedRAMP) Level 2 standards for all proposed software/digital resources and ensure that any third-party resources that are part of its proposed solution also meet the FedRAMP Level 2 standard. For more information on FedRAMP, see the following URL: www.fedramp.gov. Participate, if required, in interviews and deep system architecture inspections.

▪ Per DoD policy for cloud-based services, DoWEA conducts a supplemental series of validations, which closely mirror the FedRAMP Internet Cloud vetting processes. Contractor participation/cooperation is normally required to complete this process.

▪ On a case-by-case basis, DoWEA may honor requests to waive the FedRAMP Level 2 requirement.

1.2 System Requirements—The Contractor shall:

1.2.1 Provide, per Section 1.1 (above), any software installed and/or accessed in or by a DoWEA system, network whether stand-alone or web-based, is compatible with the standards cited herein.

1.2.2 Provide minimum desktop/server system technical specifications, reference architectures, networking specifications and diagrams, and applicable systems configuration documentation for the proposed solution.

1.2.3 Provide software that is compatible with the following minimum baseline:

Specifications Minimum

Memory 4 GB

Hard Drive 100 GB

Processor Intel® Core™ i5-8365U Processor 8th Generation (up to 4.1GHz, 6MB cache) equivalent or better (Must show benchmark/passmark scores)

Video Graphics Integrated Intel HD Graphics 620 (1920x1080) equivalent or better

Operating System Windows 11

Browser Environment Chrome, Edge, Edge Chromium

1.2.4 Provide software that is completely functional on a standard DoWEA desktop without the need or requirement for administrative-level user rights and/or permissions or the requirement to use or insert external media to execute the software.

1.2.5 Provide software that does not require modifications to folder permissions while executing.

1.2.6 Provide, if applicable, software packages that support unattended installation methods used by enterprise software packaging and deployment systems.

▪ DoWEA currently distributes software packages via Microsoft’s System Center Configuration Manager

(SCCM) and Microsoft Intune.

▪ All older 16-bit software are automatically denied.

1.3 Data Management Requirements—The Contractor shall:

1.3.1 Provide a mechanism for batch administration and automation of routine data management tasks via flat file import, or representational state transfer (REST) based web service application programming interfaces

(APIs). The mechanism shall provision and manage data objects within the Contractor’s system, including but not limited to organizational structures, student accounts, staff accounts, courses, and class rosters.

1.3.2 Provide all necessary documentation and assets to facilitate batch administration and automation of routine data management tasks, including but not limited to roster template files (i.e., comma separated value templates); data element/field definitions documentation; data interchange formats and schemas (XML/

JSON); and/or data dictionaries for the purpose of mapping organizational student information system

(SIS) data to the Contractor’s required input formats.

1.3.3 Provide a single point of contact to support DoWEA in performing the required data integration activities within the Contractor’s system.

1.3.4 Configure DoWEA enterprise within its system and/or databases as the appropriate organizational entity

(i.e., region, district, school) upon a request in writing from the contracting officer’s representative (COR).

Note: DoWEA’s organization hierarchy consists of the following: one system, three regions, nine districts, 62 communities, and 161 schools, including the K-12 virtual school programs.

1.3.5 Participate in a technical meeting with DoWEA within ten business days after award for the purposes of preparing for onboarding of new services and initial configuration of administrator-level accounts.

1.3.6 Ensure the transfer of any Sensitive, Confidential data including but not limited to PII data be transferred in a secure means meeting any requirements set by DoWEA’s Chief Information Security Officer

(CISO).

1.4 DoWEA Software License Keys: The Contractor shall provide (1) license keys and electronic downloads for software required under this Contract to the COR and (2) software directly to DoWEA schools, districts, or regions only if explicitly required to do so in the contract or in writing by the COR.

1.5 Cybersecurity Supporting Elements/Requirements and Scalability—The Contractor shall:

1.5.1 Comply with the same Federal law and DoD policies and guidance to which DoWEA is subject that include but are not limited to the cybersecurity requirements defined in the following documents:

▪ DoD Directive (DoDD) 8500.01E, Information Assurance, be found at the following URL:

https://www.esd.whs.mil/Portals/54/Documents/DD/issuances/dodi/850001_2014.pdf.

▪ DoD Security Technical Implementation Guidance (STIG), which may be found at the following

URL: https://public.cyber.mil/stigs/downloads/.

▪ DoD Risk Management Framework (DODRMF) per DoD Instruction 8510.01, which may be found at https://www.esd.whs.mil/Portals/54/Documents/DD/issuances/dodi/851001p.pdf?ver=2019-02-

26-101520-3004.5.2.

1.5.2 Provide security patches/upgrades to include third-party applications in response to public-released security vulnerabilities associated with its software solution. Provide a POA&M for any security vulnerabilities within five business days of discovery. Software upgrades/patches shall be included in the licensing cost and be performed at the least disruptive times as determined by DoWEA in writing. Note: Any exception to this requirement must be approved in advance and in writing by DoWEA’s Chief Information Officer

(CIO) or designated official.

1.5.3 Protect DoWEA data against all cyberattacks, notifying DoWEA within 72 hours of an identified and confirmed breach/intrusion.

1.5.4 Perform security incident investigations upon identification of an event or at the request of DoWEA.

1.5.5 Address all information assurance vulnerability messages (IAVM) in the defined timelines to include IA vulnerability alerts (IAVA), IA vulnerability bulletins (IAVB), and technical advisories (TA).

1.5.6 User passwords must not be readable by anyone having access to the system.

1.5.7 Ensure any portion of its solution that involves Internet access by DoWEA students complies with the relevant requirements of the Children's Internet Protection Act, Public Law 106-554, § 1(a)(4) [Div. B, Title XVII, § 1701], Dec. 21, 2000, 114 Stat. 2763, 2763A-335. All Contractor personnel that have access or may potentially have access to DoWEA data in any form shall be US citizens. Note: If its solution does not involve Internet access by DoWEA students, please ensure the following are included:

1) Maintaining system security IAW the latest versions of the (1) DoD Cloud Computing Security

Requirements Guide, (2) Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA), and (3) Protection of Pupil Rights Amendment (PPRA).

2) Providing a solution robust enough to serve the needs of a large community of learners dispersed across the world using a variety of bandwidths and scalable to meet future growth, both in terms of instruction and the number of users. In addition, provided solutions shall be applicable to the digital learning environment of the DoWEA Virtual School.

3) Ensuring Contractor staff who have access to DoWEA’s student, teacher and/or staff personally identifiable information take the DoD Privacy Act/Personally Identifiable Information (PA and PPI/PII) training before gaining access to the data and yearly thereafter. Provide copies of the certificates to the COR which can be audited at any time by the CISO or his/her designee.

1.6 Program and System Integration—The Contractor’s solution shall:

1.6.1 Provide Single Sign-On (SSO) Capabilities / Platform which (1) integrates with an Industry Standard SSO login solution. (ClassLink, Google, Azure, etc.); (2) supports Oauth 2.0, Security Assertions Markup

Language (SAML) for integration with Azure, or Google; and (3) authenticates using Azure Active Directory

(AD) or Google AD. Authenticates using Azure Active Directory (AD) or Google AD.

1.6.2. Support industry-standard data rostering standards via ClassLink and standard data formats such as

OneRoster.

1.6.3. Ensure that data storage, handling, and security meet the following minimum standards:

1) DoWEA’s information and data shall be secured in data center located in the United States.

2) The system, including its server(s) and network devices, shall be in an environmentally controlled and secure facility under controlled circumstances (e.g., using authorized personnel access lists, ID cards, entry logs, etc.).

3) All Contractor personnel that have access or may potentially have access to DoWEA data in any form shall be US citizens, including any third-party penetration (PEN)/security testers.

4) All data transit shall be secured with Transport Layer Security (TLS) encryption.

5) All data at rest shall be secured with Advanced Encryption Standard (AES)-256 encryption.

1.6.4 Ensure that data integration includes the following:

1) Automated industry standard form of data integration using Representational State Transfer Application

Program Interface (RESTful API), Learning Tools Interoperability (LTI), or Secure File Transfer

Protocol (SFTP) data sets (ClassLink, OneRoster, etc.).

2) Encryption of DoWEA’s data at rest to include unique encryption keys for each customer on systems hosting multiple customers.

3) Notification of DoWEA in writing within 72 hours of any changes made to corporate policies for data protection.

4) Use of only masked student data in a non-production environment.

5) Integration scheduling that meets DoWEA’s required timeframes.

6) Provision of fully automated data uploads per Agency schedule(s) and Agency requirements.

7) Support of SFTP capabilities using a single set of login credentials.

8) Provision of a single data set of DoWEA information. Note: The Contractor’s solution shall support

DoWEA at all levels: school, community, district, region, and HQ.

9) Maintenance of a backup and restore plan for DoWEA data in the event of a disaster.

10) Provision of detailed feedback of what caused errors if an integration transmission results in errors.

1.6.5 System Features—The system shall:

1) Allow user accounts to be created automatically based on a file provided by DoWEA either nightly or on another pre-determined scheduled feed.

2) Allow DoWEA to be able to choose the format of user login identification, e.g., an email address, and be able to create manual accounts, if needed.

3) Require the user—for manually created accounts—to reset the password on the user’s initial login or, upon request, a password reset.