DRAFT - Product Description - RS Means Data Online.docx

Brand Name RS Means Data Online FedRamp Complete Plus

VA-27-00020013

PRODUCT DESCRIPTION (PD)

DEPARTMENT OF VETERANS AFFAIRS

Office of Information & Technology (OIT) Veterans’ Health Administration Health Environments and Facilities Programs Office of Healthcare Engineering

Brand Name RS Means Data Online FedRamp Complete Plus Subscription

Date: November 5, 2026

VA-27-00020013

PD Version Number: 2.0

Contents

PRODUCT REQUIREMENTS

The Department of Veterans Affairs (VA), Office of Information and Technology (OIT), and the Veterans Health Administration (VHA), Office of Facilities Requirements & Oversight (FRO), has a requirement for the renewal of the brand-name RS Means Data Online, Federal Risk and Authorization Management Program (FedRAMP) Complete Plus subscription. VA engineers utilize this resource to develop cost estimates for new construction, renovations, repairs, maintenance, and life-cycle costs.

The projected number of active, unique VA users is 800 for the base period and each option period. The Contractor shall allow additional users to be added throughout the base and option periods up to the quantities listed in the chart below.

Optional Task 1 may be exercised at any time, on multiple occasions, during the base and/or option periods to purchase additional licenses, to Not to Exceed (NTE) 50 additional users per period of performance. If exercised, optional line-item unit price shall be prorated based on the number of months remaining in the Base Period or Option Periods at the time of the option exercise. All licenses shall be coterminous, expiring at the end of the applicable base or option period.

The Contractor shall provide technical expertise necessary to assist VA in obtaining and maintaining VA OIT approvals for VA user access and Authorization to Operate (ATO) for the RS Means Data Online FedRamp Complete Plus software. The Federal Risk and Authorization Management Program (FedRAMP) approved cloud-based platform shall be accessed by approved VA users. The Contractor shall provide cost data updates at least quarterly and all required software updates throughout the contract period. The RS Means Data Online FedRamp Complete Plus software shall meet the requirements indicated in this PD. If VA changes its operating system or web browser during the contract period, the Contractor shall provide the software updates necessary to maintain compatibility, including compatibility with future versions of Internet Explorer, while maintaining backward compatibility.

The period of performance shall consist of a 12-month base period beginning on the date of award, with two (2) 12-month option periods and one (1) optional task for 50 additional licenses. The option periods and optional task may be exercised at the Government’s discretion.

BASE PERIOD

OPTION PERIOD 1

OPTION PERIOD 2

OPTIONAL TASK 1

VA OIT REQUIREMENTS

The Software shall be compatible to operate on current Web Browsers (Microsoft Edge, Internet Explorer, Google Chrome).

SOFTWARE OPERATIONAL REQUIREMENTS

1. The Contractor shall provide administrator access to VA for the software that allows the VA administrator to create, view and remove users accounts to the software.

a. The VA administrator shall be able to track the users’ usage of the software.

b. The software shall have capability to notify the users with their login information via email once the VA administrator creates the users’ account.

c. Software shall provide user access through a Single sign-on.

2. Software shall accommodate at least 800 users without response time degradation.

3. Software shall provide Regional Cost Data with all types of Labor and Material covered by VA construction projects for each reference States and major cities within the United States.

a. Regional Cost data shall be in the Master Format (current construction format).

b. Regional Cost data shall be web and Master Format searchable.

c. Regional Cost data shall represent at least 80,000 construction Materials and be unique to the major cities (minimum of 2 cities in each state) in all states across the U.S.

4. Software shall have the ability to perform estimating based on Unit Price, Editable/Custom Assemblies, Editable/Custom Square Foot Models, Life Cycle Cost, Predictive Costs and allow for user defined Regional Cost Data.

5. Cost Estimating shall be specific and selectable for Commercial New Construction and Renovation, Residential Construction and Facilities Maintenance and Repair.

6. Software shall have capability to store Cost Estimates information for each user (no other access by others) and on a shared folder to be share by all VA Registered users nationally.

7. Software shall have capability to save, retrieve current and past Cost Estimates information via secure web environment.

8. The Cost Estimate information shall have the material and labor cost for each line item and the quantity is selectable by the user.

9. Cost Estimates information and Reports shall be able to add user defined overhead, profit, fees and permits and any construction contract information other than labor and materials.

10. Cost Estimates information shall be in Excel format that allow users to copy, print and email the file within the software.

11. Cost data shall be updated quarterly.

12. Software shall have Flash AI Estimating enabled for all users.

SOFTWARE ACCESS ASSISTANCE

The Contractor shall coordinate with VA to meet applicable OIT security requirements for providing approved VA users with secure single sign-on access to the online software. The Contractor shall also coordinate with VA to obtain the required VA OIT Authority to Operate (ATO) and maintain all required operational agreements in accordance with VA policies and regulations. The Contractor shall assist VA in conducting operational testing to ensure the software provides secure single sign-on access to approved VA users. The Contractor shall not have direct access to VA servers. The Contractor shall provide technical support to address technical, policy, and regulatory requirements necessary to maintain secure access to the online software.

HELP DESK

The Contractor shall provide help desk support to assist VA users with questions regarding software use and locating cost data. Help desk support shall be available Monday through Friday, from 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. Eastern Standard Time (EST), excluding Federal holidays.

ONLINE TUTORIAL

The Contractor shall provide an online tutorial covering all major aspects of software use, including step-by-step instructions for creating a basic cost estimate.

NOTICE OF THE FEDERAL ACCESSIBILITY LAW AFFECTING ALL INFORMATION AND COMMUNICATION TECHNOLOGY (ICT) PROCUREMENTS (SECTION 508) On January 18, 2017, the Access Board issued a final rule that updated accessibility requirements covered by Section 508 and refreshed guidelines for telecommunications equipment subject to Section 255 of the Communications Act. The final rule went into effect on January 18, 2018. The revisions and updates to the Section 508-based standards and Section 255-based guidelines are intended to ensure that information and communication technology (ICT) covered by the respective statutes is accessible to and usable by individuals with disabilities.

SECTION 508 – INFORMATION AND COMMUNICATION TECHNOLOGY (ICT) STANDARDS

The Section 508 standards established by the Access Board are incorporated into, and made part of all VA orders, solicitations and purchase orders developed to procure ICT. These standards are found in their entirety at: Revised 508 Standards and 255 Guidelines (access-board.gov). A single PDF file version of the Revised Section 508 Standards and 255 Guidelines will be supplied upon request, or can be obtained from the Access Board website. Federal agencies must comply with the Rehabilitation Act of 1973, as amended.

The Contractor shall comply with “508 Chapter 2: Scoping Requirements” for all electronic ICT and content delivered under this contract. Specifically, as appropriate for the technology and its functionality, the Contractor shall comply with the technical standards marked here:

COMPATABILITY WITH ASSISTIVE TECHNOLOGY

The standards do not require installation of specific accessibility-related software or attachment of an assistive technology device. Section 508 requires that ICT be compatible with such software and devices so that ICT can be accessible to and usable by individuals using assistive technology, including but not limited to screen readers, screen magnifiers, and speech recognition software.

ACCEPTANCE AND ACCEPTANCE TESTING

Deliverables resulting from this solicitation will be accepted based in part on satisfaction of the Section 508 Chapter 2: Scoping Requirements standards identified above.

The Government reserves the right to test for Section 508 Compliance before delivery. The Contractor shall be able to demonstrate Section 508 Compliance upon delivery.

INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY USING SUSTAINABLE PRODUCTS

The Contractor shall comply with Sections 524 and Sections 525 of the Energy Independence and Security Act of 2007; Section 104 of the Energy Policy Act of 2005; Executive Order 14148, “Initial Rescissions of Harmful Executive Orders and Actions,” dated January 20, 2025; Executive Order 13221, “Energy-Efficient Standby Power Devices,” dated August 2, 2001; and the Revolutionary FAR Overhaul (RFO) to provide ENERGY STAR® certified and Federal Energy Management Program (FEMP) Designated Low Standby Power information technology products, see https://www.energy.gov/femp/search-energy-efficient-products. See http://www.energystar.gov for complete product specifications and updated lists of Energy Star certified products. FEMP low standby power product listing can be found at https://www.energy.gov/femp/low-standby-power-product-list.

The Contractor shall provide products that meet the definition of sustainable products if the products are delivered to the Government; furnished by the Contractor for use by the Government, incorporated into the construction of a public building or public work, or acquired by the Contractor for use in performing services under a Government contract where the cost of the products is a direct cost to a Government contract (versus costs which are normally applied to a contractor's general and administrative expenses or indirect costs).

Specifically, the Contractor shall provide sustainable products under this contract in accordance with RFO 52.223-23 (NOV 2025). The applicable products with their associated certification and/or designation required (e.g. Energy Star, FEMP Low Standby Power) are identified within the product requirements specifications in this PD. The Contractor shall self-certify that its proposed products meet the certification(s) and/or designation(s) specified.

SCHEDULE FOR DELIVERABLES

Access to the online RS Means Data Online FedRamp Complete Plus software shall be electronically delivered within 30 days of receipt and processing of the contract.

Inspection: Destination Acceptance: Destination Free on Board (FOB): Destination

Ship To and Mark For:

Primary

Alternate

GENERAL REQUIREMENTS

VA TECHNICAL REFERENCE MODEL

The Contractor shall comply with the VA OIT Technical Reference Model (VA TRM). Compliance with the VA TRM is achieved by using only technologies and standards that are listed as approved for use in the VA TRM. The Contractor shall provide all necessary information requested by VA to ensure TRM approval is obtained prior to use on VA’s network.

ZERO TRUST – VA CRITICAL SECURITY CONTROLS

VA has established minimum mandatory security requirements and requires that any network connected software system or service must meet the VA Critical Security Controls as outlined in the VA Memorandum, “VA Security Controls”, https://www.voa.va.gov/DocumentView.aspx?DocumentID=5010. VA Critical Security Controls identify the minimum mandatory requirements that must be implemented across all VA enterprise infrastructure, cloud computing environments, information systems, networks, and specialized devices (medical devices/systems, special-purpose systems, and research scientific computing devices) that process, store, and/or transmit VA data. Effective July 1, 2025, the Contractor shall implement these VA Critical Security Controls, within any network connected software system or service prior to being authorized for use in the VA. This functional requirement is not negotiable, and Plan of Action & Milestones (POAM) will not be accepted in the event these controls cannot be implemented for new systems. Critical Security Controls are intended to increase VA’s security posture and provide security and privacy risk visibility into the VA network and is not a new requirement. The Contractor’s failure to maintain these VA Critical Controls after implementation will result in VA discontinuing the use of the system.

ENTERPRISE SOCIAL SECURITY NUMBER (ESSN) REDUCTION

The Contractor solution shall comply with the Social Security Number (SSN) Fraud Prevention Act (FPA) of 2017 (P.L. 115-59 (Sept. 15, 2017)) which prohibits the inclusion of Social Security Numbers (SSNs) on any document sent by mail, except for limited exemptions codified in 38 C.F.R. § 1.575 (2022). The Contractor solution shall only include a SSN on a mailed document with an approved Exemption from VA Enterprise Social Security Number Reduction (ESSNR) Leadership. The Contractor solution shall also comply with the Continuing Appropriations, Agriculture, Legislative Branch, Military Construction and Veterans Affairs, and Extensions Act (CAA), 2026 (P.L. 119-37, Div. D, Title II, Sect. 237 (Nov. 12, 2025)) that prohibits VA from using SSN for VA system authentication and restricts VA’s use of a SSN to identify an individual in a VA information system. The Contractor solution shall only use a SSN to identify an individual in a VA information system if its use complies with CAA’s Acceptable Use and the information system has received approval from ESSNR Leadership.

INTERNET PROTOCOL VERSION 6 (IPV6)

The Contractor solution shall support IPv6-Only based upon the memo issued by the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) on November 19, 2020 (https://www.whitehouse.gov/wp-content/uploads/2020/11/M-21-07.pdf). Which defines IPv6-only as the state of an operational system or service when IPv4 protocol functions (addressing, packet forwarding) are not in use. The NIST USGv6 profile defines technical requirements for a product to be capable of operating in IPv6-Only environments. IPv6-Only technology, in accordance with the USGv6 Program (https://www.nist.gov/programs-projects/usgv6-program/usgv6-revision-1), NIST Special Publication (SP) 500-267B Revision 1 “USGv6 Profile” (https://doi.org/10.6028/NIST.SP.500-267Br1), and NIST SP 800-119 “Guidelines for the Secure Deployment of IPv6” (https://doi.org/10.6028/NIST.SP.800-119), compliance shall be included in all IT infrastructures, application designs, application development, operational systems and sub-systems, and their integration. In addition to the above requirements, all devices, applications, and systems shall support all applicable functionality on native IPv6-Only as well as dual stack (IPv6 / IPv4) connectivity without additional memory or other resources being provided by the Government, so that they can function in a mixed environment. All public/external facing servers and services (e.g., web, email, DNS, ISP services, etc.) shall support native IPv6-Only and dual stack (IPv6 / IPv4) users and all internal infrastructure and applications shall support using native IPv6-Only and dual stack (IPv6 / IPv4) for all functionality and operations.

SOFTWARE AND LICENSING REQUIREMENTS

The Contractor shall be responsible for the provision of all software licenses and any associated licensing maintenance required for any development, delivery, integration, operation, and/or maintenance associated with its proposed application(s), software products, software solution, and/or system including, but not limited to, any and all application(s), software and/or software products that comprise, are a part of, or integrate with the Contractor’s proposed application(s), software products, software solution, and/or system for the life of any resulting contract.

TRUSTED INTERNET CONNECTION (TIC)

The Contractor solution shall meet the requirements outlined in Office of Management and Budget Memorandum M-19-26, “Update to the Trusted Internet Connections (TIC) Initiative“ (https://www.whitehouse.gov/wp-content/uploads/2019/09/M-19-26.pdf), VA Directive 6513 “Secure External Connections”, and shall comply with the TIC 3.0 Core Guidance Documents, including all Volumes and TIC Use Cases, found at the Cybersecurity & Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) (https://www.cisa.gov/publication/tic-30-core-guidance-documents.)

GENERATIVE ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE REQUIREMENTS

If Artificial Intelligence (AI) is part of the Contractor system/solution, the Contractor shall be in compliance with E.O. 13960 and 14319, OMB Memorandums M-25-21, M-25-22, and M-26-04, and VA Directive and Handbook 6500 to support VA in trustworthy, secure, responsible, accountable, Truth Seeking, and Ideologically Neutral AI innovation.

The Contractor shall protect VA Sensitive data from unauthorized disclosure or use, and from being used to train or improve the functionality of the vendor's commercial offerings without express permission from VA. Current guidance and approved AI tools are available here: https://department.va.gov/ai/guidance-for-generative-ai-use-at-va/. The entire definition of VA Sensitive Data can be found at 38 U.S.C. § 5727 (23).

The Contractor shall deliver the services, technical data, configurations, models, weights, documentation or other information, including source code, developed during contract performance. The Contractor, in collaboration with VA, must evaluate the output of any AI tool for accuracy prior to using the output in VA efforts. All data, including models, weights, algorithms, and outputs generated using either Government-furnished data or data first developed under this contract shall be the property of the Government with unlimited rights as defined by FAR 52.227-14. The Contractor shall also deliver any custom-developed code developed with AI methodologies in accordance with the SHARE IT Act, if applicable. VA shall also retain unlimited rights to any improvements to that data, including the continued design, development, testing, and operation of AI systems and/or systems utilizing AI.

The Contractor shall ensure that all AI Systems, including Large Language Models (LLM), whether standalone LLMs or integrated into broader software platforms, procured under this effort and/or used in performance of this contract complies with the Unbiased AI Principles as defined in Executive Order 14319 and OMB Memorandum M-26-04, e.g. Truth Seeking and Ideologically Neutral, as applicable to the intended use of the system.

The Contractor shall ensure that AI System/LLM generated outputs are truthful in responding to user prompts seeking factual information or analysis, prioritize historical accuracy, scientific inquiry, and objectivity, as well as acknowledge uncertainty where reliable information is incomplete or contradictory and do not fabricate, hallucinate, or present unverifiable information as fact.

The Contractor shall ensure that LLMs and AI outputs are neutral, nonpartisan tools that do not manipulate responses in favor of ideological dogmas such as Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI). The Contractor shall ensure that the LLMs, including the AI System, are not intentionally encoded with partisan or ideological judgments within an AI System’s/LLM’s outputs unless those judgments are prompted by or otherwise readily accessible to the end user.

Compliance with the AI requirements of this contract, including adherence to the Unbiased AI Principles, Truth-Seeking and Ideological Neutrality requirements, disclosure obligations, monitoring and reporting requirements, and corrective action responsibilities, is a material condition of eligibility for payment and continued performance. In accordance with OMB Memorandum M-26-04, failure to comply with these requirements, or refusal to take timely and appropriate corrective action to remedy identified noncompliance, may constitute a material breach of contract and may result in remedies consistent with the terms of the contract and applicable law including but not limited to withholding of payment, termination for cause/default, or other appropriate contractual remedies, as determined by the Contracting Officer.

All AI for delivery and/or use in performance of the contract shall adhere to the VA Trustworthy AI Framework, available at https://department.va.gov/ai/trustworthy/. Once the Contractor has obtained CO authorization to use specific AI in contract performance, the Contractor shall provide the COR a signed Statement of Attestation prior to AI implementation as identified in the Artificial Intelligence in VA Contracts clause, to include its associated list of AI being used in contract performance.

Deliverable:

1. Statement of Attestation

AI SYSTEM/LLM DEVELOPMENT AND OPERATION DOCUMENTATION REQUIREMENTS

To enable Government continued assessment of compliance with Trustworthy AI requirements and both Unbiased AI Principles, Truth-seeking and Ideological Neutrality, in accordance with OMB M-26-04, the Contractor shall provide AI System/LLM Development and Operation Documentation Package to include, at a minimum:

1. Acceptable Use Policy The Contractor shall provide an Acceptable Use Policy document governing its AI operation that characterizes and differentiates appropriate and inappropriate use of their product offering

1. Model Cards, System Cards and/or Data Cards The Contractor shall provide documentation describing essential information about the model, system, and or data as it relates to the AI/LLM product offering. The documentation shall address summaries of training process, identified risks and mitigations, and model evaluation scores on LLM benchmarks at a minimum, where appropriate

1. End User Resources The Contractor shall provide documentation to include product tutorials, developer guides, and/or other tools to assist VA in ensuring proper use of the AI/LLM to maximize utility

1. Mechanism for End User Feedback The Contractor shall provide documentation describing the mechanism employed to provide feedback to the Offeror on outputs identified that violate the Unbiased AI Principles. This may be satisfied by a general inbox, specific Point of Contact, or similar feedback mechanism.

1. Pre-Training and Post-Training Activities of the AI System/LLM The Contractor shall provide documentation of Pre-Training and Post Training Activity that provides details on:

4. Actions taken that impact the factuality and grounding of AI System/LLM outputs

4. System-level prompts that provide natural language instructions to the model specifying guidelines on responding to user-generated queries, to include how a model responds when reliable information is incomplete, contradictory, or subject to individual interpretation

4. The type of outputs restricted via content moderation and safety filters

4. The use of red teaming as a means of continuously assessing the model to protect against incidents of bias in generated output.

4. Training or development, if any, that occurred outside the United States, to include the type of activity and the country in which it occurred.

4. Any modifications or configurations undertaken to comply with any regulation from a government other than the U.S. Federal Government.

1. Model Evaluation Results and Methodologies The Contractor shall provide documentation describing the Evaluation Results of bias evaluations conducted by the Vendor to include the methodology for performing such tests (e.g., testing prompt pairs for politically oriented topics).

The documentation shall also include Benchmark scoring results measuring the model’s bias, helpfulness, honesty, or accuracy when provided with ambiguous versus straightforward questions. (Including any benchmarks comparing performance across multiple languages, where applicable).

1. Description of Enterprise-Level Controls The Contractor shall provide documentation describing the Enterprise Governance tools and controls, such as:

6. Customizable system instructions that are additive to a base model’s system prompts or content generation filters.

6. Product features that require a model to cite sources of its outputs or otherwise provide visibility into the provenance of the model’s outputs.

6. AI System/LLM model evaluation tools that enable comparisons either between a model’s outputs, or across various models.

1. Third Party Modification Disclosure The Contractor shall disclose of any additional controls to modify an AI Model’s/LLM’s output applied by the Contractor if the Contractor is not a direct developer of the LLM (e.g., classifiers, system prompts, fine-tuning, content moderation and filters, etc.)

Deliverable:

A. AI System/LLM Development and Operation Documentation Package

MONITORING, REPORTING, AND CORRECTIVE ACTION

The Contractor shall develop and implement a Compliance Monitoring and Reporting Plan supporting ongoing monitoring processes to evaluate AI outputs for compliance with Trustworthy AI and Unbiased AI principles. This plan shall include the mechanism for authorized users to provide end user feedback to report suspected violations of Truth-Seeking or Ideological Neutrality requirements.

The Contractor shall notify the COR within 10 business days of identifying any material deviation from these principles and shall submit a written Corrective Action Plan describing mitigation steps, responsible parties, and timelines. Any material deviation, corrective action taken, and results shall be detailed in the Monthly Progress Reports.

Deliverable:

1. Compliance Monitoring and Reporting Plan

1. Corrective Action Plan

AI MODEL UPDATES AND CHANGE DISCLOSURES

The Contractor, in an AI Model/LLM Change Disclosure, shall notify the Government throughout the PoP in advance of any material changes to AI models, including new AI enhancements, features and/or components, controls, retraining, classifiers, system prompts, fine-tuning, content moderation, filters, version replacement, or architectural changes, that could reasonably affect compliance with Trustworthy AI or Unbiased AI principles. Updated documentation shall be provided to VA for VA approval prior to implementation of such changes.

Deliverable:

1. AI Model/LLM Change Disclosure

POINTS OF CONTACT

VA Program Manager:

Contracting Officer’s Representative:

Contracting Officer:

Contract Specialist:

INFORMATION SECURITY CONSIDERATIONS

All VA sensitive information shall be protected at all times in accordance with local security field office System Security Plans (SSP’s) and Authority to Operate (ATO)’s for all systems/LAN’s accessed while performing the tasks detailed in this Product Description.

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