Mail Management Services PWS 6-22-26 - Updated.docx

PERFORMANCE WORK STATEMENT (PWS) DEPARTMENT OF VETERANS AFFAIRS (VA)

Veterans Benefits Administration (VBA) Mail Management Services Date: June 22, 2026

Task Order PWS Version Number: 1.0 draft

Contents

I

1.0 Background

The fundamental mission of the Veterans Benefits Administration (VBA) is to provide Veterans, service members, and their families the benefits they have earned through their military service to the United States. VBA accomplishes its mission by delivering client-centered, personalized services that help Veterans readjust to civilian life and enhance their well-being.

To continuously improve benefits processing efficiency and cycle-time, VBA expanded its mail receipt and processing services to include Centralized Mail (CM) processing.

The CM activities require vendors to receive mail directly from Veterans, claimants, Veterans / claimants representatives and third parties providing evidence in support of a claim. Physical materials are received via paper mail (bulk mail, US Postal Service pickup and delivery, other external mail delivery services) and digital formats (CD/DVD, Flash drives, Microfilm, Microfiche, Other alternate media). Non-physical information is received via various digital formats (direct upload service by Veterans, external Veteran Service Organization user or other third party; through an application program interface (API); secure file transfer; email; and fax). The materials and information received by the Contractor are converted into digital files in the searchable Portable Document Format (PDFs) and are then made available to VA end users for review within an interactive centralized mail portal, currently the Digitized Mail Handling Service (DMHS); routed for additional processing; or accessed for unattended mail automation operations. Upon completion of mail processing, images, with associated data, are uploaded to VBA’s image repository, the Veterans Benefits Management System (VBMS). If the CM materials were received in physical formats (e.g., paper), they are prepared for shipment to a government contracted long-term storage, awaiting disposition.

NOTE: For the purposes of this PWS, including all attachments, the terms “portal,” “mail portal,” and “centralized mail portal” are synonymous to DMHS and may be used interchangeably throughout.

Figure 1 provides a reference for the existing high-level end-to-end centralized mail processes. While many of the processes, from receipt through post-conversion storage, is executed by each of the existing vendors’ conversion locations, specific internal procedures and systems utilized are at the conversion vendors’ discretion. Mail Automation Services (MAS) and Private Medical Record (PMR) Retrieval Services processes are primarily supported by separate VBA vendors but are included here for reference to reflect the general process.

Figure 1. Existing Centralized Mail Process

2.0 Applicable Documents

The Contractor shall comply with the following:

1. NARA Facility Standards for Records Storage Facilities, 36 CFR, Part 1234, Subpart B dated April 24, 2026

2. Facility Standards for Records Storage Facilities Inspection Checklist (Attachment C with Appendix B, Documentation of a Certified Fire-Safety Detection and Suppression System) of 36 CFR, Part 1234, Subpart B dated April 24, 2026

3. National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) SP800-53r5

4. VA Directive 6300, Records and Information Management, dated September 21, 2018

5. VA Directive 6340, Enterprise Mail Management, dated June 21, 2021

6. VA Directive 6500 (2)(b)(5), Media Sanitization, dated February 24, 2021

7. VA Directive 6609, Mailing of Sensitive Personal Information, dated May 20, 2011

8. VA Handbook 6300.1, Records Management Services, dated March 24, 2010

9. VA Handbook 6500, Risk Management Framework for VA Information Systems, VA Information Security Program, dated February 24, 2021

10. VA Handbook 6500.6, Contract Security, dated March 12, 2010

11. VA Handbook 0710, Personnel Suitability and Security Program dated September 8, 2025

12. VA Handbook 0730, Security and Law Enforcement dated August 11, 2000

13. VA Handbook 0730/1, Security and Law Enforcement dated August 20, 2004

14. U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs Records Control Schedule 10-1, dated January 2021

15. Damage Incident Report (Attachment 1)

16. Direct Upload Business Requirements Document, v (Attachment 2)

17. Benefits Intake API BRD (Attachment 3)

18. Benefits Intake API Process Flow (Attachment 4)

19. Electronic Document Upload Tool BRD (Attachment 5)

20. National Call Center (NCC) Tool Process Flow (Attachment 6)

21. Electronic Document Upload Tool Workflow (Attachment 7)

22. Public-Facing Upload Service BRD (Attachment 8)

23. Document Conversion Rules (DCR) (Attachment 9)

24. Mail Management Services Source Material Tracking Service (SMTS) BRD (Attachment 10)

25. VBMS PDF Specification Document (Attachment 11)

26. Document Identification and Date of Receipt Guide (DIDORG) (Attachment 12)

27. Master Document Types for VBMS (Attachment 13)

28. VBMS eFolder Service Contract Document (SCD), (Attachment 14)

29. Shipping SOP (Attachment 15)

30. Hierarchy of all Centralized Mail Portal Queues (Attachment 16)

31. DMHS BRD (Attachment 17)

32. Mail Routing Logic (Attachment 18)

33. Centralized Mail (CM) Portal Routing Rules (Attachment 19)

34. Trigger Documents (Attachment 20)

35. National Cemetery Administration (NCA) Scheduling and Eligibility Office / Memorial Products Service BRD (Attachment 21)

36. Office of Transition and Economic Development CM BRD (Attachment 23)

37. Education Service BRD (Attachment 24)

38. Fiduciary Service CM BRD (Attachment 25)

39. Insurance Service CM BRD (Attachment 26)

40. Pension Intake Modernization BRD (Attachment 27)

41. Veterans Health Administration (VHA) Caregiver Support Program (CSP) BRD, (Attachment 28)

42. Veterans Health Administration (VHA) Claims and Appeals Modernization Office (CAMO) (Attachment 29)

43. Veteran Readiness and Employment (VRE) CM BRD (Attachment 30)

44. DMHS – R1 – Interface Control Document (ICD) (Attachment 31)

45. Private Medical Records (PMR) Data Transfer Protocol (Attachment 32)

46. Private Medical Records (PMR) Process Flows (Attachment 33)

47. Mail Packet Processing Business Requirements Document, (Attachment 34)

48. VBMS Web Services - Getting Started Guide, Release 22.5 dated July 11, 2021 (Attachment 40)

49. VBA Regional Office and VBA District Office Alignment Document (Attachment 41)

50. Authorization Requirements Standard Operating Procedures (SOP) (Attachment 42)

51. M&IO Emergency Notification SOP, v1.0 (Attachment 43)

52. VA Handbook 6500.6, Contract Security, Appendix C (Attachment 44)

53. VA Enterprise Cloud Technical Reference Guide, Version 2.0 November 2022

54. VA Enterprise Cloud Customer Journey, Version 1.4, April 2, 2026

55. Barcode and QR code Routing (Attachment 53)

3.0 Scope of Work

The Government requires contracted services for delivery of innovative manual and automated solutions supporting mail management services for VA as described in this PWS. Primary services include:

· Receipt, control, and conversion to standard, indexed, and searchable PDF (PDF Image plus Text) of paper and digital mail (mail packets)

· Performing data extraction on a subset of the source material

· Providing a Contractor-developed Digitized Mail Handling Service (DMHS)

· Performing mail packet processing within the DMHS

· Transmitting mail packets to, or making available for retrieval from, a VBA mail automation service

· Transmitting mail packets to, or making available for retrieval from, VBMS or another image repository

Routing mail packets to a contracted managed service for action. In addition to maximizing innovation and automation, the Contractor shall incorporate quality assurance activities and validation into multiple steps of the mail management process to ensure VA receives images and data of sufficient quality to support its business processes while maintaining complete traceability to validate information integrity. The Contractor shall also support onsite and virtual Government-contracted third-party auditing throughout all periods of performance.

The Government requires conversion services for source materials equivalent to an estimated 1.31 billion images (split between an estimated 241 million images in the base period; 251 million images in option period one, if exercised; 261 million images in option period two, if exercised; 271 million images in option period three, if exercised; and 282 million images in option period four, if exercised.)

VA will order a guaranteed minimum volume of 392 million images (72.4 million images in the base period, 75.3 million images in option period one, if exercised; 78.3 million images in option period two, if exercised; 81.4 million images in option period three, if exercised; and 84.7 million images in each of option period four, if exercised).

The maximum volume of images that may be ordered is 2.61 billion (482 million images in the base period; 502 million images in option period one, if exercised; 522 million images in option period two, if exercised; 543 million images in option period three, if exercised; and 564 million images in option period four, if exercised).

The following table summarizes the Government’s projected image volumes resulting from the intake of centralized mail during the performance of the Mail Management Services Task Order, including: estimated image volumes, guaranteed minimum image volumes, and the maximum image volumes.

Table 1. Summary of Projected Image Volumes

VA will notify the Contractor at least 30 calendar days before it anticipates any significant increases in monthly mail receipt volume. This would typically occur following a change of benefit entitlement law or a sudden military drawdown, both resulting in an increase in the volume of mail VA receives.

In addition to the intake and conversion of centralized mail, the Government requires Contractor assistance in performing mail packet processing functions within certain DMHS work queues for an estimated 5,000 to 7,000 mail packets daily.

For additional detailed information related to centralized mail and processing activity volumes, refer to Appendix C, Estimated Mail Management Services Volume Characteristics.

3.1 Order Type

The effort shall be a Firm Fixed Price (FFP) type order.

4.0 Performance Details

4.1 Performance Period

The period of performance shall be 12 months from the effective date of task order (TO) award, with four 12-month option periods thereafter, to be executed at the Government’s discretion.

4.2 Place of Performance

Efforts under this TO shall be performed at Contractor and Government facilities. Any planned teleworking shall also be detailed in the Contractor’s proposal. No work shall be performed Outside Continental United States (OCONUS).

Within 90 calendar days of TO award, the Contractor shall have ready processing, conversion, and storage space and security processes consistent with applicable VA security regulations including security requirements provided in VA Handbook 0730, VA Handbook 0730/1, VA Handbook 0730/4, VA Handbook 6500, and the National Archives and Records Administration (NARA) storage requirements of 36 CFR, Part 1234, Subpart B, with no exceptions made for the waivers discussed within 36 CFR, Part 1234, Subpart B. While NARA certification is not required, the Contractor shall maintain compliance with the referenced NARA requirements. The Contractor shall provide a completed Facility Standards for Records Storage Facilities Inspection Checklist (Appendix B of 36 CFR, Part 1234, Subpart B), and documentation of a certified fire-safety detection and suppression system for each facility wherein source materials are received, stored, or otherwise handled as part of the end-to-end conversion process.

Within 90 calendar days of TO award, the Contractor shall have scheduled and jointly conducted with VA or its agents, an audit to assess compliance with the NARA storage requirements. The Contractor shall have also completed any remediation activities required because of this audit within those 90 calendar days. The Government requires annual review of facility and certification documentation to ensure compliance with established regulations.

Contractor facilities not utilized to store physical source materials, either temporarily or long term, are exempt from the Facility Standards for Records Storage Facilities Inspection Checklist but are required to meet the remaining applicable security regulations described in this section. Where an initially exempt facility is later transitioned for the purpose of maintaining, storing, or handling VA physical source materials, the Contractor, prior to introducing physical source materials into the facility, shall (1) inform the Government of its intent; and (2) provide the Government with evidence the facility is compliant with the referenced NARA requirements.

The Contractor shall store, maintain, and handle VA paper mail and perform any electronic processes supporting the end-to-end conversion process, within non-public, controlled spaces, accessible only by authorized personnel who have had VA privacy and security awareness training and proper background investigations. The Contractor shall ensure security personnel closely monitor the facility. The Contractor shall limit access to controlled spaces by use of approved physical access devices, lock and key, or security alarms after hours. The Contractor shall maintain strict control of documents taken in or out of any facility. Contractor teleworking in support of the tasks in this PWS is not authorized without prior written approval from the Contracting Officer’s Representative (COR) and requires all required telework training be completed.

The Contractor shall provide VA or its agent with physical access to source materials at any time during normal operating hours. The Contractor shall allow VA or its agent to perform oversight of storage conditions and operations at any time during normal operating hours.

Deliverables:

A. Facility Standards for Records Storage Facilities Inspection Checklist

4.3 Travel or Special Requirements

The Government anticipates travel to perform the tasks associated with the effort, as well as to attend program-related meetings or conferences throughout the period(s) of performance. Travel may be substituted by online meetings but must be approved in advance by the COR. Travel shall be in accordance with FAR 31.205-46 and requires concurrence in advance by the COR. Include all estimated travel costs in your firm-fixed price line items. These costs will not be directly reimbursed by the Government. The total estimated number of trips in support of the program related meetings for this effort is five three-day trips to Washington, DC (one trip during each period of performance.) The Government estimates that the Contractor will include five personnel for each trip.

Travel is for the base period and the option periods, if exercised.

4.4 Contract Management

A COR will be appointed by the CO and duties delegated in an appointment letter. The COR is the Requiring Activity’s designated representative. The designated COR shall provide the Contractor access to all available Government furnished information, facilities, material, equipment, and services as required. Contract surveillance duties will be defined and accomplished IAW the Quality Assurance Surveillance Plan.

The Government reserves the right to assign a Government representative to a Contractor facility for the duration of any Task Order. Where a Government representative is assigned onsite, full-time space shall include a computer workstation with both network and phone (with outbound calling capability) access and shall be situated in a manner allowing for uninterrupted teleconferences between the representative and VA Leadership. The Contractor shall provide adequate, secure office workspace located within a climate-controlled area accessible through similar security measures as the Contractor’s employees. The representative shall have physical access to the facility such that reviews of any process may be executed on an at-once basis as may be directed by VA.

The Contractor shall establish a single management focal point, the Program Manager, to accomplish the administrative, managerial and financial aspects of this contract and all subsequent Task Orders. This individual shall be identified to the Government as the focal point for all programmatic issues.

All program requirements, contract actions and data interchange shall be conducted in a digital environment using electronic and web-based applications. At minimum, such data shall be compatible with the Microsoft Office 365/ Office 16 family of products, Microsoft Windows 10 and Windows 11 products, Adobe Portable Document Format (PDF) and AutoCAD. In coordination with Contractor Task Order PM a standard naming convention for all electronic submissions shall be determined within 60 calendar days after Task Order award.

Government Furnished Equipment (GFE)/Government Furnished Information (GFI) GFE may be required for the performance of this TO. In addition to mail received via the US Postal Service (USPS), the Government may also ship to the Contractor facility mail received directly at Government facilities.

Within the first 45 calendar days of task order award the Contractor will be provided access to, and training on, VBA’s policies and guidance impacting work requested in this PWS.

The Government will provide VA network access, email addresses, and access to specific applications necessary to perform the tasks in this PWS.

4.5 Security and Privacy

Contractors (which includes Contractor personnel, Subcontractors, and Subcontractor personnel) shall be subject to the same Federal laws, regulations, standards, and VA Directives and Handbooks as VA and VA personnel regarding information and information system security. Contractors must follow policies and procedures outlined in VA Directive 6500, Information Security Program which is available at:

http://www1.va.gov/vapubs and its handbooks to ensure appropriate security controls are in place

4.5.1 Information Security and Privacy Security Requirements

The Contractor shall comply with the VA security requirements IAW VA Handbook

6500.6 “Contract Security” and Addendum A of VA Handbook 6500.6. VA Handbook

6500.6 Appendix C “VA Information Systems Security / Privacy Language for Inclusion into Contracts, as Appropriate.”

4.5.2 Personnel Security Requirements

The Contractor(s) shall comply with all personnel security requirements included in this contract and any unique organization security requirements. All Contractor personnel who require access to VA sensitive information/computer systems shall be subject to background investigations and must receive a favorable background investigation from VA.

The position sensitivity risk designation [LOW, MODERATE, and HIGH] and associated level of background investigation [Tier 1, Tier 2, and Tier 4] for each task shall be designated accordingly, as identified within the PWS. The level and process of background security investigations for Contractors must be IAW VA Directive and Handbook 0710, “Personnel Security and Suitability Program.”

a. The Contractor shall prescreen all personnel requiring access to the computer systems to ensure they maintain the appropriate Background Investigation, and are able to read, write, speak and understand the English language.

b. Within three (3) calendar days after Task Order award, the Contractor shall provide a roster of Contractor and Subcontractor employees to the COR to begin their background investigations. The Contractor Staff Roster shall contain the Contractor’s Full Name, Date of Birth, Place of Birth, individual background investigation level requirement. The Contractor shall submit full Social Security Numbers either within the Contractor Staff Roster or separately to the COR. The Contractor Staff Roster shall be updated and provided to VA within one (1) calendar day of any changes in employee status, training certification completion status, Background Investigation level status, additions /removal of employees, etc. throughout the Period of Performance. The Contractor Staff Roster shall remain a historical document indicating all past information and the Contractor shall indicate in the Comment field, employees no longer supporting this contract.

The preferred method to send the Contractor Staff Roster or Social Security Number is by encrypted e-mail. If unable to send encrypted e-mail, other methods which comply with FIPS 140-2 are to encrypt the file, use a secure fax, or use a traceable mail service.

c. The Contractor should coordinate the location of the nearest VA fingerprinting office through https://www.osp.va.gov/Badge_Office_Locations.asp. Only electronic fingerprints are authorized. The Contractor shall bring their completed VBA Contractor Fingerprint Request Form (FPV) with them when getting fingerprints taken. This will happen after the forms below are submitted and a US Access account has been created to allow the FPV appointment.

d. The Contractor shall ensure the following required forms are submitted to the COR within five (5) calendar days after Task Order award:

1) Optional Form 306

2) VBA Contractor Background Investigation Request

4) Completed VBA Contractor FPV

e. The Contractor Onboard Liaison shall submit all required information related to their background investigation to Personnel Security Investigations Portal (PSIP) (completion of the investigation documents (SF85, SF85P, or SF86) utilizing the Office of Personnel Management’s (OPM) National Background Investigation Services (NBIS) eAPP after receiving an email notification from the NBIS system.

f. The Contractor employee shall certify and release the e-QIP document, print and sign the signature pages, and send them encrypted to the COR for electronic submission to the SIC. These documents shall be submitted to the COR within three (3) calendar days of receipt of the e-QIP notification email. (Note: OPM is moving towards a “click to sign” process. If click to sign is used, the Contractor employee should notify the COR within three (3) calendar days that documents were signed via e-QIP).

g. The Contractor shall be responsible for the actions of all personnel (including Subcontractor personnel) provided to work for VA under this contract. If damages arise from work performed by Contractor provided personnel, under the auspices of this contract, the Contractor shall be responsible for all resources necessary to remedy the incident.

h. If the background investigation determination is not completed prior to the start date of work identified in each Task Order, a Contractor may be granted access to VA sensitive information with a favorably adjudicated Special Agreement Check (SAC), completed training delineated in VA Handbook 6500.6 (Appendix C, Section 9), signed “Contractor Rules of Behavior”, and with a valid, operational PIV credential for PIV-only logical access to VA’s network. A PIV card credential can be issued once your SAC has been favorably adjudicated and your background investigation has been scheduled by OPM. However, the Contractor will be responsible for the actions of the Contractor personnel they provide to perform work for VA. The investigative history for Contractor personnel working under this contract must be maintained in the database of the Office of Personnel Management (OPM).

i. The Contractor, when notified of an unfavorably adjudicated background investigation on a Contractor employee as determined by the Government, shall withdraw the employee from consideration in working under the contract.

j. Failure to comply with the Contractor personnel security investigative requirements may result in loss of physical and/or logical access to VA facilities and systems by Contractor and Subcontractor employees and/or termination of the contract for default.

k. Identity Credential Holders must follow all HSPD-12 policies and procedures as well as use and protect their assigned identity credentials in accordance with VA policies and procedures, displaying their badges always, and returning the identity credentials upon termination of their relationship with VA.

4.5.3 Position Sensitivity

Low/Tier 1 Tier 1/National Agency Check with Written Inquiries (NACI) A Tier 1/NACI is conducted by OPM and covers a five-year period. It consists of a review of records contained in the OPM Security Investigations Index (SII) and the DOD Defense Central Investigations Index (DCII), FBI name check, FBI fingerprint check, and written inquiries to previous employers and references listed on the application for employment. In VA it is used for Non-sensitive or Low Risk positions.

Moderate/Tier 2 Tier 2/Moderate Background Investigation (MBI) A Tier 2/MBI is conducted by OPM and covers a five-year period. It consists of a review of National Agency Check (NAC) records [OPM Security Investigations Index (SII), DOD Defense Central Investigations Index (DCII), FBI name check, and an FBI fingerprint check]; a credit report covering a period of five years; written inquiries to previous employers and references listed on the application for employment; an interview with the subject; law enforcement check; and a verification of the educational degree.

High/Tier 4 Tier 4/Background Investigation (BI) A Tier 4/BI is conducted by OPM and covers a 10-year period. It consists of a review of National Agency Check (NAC) records [OPM Security Investigations Index (SII), DOD Defense Central Investigations Index (DCII), FBI name check, and a FBI fingerprint check report]; a credit report covering a period of 10 years; written inquiries to previous employers and references listed on the application for employment; an interview with the subject, spouse, neighbors, supervisor, co-workers; court records, law enforcement check, and a verification of the educational degree.

Position Sensitivity and Background Investigation Requirements

In accordance with VA Handbook 0710, Personnel Security and Suitability Program, the position sensitivity, and the level of background investigation commensurate with the required level of access for the following tasks within the PWS are:

The Tasks identified above, and the resulting Position Sensitivity and Background Investigation requirements identify, in effect, the Background Investigation requirements for Contractor individuals, based upon the tasks the Contractor individual will be working. The submitted Contractor Staff Roster must indicate the required Background Investigation Level for each Contractor individual based upon the tasks the Contractor individual will be working, in accordance with its submitted proposal.

The Contractor must notify the COR immediately when an employee working on a VA system or with access to VA information is reassigned or leaves the Contractor or Subcontractor. The COR must also be notified immediately by the Contractor or Subcontractor prior to an unfriendly termination.

5.0 Tasks and Deliverables

The Contractor shall perform the following:

5.1 Project Management

The Contractor shall plan, monitor, and control the tasks outlined in this PWS. The Contractor shall follow an accepted project management methodology such as the Project Management Body of Knowledge (PMBOK).

5.1.1 Contractor Project Management Plan (PMP)

The Contractor shall provide a detailed PMP and briefing summarizing the PMP content for the Government following TO award. The briefing may be conducted virtually. The PMP presents the Contractor’s plan for successfully completing all work described in the task order. The PMP shall take the form of both a narrative and graphic form that displays the schedule, milestones, risks, and resource support. The baseline PMP and all subsequent updates shall be coordinated with VBA and approved by the COR. At a minimum the following items shall be incorporated into the PMP:

· Change Control Plan

· Communications Plan

· Configuration Management Plan

· Integrated Master Schedule (IMS)

· Logistics Plan

· Quality Management Plan

· Requirements Management Plan

· Risk Management Plan

· Service Rollout Plan

· Staffing Plan

· Subcontractor Management Plan

· Technical/Management Plan

· Work Breakdown Structure (WBS) Deliverables:

A. Project Management Plan and Briefing

5.1.2 Technical Kickoff Meeting

The Contractor shall coordinate and facilitate a technical kickoff meeting within 10 calendar days following TO award. In addition to the introduction of its contract leadership team, the Contractor shall present, for review and approval by the Government, the details of the intended approach, work plan, and project schedule for each effort. The Contractor shall specify dates, locations (can be virtual), agenda (shall be provided to all attendees at least five calendar days prior to the meeting), and meeting minutes (shall be provided to all attendees within one calendar day following the meeting). The Contractor shall invite the Contracting Officer (CO), Contract Specialist (CS), Contracting Officer’s Representative (COR), and the Government Program/Project Manager (PM).

Deliverables:

A. Kickoff Meeting Agenda, Meeting and Presentation, and Minutes

5.1.3 Weekly/Biweekly Meeting

During the first 120 calendar days following the Technical Kickoff Meeting, the Contractor’s PM shall establish and facilitate weekly meetings. Unless otherwise directed by the Government, the meetings shall be conducted biweekly (every other week) thereafter. Meetings shall be set up in advance, considering availability of Government Program Management Office (PMO) staff, providing phone dial-in and/or teleconferencing or web conferencing. The Contractor shall distribute an agenda at least one calendar day prior to the meeting. The Contractor shall facilitate the meeting, track action items, describe any risks associated with performance, schedule, or other concerns during, and deliver meeting minutes following the meeting. Meeting minutes shall include current statuses of all open issues and any upcoming service development and service implementation activities.

The Contractor shall include, at minimum, the following topics:

· Risk register review with mitigation strategy and status

· Quality status/issues with resolution plan

· Service status/issues with resolution plan

· Staffing status/issues with resolution plan

· Schedule status/issues with resolution plan

· Performance status/issues with resolution plan (performance improvement plan/remediation plan)

· Plans for coming weeks (including performance improvement plan/remediation plan efforts)

· Authority to Operate (ATO)/Interim Authority to Operate (IATO) status/issues with resolution plan

· All action items (status (pending, closed, other), duration, and resource assignments)

· Contractor corporate/resource email distribution list with updates monthly

· Deliverable status

The Contractor shall capture, track, and report action items and risks. Capturing, tracking, and reporting shall be electronic via a Government approved enterprise change management, risk/issue tracking tool (e.g., Rational Jazz, JIRA, or similar). The Contractor is not required to develop and implement a new tracking tool to satisfy this requirement. Use of an existing solution is acceptable so long as the tool meets the following minimum requirements, and its use is approved by the Government PM:

· Action items and risks are organized and enumerated

· The tool displays the metadata related to each action item/risk Access to the tool shall be granted to the Government PM and any other Government resource(s) or agents of the Government identified by the PM. Access includes the ability for Government resources to run reports as necessary to track action items, risks, defects, etc.

Deliverables:

A. Biweekly Update Meeting Agenda and Minutes

5.1.4 Progress Reports and Reviews

The Contractor shall deliver Monthly Progress Reports throughout the TO performance period. The Monthly Progress Report shall include an out brief to the Government PM. The content contained in the reports shall be representative of performance requirements as outlined in the PWS. The Government will work with the Contractor to develop the content for the reports to ensure relevant datasets are accurately defined and captured. Progress Reports shall include, at minimum:

· Contractor Staff Roster

· Contractor Privacy and Security Training Report

· Operational Report (budget, hiring (gain/loss report), etc.)

· Trends over time

· Productivity Report

· Trends over time

· Quality Report (metrics, measurement, etc.)

· Trends over time

· Performance issues with mitigation strategies

· Deliverable Matrix (status of all PWS deliverables for the reporting period)

· Service Level Agreement (SLA) Matrix (status of reporting period performance against SLA)

· Trends over time

· Lessons Learned

In addition to the Monthly Progress Reports, the Contractor shall develop and deliver an Operational Management Review (OMR) quarterly. The OMR shall, unless otherwise directed by the COR, be presented in person and onsite at VBA Headquarters at 1800 G Street, NW, Washington, DC. While similar in content to that of the earlier progress reports, the OMR shall include a broad review to senior leadership of the overall Contractor effort and include critical areas such as:

· Project Overview

· Recent Key Accomplishments

· Project 90-Day Look Ahead

· Planned key accomplishments within the next 90 days

· Key Issues and Corrective Action Plans

· Major risks and mitigation plans

· Strategic Performance Measurement Status and Forecast

· Action items from previous OMR Deliverables:

A. Monthly Progress Reports B. Quarterly OMR

5.1.5 Change Control Support

VBA has established an internal Government Change Control Board (CCB) as part of the managed service change control process to adjudicate proposed related change requests. VBA anticipates the CCB will conduct routine meetings at least twice monthly (more frequently if necessary). The Contractor shall participate in these CCB meetings when requested by the Government and may do so on a virtual basis. The participation shall include at least one representative with the authority to make commitments on behalf of the Contractor. The Contractor shall support the CCB in assessing levels of effort and impacts of proposed change requests.

Proposed change requests will include but are not limited to:

· Mail Management Services enhancements

· Shipping guidance

· Receipt via DMHS direct upload

· Constructive custody

· Document Conversion Rules

· VBMS document taxonomy

· Indexing

· Document Type and Date of Receipt Guide

· Data extraction

· Mail packet routing

· Mail queue management

· Disposition

· Interfaces with Government system(s)

· Interfaces with Private Medical Records (PMR) vendor system(s)

· Interfaces with Records Management Services (RMS) Contractor system(s)

· Interfaces with the Veterans Intake, Conversion, and Correspondence Services, Mail Automation Services (MAS) and Automated Decision Support (ADS) system(s)

· Interfaces with Records Management Services (RMS) vendor system(s)

· Interfaces with new Government vendor system(s)

· Graphical Self-Service Report Generation (other than ad hoc reports)

· Data Access Service (DAS)

5.1.6 Continuity of Operations Plan (COOP)/Disaster Recovery (DR) Plans The Contractor shall develop, maintain, and test quarterly service continuity, contingency, and disaster recovery plans for all services performed under this TO. In providing these services, the Contractor shall:

· Prepare and deliver COOP and DR Plans to ensure the orderly recovery from a disaster that may render all or part of a service facility, system, or equipment inoperable

· Coordinate with interfacing systems to verify integration of procedures and planning

· Develop measures to protect all services, equipment, and data for which the Contractor is responsible from potential environmental threats

· Ensure services and equipment for which the Contractor is responsible are operational and restore any lost capabilities and data after the occurrence of a disaster

· Conduct and participate in semi-annual COOP/DR exercises

· Provide COOP/DR exercise results with mitigation strategy for resolution of any identified issue Deliverables:

A. Continuity of Operations (COOP) Plan B. Disaster Recovery (DR) Plan C. COOP/DR exercise results

5.2 Mail Receipt

The Contractor shall receive mail from Veterans, their families, and their representatives, from VBA Regional Offices (ROs), other VA/VBA entities, VA/VBA partners, the United States Postal Service (USPS), and from other commercial carriers.

Mail will be received in paper and via both physical and non-physical digital submission. The Contractor should anticipate the receipt of paper mail including photographs and both printed and handwritten content. The Contractor should also anticipate the receipt of non-paper format source materials including but not limited to:

· Physical

· CD/DVD

· Flash drives

· Microfilm

· Microfiche

· Other alternate media

· Digital

· Facsimiles (Faxes)

· Direct Upload

· Inbound Application Program Interfaces (API)

· Secure File Transfer Protocols (SFTP)

· National Call Center (NCC) Upload Service

· Bulk Upload Matching Service

· Self-Service Document and Claim Submission Service The Contractor shall acquire the facilities and equipment, develop processes, and provide personnel to support the receipt of centralized mail.

For detailed information related to projected centralized mail volumes, refer to Appendix C, Estimated Mail Management Services Volume Characteristics.

The Government anticipates the volume of mail received by the Contractor will vary by day. The Contractor’s solution shall accommodate these fluctuations such that there is no impact on Government business operations. The Government will provide as much advanced notice as is practical where anticipated increases in mail may occur and collaborate with the Contractor to mitigate the impact of volume variations.

The Contractor shall maintain the ability to receive mail in any of the required formats, at least once daily from any of the sources of physical or digital deliveries. Due to the sensitive nature of the content, the Contractor shall take receipt of shipped materials during the delivery periods of VA’s national contract carrier, currently United Parcel Service (UPS), or from the United States Postal Service (USPS). In addition, the Contractor shall take receipt of materials shipped by alternative carriers utilized by Government entities outside of the Continental United States, where UPS and/or USPS may be unavailable or utilized. Any changes to VA’s national carrier will be communicated to the Contractor by the Contracting Officer.

Centralized mail will arrive via USPS delivery, via other carrier the Government or other third-party submitter elects to use, or upon Contractor pick-up from the designated USPS site. Paper mail and physical electronic mail may be received in any format capable of delivery through the USPS or common carrier. The most commonly received formats are envelopes and flats; but on occasion, boxes or small packages may be received. The Contractor shall comply with established USPS procedures for handling certified or registered mail or other carrier signature procedures necessary to take receipt of centralized mail materials.

Each piece of mail shall be checked in, logged, and assigned a date of receipt indicating the date and time it was received. For the purposes of this PWS, “received” is defined as the time the material is checked in and is trackable within the Contractor’s system.

Where the Government requires the use of a date of receipt differing from this description, the Contractor shall refer to the Document Conversion Rules (DCR) for specific instructions regarding the date of receipt values to be assigned. Check-in of all received mail shall occur the same day the mail was received. The assigned date of receipt endorsement shall be applied to each piece of mail during the conversion process. As there are multiple VA lines of business, different endorsements must be used. The digital endorsement shall consist of the following:

“MM/DD/YYYY HH:MM:SS – VA [Line of Business] Intake Center” (e.g., 01/01/2020 08:15:45 – VA Compensation Intake Center).

Where the Government requires the use of an endorsement differing from this description, the Contractor shall refer to the DCRs for specific instructions regarding the endorsement to be assigned. Immediately beneath or beside the digital endorsement the Contractor shall apply the source type of material received (e.g., “Source Mail”). Any material received with a date stamp already applied by a VA facility shall be assigned a date of receipt in accordance with the DCRs.

This receipt shall constitute the acceptance of the records and liability for records management by the Contractor. The Contractor shall initiate tracking of mail upon receipt.

The Contractor shall implement controls to accurately identify and segregate incoming mail by the appropriate VA Line of Business (LoB). The Contractor shall ensure that VBA and NCA mail, or any other non‑VHA material received through PO boxes, fax lines, direct upload, or other intake channels, is not processed within VHA workflows. Misrouted mail shall be flagged, documented in SMTS, and routed in accordance with Government provided‑ instructions. The Contractor shall forward to an address provided by the Government articles of mail that appear to have been misrouted.

The Contractor shall replace any boxes damaged during shipment where damage represents potential access to or loss of VA assets or sensitive information. The Contractor shall notify the COR and VA PM immediately, via email and phone, upon occurrence, detailing the damage and the specific source material(s) damaged, if any.

Within one calendar day of a damage incident, the Contractor shall replace damaged boxes and complete and submit to the COR a Damage Incident Report as provided in Attachment 1. The Contractor shall also photograph any box for which a Damage Incident Report is completed. Photographs shall not include any sensitive information.