Participant Recruitment DRAFT PWS .pdf

1.0 BACKGROUND

The Human Systems Integration (HSI) directorate exists within the Veterans Health Administration (VHA), Office of Health Informatics (OHI), Clinical Informatics (CI). HSI seeks to apply the standards of Human Centered Design (HCD) and mature HSI and human factors principles across Veterans Affairs (VA) to improve overall performance and safety of VHA health information systems (HIS) by optimizing the VHA employee (Staff), Veteran, Caregiver, and Survivor end-user experiences. HSI offers HCD and systems engineering services for a variety of VA-developed and acquired products and services with a diverse group of partners from across VA, to include VHA, Veterans Benefits Administration (VBA), and National Cemetery Administration. HSI provides support to collaborators seeking to improve the customer experience, such as Office of Connected Care, Veterans Experience Office, and Digital Services at VA. It is critical to obtain feedback from Government Staff and the Public, to include a diverse population of Veterans to understand their needs and experiences interacting with the Federal Government, as required by Federal Law (Public Law No:

115-336. 21st Century Integrated Digital Experience Act, or IDEA). HSI supports major VA Initiatives, including the Modernization efforts in support of the Digital Transformation at VA and the Strategic Goals and Objectives. VHA also supports the “Fourth Mission” of national preparedness for national emergencies.

2.0 SCOPE OF WORK

HSI seeks a partner to assist with the recruitment of Participants (Employees/Staff, Veterans, Caregivers or Delegates, and Survivors) to participate in studies and provide substantive feedback regarding their experiences with existing VA services and new products being developed or acquired by VA and its organizational partners. The Government does not provide access to Personal Information or other information about potential Participants, and the Contractor shall provide Participants for individual studies that match specific screening Criteria (inclusion and exclusion).

For the remainder of the Performance Work Statement (PWS):

• ‘Study’ will be used in a broad sense: Use of one (1) or more methods, involving Participants, to solicit feedback from potential end-users or consumers. Sample study methods include screen reviews, focus groups, and usability studies. A mix of face-to-face and virtual methods will be employed to conduct studies. A study will typically have a maximum of nine (9) Participants, although some will have more.

• ‘Session’ is defined as a single event attended by one (1) or more Participants. For example, a focus group study could consist of a single session with nine (9) Participants, where a usability study could consist of nine (9) sessions with a single Participant in each.

The Contractor shall perform screening, recruiting, scheduling, technological assistance, note-taking, validation and Participant reimbursement activities. The Government or its partners will facilitate all studies.

Screening, Recruiting and Scheduling: The Contractor shall recruit Participants based on study-specific screening criteria aligned to targeted assessment objectives. The Contractor shall establish alignment of a study specific minimum quantity of recruited Participants that match screening criteria for anticipated tasks and have access to specified technologies (i.e., Veterans with smart-phones).

Some studies will require Participants with certain medical characteristics such as a Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI) diagnosis or Women Veterans who have used VA maternity care services. Most studies, however, will not require Participants to have any particular medical characteristics, but instead match certain demographic or technology criteria. Some studies may require specific demographic qualities for inclusion and/or exclusion, to include residency and existing relationships with particular sites of care, such as Employees or Veterans that provide or receive, respectively, care services from particular facilities. Participants will typically interact directly with the product or service in person or through a web conferencing platform, either individually or with other study Participants. Study methodologies used will vary but will most often be one-on-one usability tests, targeted questionnaires, or focus groups where Participant feedback will be solicited on aspects such as software capabilities, user interface elements, and support for workflow. Studies will require, on average, six (6) to nine (9) Participants. Studies are concluded by asking Participants to complete one (1) or two (2) short questionnaires or evaluations based on their individual experiences and preferences, such as session quality feedback. The Contractor shall include the Government developed link or materials in the electronic or physical pre-test session communications, but the Government is responsible for analyzing the collected data.

The Government estimates a need to recruit up to six hundred (600) total Participants over the course of a twelve (12) month Period of Performance (PoP). This includes a range of potential Participant mix:

Employees (Staff) Veterans Caregivers (Delegates) Survivors Up to 300 Up to 400 Up to 50 Up to 50

The Contractor shall provide a Participant classification code and demographics table for each engaged participant. The code and demographics table shall not include identifiable information, and the Participants’ name and other unique identifiable attributes shall remain anonymous to the Government. The Contractor shall provide unique Participants for each study, where each Participant has not previously supported a study, unless inclusion criteria requires past participation. The Contractor shall monitor and track engagement by each Participant for which Study they have supported, and the Government may specifically target reassessments on certain Studies using the prior Participants. The use of ‘repeat’ Participants across studies is not authorized unless approval is explicitly granted by the Government in advance. VA-owned space in Orlando, Florida shall be the most frequently used location for face-to-face studies, at the Simulation Learning, Evaluation, Assessment, and Research Network (SimLearn) facility, National Simulation Validation, Evaluation and Testing (SimVET) Center, 13800 Veterans Way, Orlando, FL 32827, and others may occur at VA facilities within the United States and U.S. Territories. Government staff will support audio and visual (A/V) needs for studies conducted at Government facilities.

Recruitment of participants will be tailored to the specific needs of each study. The Contractor will receive screening criteria at least one (1) week prior to the study's commencement, along with a calendar indicating available session slots. To facilitate scheduling, the number of session slots offered will range from two (2) to three (3) times the desired participant count. The Contractor is permitted to recruit participants on a rolling basis, meaning that the study may begin with an initial group of participants while recruitment and scheduling efforts continue concurrently. To be eligible for an incentive, participants must make a “good faith” effort to complete their designated session. The Contractor is responsible for tracking session completion status(es) and ensuring that participants who fulfill the session requirements receive the appropriate incentives. The Contractor shall comply with all Federal, State, and Local regulations regarding incentive structures, to include: 5 United States Code (USC) 5333, 18 USC 209, 18 USC 208, 5 Code of Federal Regulations (CFR) 2635.802, 5 CFR 2635.502 and 5 CFR 2635.502(a).

For current Government Staff Participants responding as a ‘Staff’ Participant, the Contractor shall coordinate written approvals for incentives that are sponsored by the local Facility Director (field-based), National Program Director (Central Office), or an appropriate Senior Executive Service (SES) for each Unique Study Code. The Contractor shall maintain the written approvals (email is sufficient) as part of the Study Materials. The Contractor shall provide an accessible webpage for interested parties to request participation, or to inquire about more information, but the webpage may require validation such as the provision of the Station Identification Code (Station ID or Station Number (No.)) and/or Unique Study Code. The Contractor shall respond to legitimate inquiries within five (5) business days. The Contractor shall coordinate any inquiries with the VHA Office of General Counsel (OGC) with questions pertaining to compliance with Federal, State, or Local regulations.

The Contractor is responsible for working with Government-provided study support materials. This includes the Participation Agreement template, to be completed once by each Participant.

Stipulations include:

• All Participants must agree to keep their contact information up-to-date with the Contractor if they are interested in future participation.

• Participants will be asked if their names can be kept on file with the Contractor for potential future participation.

• Participants must agree to be recorded (audio and video) in the event that the study protocol includes audio and/or video recording of the participant, their environment (background) and their devices’ screens. Participants must sign the A/V release (VA Form 10-3203) that all Participants will be asked to sign whenever a study requires a recording.

• Participants must be able to speak and understand English, unless specific inclusion criteria requires other languages.

• Studies can be expected to be performed between 8:00 a.m. and 6:00 p.m.

Eastern Time, Monday-Friday, excluding Federal Holidays.

• Participants may leave a study at any time or withdraw their authorization for any reason, without any impact on their benefit or employment status, but will not receive an incentive without completing the session.

• Participants must agree to protect Personal Health Information (PHI) under health care operations in accordance with 45 C.F.R. § 164.506(c) in quality improvement activities or research testing and evaluation approved by an Institutional Review Board (IRB) (45 C.F.R. § 164.512(i)).

The Government will provide the contractor a Screening Questionnaire to collect information that can be used not only to describe Participants but also to build a pool of Participants willing to be considered for future studies through Advanced Recruiting. The Contractor shall maintain a Pool of active participants that is at least two (2) times the required Participant Mix. Demographic information, except for any personally identifiable information (PII), collected as part of the screener must be provided to the Government within one (1) business day following the conclusion of a study for all Participants that were engaged in the study.

The Government will provide the Contractor a Study Checklist to track the completion of tasks in support of each study. The Contractor must return the completed checklist to the Government after each study is completed, within five (5) business days following the conclusion of a study.

Technical Assistance: The majority of studies will be conducted remotely, utilizing web conferencing software supplied by the Contractor or through a VHA Technical Reference Model (TRM) approved application, currently Microsoft Teams. The Contractor is responsible for actively organizing virtual studies, which includes technical preparations (e.g., assisting Participants with downloading and testing the web conferencing software) and providing A/V support to ensure sessions proceed as planned. The Contractor must assist Participants with any technical issues that arise before or during the scheduled session. The provided web conferencing tools must be compatible with both the VA's network and external networks. The software must include a chat feature, allowing the Contractor and any observers (e.g., business owner or other Government team members) to communicate with the study facilitator. Additionally, the software should enable 'tagging' of recordings, marking specific segments for easy reference during future reviews. This web conferencing software is essential for conducting studies when Participants are located remotely from the study coordinator and facilitator.

Note-taking: The Contractor is to provide notes to the Government from study sessions that are as close as possible to verbatim without the need for formal manual transcription of recordings. The Contractor shall review any web conferencing software automatic transcription output (for accuracy).

The Contractor is typically expected to provide notes for sessions, regardless of study method used.

(There will be occasional exceptions such as when HSI is merely facilitating access to Veteran study Participants for another office and not conducting the study.) On-site presence for face-to-face studies is not required, as notes will be taken virtually by coordinating with the facilitator (e.g., the facilitator will note who is speaking in a focus group in order to help with correct attribution of feedback).

Incentivizing Participants: The Contractor is responsible for offering rewards to non-staff Participants who submit their feedback, whether in spoken or written form, as specified. If Participants are unable to complete their feedback due to circumstances beyond their control (e.g., technical difficulties during a study session), they will still be eligible for a reward. These incentives must be distributed within five (5) days after confirming the individual's valid participation. The specific honorarium amounts for Participants should be proposed as detailed in the “RFI Questions” document, then included in the Table 1 (located on page 7, below).

On occasion, Participant studies will overlap, but the Government anticipates most sessions to occur linearly without cooccurrence. The Contractor shall have the capacity to ‘surge’ to up to three (3) concurrent sessions supported simultaneously, however this is rarely expected.

3.0 PERFORMANCE DETAILS

3.1 PERFORMANCE PERIOD

The period of performance shall be from date of award for a base year of 12-months plus four

(4) 12-month options.

3.2 PLACE OF PERFORMANCE

Tasks under this PWS shall be performed at the Contractor facilities. The Contractor shall also be responsible for the coordination of face-to-face studies held at the VA Location in Orlando, FL and possibly other cities.

3.3 TRAVEL

Travel not anticipated under this contract.

3.4 OTHER DIRECT COSTS (ODCs)

ODCs will be reimbursed at the Contractor’s cost. Each Contractor invoice shall include copies of all receipts that support the ODCs claimed in the invoice and written substantiation for the incurred costs. ODCs shall not exceed $X (the amounts referenced by “X” should be proposed as directed in the “RFI Questions” document), for required studies in each year of the contract and shall not exceed $X if all X optional tasks are exercised.]

4.0 SPECIFIC TASKS AND DELIVERABLES

The Contractor shall perform the following:

4.1 PROJECT MANAGEMENT AND PREPARATION

4.1.1 KICK OFF CALL

Within five (5) business days of contract award, the Contractor will participate in a kickoff meeting to include HSI and the Contracting Officers Representative (COR). The purpose of the call is to review the Project Management Plan (in draft form).

Deliverables:

4.1.1.A Minutes from kickoff call

4.2 CONTRACTOR PROJECT MANAGEMENT PLAN

The Contractor shall deliver a Contractor Project Management Plan (CPMP) that describes the Contractor’s approach, timeline and tools to be used in execution of the task order. The CPMP should take the form of both a narrative and graphic format that displays the schedule, milestones, risks and resource support. The CPMP shall also include how the Contractor shall coordinate and execute planned, routine, and ad hoc data collection reporting requests as identified within the Performance Work Statement (PWS). The initial baseline CPMP shall be concurred upon within five (5) business days of contract kickoff Call by the Program Manager (PM) and the Contracting Officer’s Representative (COR). The Contractor shall update and maintain the VA approved CPMP throughout the PoP.

Deliverables:

4.2.A Contractor Project Management Plan (CPMP)

4.3 STUDY COORDINATION

4.3.1 The Contractor shall be responsible for recruiting participants to meet study needs. For each study, HSI will provide the Contractor with a list of Participant characteristics needed, dates and times in which the study sessions will take place, and a list of scheduling slots. Studies will usually require nine (9) or fewer Participants and will typically last around one (1) hour. Approximately 90% of the studies will be one-on-one, rather than in a group setting. The Contractor shall also be responsible for obtaining necessary Union approvals for the recruitment of Government Employees as study participants. This includes diligently filling out and submitting all required forms, effectively coordinating communications between relevant Union representatives and HSI, and ensuring that all Union-related requirements and protocols are adhered to. The Contractor should detail their proposed process for obtaining these approvals and how they will integrate this task into the overall coordination of the study, ensuring minimal impact on study timelines and participant scheduling.

Deliverables:

4.3.1.A. Test Session Schedule: For each study, the Contractor will produce a list of participants who meet the study eligibility criteria and schedule them into available slots.

The Contractor may schedule all Participants in advance of the study start or may recruit and schedule on a rolling basis, if necessary. The Contractor shall provide the schedule to HSI a minimum of one (1) business day before the first study session. If there is a cancellation, the Contractor will work with HSI on options to fill the open slot(s) or continue testing with a smaller number of Participants. The study schedule will be updated accordingly.

4.3.1.B. Signed Copies of the Participant Agreement: The Contractor is responsible for supplying Participants with the accepted Participant Agreement (Attachment A) and collecting the signed version prior to a Veteran participating in a study. (Each Veteran needs to submit the Participation Agreement only once, prior to their first participation.)

The Contractor will store paper copies in accordance with VA’s Records and Information Management Policy, VA Directive 6300 and provide electronic copies of all signed Participant agreements to HSI using an established, contractor provided file transfer protocol (FTP) for the transfer of files that contain confidential or sensitive information.

Alternatively, the Contractor may use software such as the Army’s Safe Access File Exchange (SAFE) which can be used by anyone.

4.3.1.C. Copies of all communications with study Participants: Contractor shall prepare and submit a written draft of its planned communications with study Participants. HSI will approve the content of the communications in advance of the contractor contacting the Participants.

4.3.1.D. Answers to Screening Questionnaire: Prior to the study, the Contractor shall work with the Participant to obtain answers to the questions in the Screening Questionnaire (Attachment B). NOTE: This is the basic screener that will be used for all studies. However, study leads may opt to include additional questions on a per study basis. In most cases, the basic screener questions will only need to be answered by each Veteran once, prior to participation in their first study. The screeners shall be maintained by the Contractor for the duration of the contract (in order to aid future recruitment). Participant responses to screening questions shall be submitted to the Government following that study. If a Veteran participates in subsequent study(ies), the Contractor shall review the questionnaire responses with the Participant, and update as needed.

4.3.2. The Contractor shall coordinate all aspects of each study session, face-to-face or virtual, including scheduling the Participants, obtaining consent for recording (if needed), and processing payments as needed for each study per the Study Checklist (Attachment C).

For face-to-face studies, the Contractor shall provide directions and parking information to Participants, study information sheets, and electronic workbooks if appropriate for the study.

For virtual studies, the Contractor shall:

• Send out session access information;

• Distribute study information sheets;

• Distribute electronic workbooks or other materials as the Government determines are appropriate; and

• Set up and test technical connections, including o provide web conferencing software for conducting the sessions, and o ensure Participants are able to utilize the web tool on the day of the test session.

The Contractor will provide individualized familiarization and training of the web conferencing software on a case-by-case basis for those Participants who either request it, or experience difficulties in a trial / dry-run as needed, in order for them to participate in a study. The Contractor must be prepared to record virtual sessions. NOTE: Recordings, when required, will consist of audio (all studies) and Participant interaction with the product being studied (e.g., mouse clicks, keypad touches). At no time will Participant faces be recorded.

HSI Staff will moderate all sessions. The Contractor shall provide electronic summary notes that capture Key Participant verbatim quotes, new ideas, key themes, and discussion points. Study notes shall be provided in addition to session recordings and electronic workbooks completed by Participants, when required.

All Participants who complete the studies shall be compensated based on length of session and whether Participants are required to drive to the test site.

Reimbursements are documented in Table 1 below. For face-to-face study reimbursement, the Contractor is to calculate mileage following Federal Travel Regulations for reimbursement based on independent verification of distances involved. Participants should receive honorarium and travel reimbursement in one combined payment.

In any ‘gray’ situation where there is a question about whether the Contractor should issue a payment, the Contractor shall discuss the particulars with the study lead who will determine if payment is warranted.

Table 1: Participant Honorariums

Study Type Study Duration < 1 hour 1 – 1.5 hours 1.5 – 2 hours 2 hours +

Virtual $xx/Veteran or

Caregiver $yy/Clinician

$xx/Veteran or Caregiver

$yy/Clinician

$xx/Veteran or Caregiver

$yy/Clinician

$xx/Veteran or Caregiver

$yy/Clinician

Face to Face

N/A $xx/Veteran or

Caregiver $yy/Clinician + travel money

(not to exceed $25)

$xx/Veteran or Caregiver

$yy/Clinician + travel money (not to exceed $25)

$xx/Veteran or Caregiver

$yy/Clinician + travel money (not to exceed $25) http://www.gsa.gov/portal/ext/public/site/FTR/file/Chapter301p011.html/category/21868/ http://www.gsa.gov/portal/ext/public/site/FTR/file/Chapter301p011.html/category/21868/

Deliverables: For each study, the Contractor shall produce:

4.3.2.A Completed Checklist. At least two (2) business days prior to the first session, the Contractor will confirm with HSI that these tasks are complete by submitting a completed study checklist using the approved template or a modification of it agreed to by the Government and the Contractor.

4.3.2.B Notes. The Contractor shall take notes for all studies (virtual and face-to-face).

The notes shall be provided electronically to HSI within three (3) business days following the final Participant session or a modified schedule agreed upon by the Government and Contractor. Notes shall capture Key Participant verbatim quotes, new ideas, key themes, and discussion points. The Contractor may choose to review the recordings if necessary to complete production of the notes, but this is not a requirement.

4.3.2.C Audio/Video (A/V) files. For virtual studies only, the Contractor will create and maintain full webinar A/V recordings of each test session per VA Directive 6300.01 Records and Information Management, RCA 10-1 Nov 2017, and GRS 5.1 item 020, DAA-GRS-2017-0003-0002, and provide viewing access to HSI within two (2) business days of the study conclusion. The recordings shall be marked and noted at any significant or requested points, as indicated by HSI during the session using the virtual session chat feature Recordings must be viewable from within the VHA network.

4.3.2.D Payment record: For each study, the Contractor is responsible for disbursing honorarium payments to Participants promptly following each session in which they participate. Within five (5) business days of the session, the Contractor shall send out payments via check to the Participants and provide HSI with a list of payments issued.

4.4 OPTIONAL TASKS

Optional tasks will be exercised at the Government’s discretion. The Government requires the option to add up to forty (40) Participants during the task order performance period. The tasks associated with these optional Participants will follow the same pattern and timeframe/due dates as those of required tasks. The dates will be specified at the time the option is exercised.

Deliverables: For each optional task, the Government will direct the Contractor to produce some, or all, of the following:

Deliverable: 4.4.A. Test Session Schedule Deliverable: 4.4.B. Signed Copies of Participation Agreement Deliverable: 4.4.C. Copies of Communication materials Deliverable: 4.4.D. Answers to Screening Questionnaire Deliverable: 4.4.E. Completed Checklist Deliverable: 4.4.F. Notes

Deliverable: 4.4.G. A/V files Deliverable: 4.4.H. Payment record

5.0 SCHEDULE FOR DELIVERABLES

Days used in the table below refer to business days unless otherwise stated. Deliverables with due dates falling on a weekend or holiday shall be submitted the following Government workday after the weekend or holiday.

If for any reason a deliverable cannot be delivered as scheduled, the Contractor is required to submit a written request for a time extension to the Contracting Officer (CO) and the Contracting Officer Representative (COR). The request must include the reason(s) for the delay, the impact on the overall project, and the impact on the cost of the project. The CO after consultation with the COR will consider each request on the basis of its merits. The Contractor is required to proceed as originally scheduled until such modification is issued.

The CO is the only official authorized to make changes to the task order.

The Contractor shall provide the specific deliverables described below within the performance period stated in this PWS. The Contractor shall provide written deliverables in draft form to the VA Program Manager (PM). The VA PM will complete a review of the draft deliverable and provide feedback within ten business days from date of receipt, unless otherwise specified. The Contractor shall verify receipt of the draft deliverables and request this feedback in order to address concerns and prepare the final deliverable. The VA Program Manager will provide approval for each final deliverable, or rejection of the final deliverable with summary reasons, in writing within five (5) business days. Following notification of Government rejection, the Contractor has five (5) days to resubmit the revised deliverable.

The VA COR is responsible for coordinating Government review.

Task Deliverable

ID

Deliverable Description

Due Date

4.1.1 A Minutes from Kick

Off Call Electronic submission to: VA PM, COR

Due three (3) business days after kickoff

4.2 A

Contractor Project Management Plan Electronic submission to: VA PM, COR

Draft is due at time of Kickoff Meeting; Final is due five (5) business days after Government feedback on draft PMP.

Option Year: Due on the fifth (5) business day of the Option Period of Performance.

4.3.1 A Test Session

Schedule Electronic submission to: VA PM, COR

Due minimum of one (1) business day before study begin date.

4.3.1 B Signed Copies of

the Participant Agreement Electronic submission to: VA PM, COR

Due minimum of one (1) business day before study begin date.

Task Deliverable

ID

Deliverable Description

Due Date

4.3.1 C Copies of all

communications with study Participants Electronic submission to: VA PM, COR

Drafts are due two (2) business days after request for study recruitment. Final is due one (1) business day after receipt of Government comments and shall then be sent to Participants.

4.3.1 D Answers to

Screening Questionnaire Electronic submission to: VA PM, COR

Due at time the test session schedule is provided.

4.3.2 A Completed

Checklist Electronic submission to: VA PM, COR

Due minimum of two (2) business days before first session begin date.

4.3.2 B Notes

to: VA PM, COR

Due three (3) business days after completion of a study or a modified schedule agreed upon by the Government and Contractor.

4.3.2 C A/V from sessions

to: VA PM, COR

Due two (2) business days after completion of a study.

4.3.2 D Payment record

Electronic submission to: VA

PM, COR

Due five (5) business days after completion of each study.

5.1 PERFORMANCE METRICS

The table below defines the Performance Standards and Acceptable Performance Levels for Objectives associated with this effort.

Performance Objective Performance Standard Acceptable

Performance Levels

Project Management Plan (PMP)

PMP is comprehensive and responsive to the PWS and incorporates all PWS tasks.

Two (2) or fewer errors

Fill study slots

Provide HSI the list of scheduled Participants a minimum of one (1) business day before each Participant’s session is scheduled to begin.

90% of the time

Performance Objective Performance Standard Acceptable

Performance Levels

Recruit for study slots

For studies calling for nine (9) or more Participants (‘n’), the Contractor must ensure that at least n-2 successfully participate. For example, if the study calls for nine (9) Participants, as few as 7 will be acceptable.

For studies calling for fewer than nine (9) Participants, the Contractor must ensure that at least n-1 successfully participate.

For example, if the study calls for six (6) Participants, as few as five (5) will be acceptable.

100% of the time

Provide individualized familiarization and training of the web conferencing software

Participants are able to successfully access and sustain connection to the web conferencing software at the time of their test session.

95% of the time

Take study notes

Notes shall capture key Participant verbatim quotes, new ideas, key themes, and discussion points including all items “called out” by HSI during the session (either verbally or through the instant message feature in web conferencing software). Notes shall be submitted within three (3) business day following the final session.

100% of the time

The Government will utilize a Quality Assurance Surveillance Plan (QASP) throughout the life of the contract to ensure that the Contractor is performing the services required by this PWS in an acceptable manner. The Government reserves the right to alter or change the surveillance methods in the QASP at its discretion.

5.2 FACILITY/RESOURCE PROVISIONS

The Contractor shall consider the COR as the final source for needed Government documentation when the Contractor fails to secure the documents by other means. The Contractor is expected to use common knowledge and resourcefulness in securing all other reference materials, standard industry publications, and related materials that are pertinent to the work.

The Contractor shall not transmit, store or otherwise maintain sensitive data or products in Contractor systems (or media) within the VA firewall In Accordance With (IAW) VA Handbook

6500.6 dated March 12, 2010. All VA sensitive information shall be protected at all times in accordance with local security field office System Security Plans (SSP) and Authority to Operate (ATO) for all systems/local area networks (LAN) accessed while performing the tasks detailed in this PWS.

4.4 Optional Tasks