ATTACHMENT D 36C10X24R0071 REV 1 Conforming Copy.docx

36C10X24R0071 Table of Contents

SECTION B - CONTINUATION BLOCKS

B.1 CONTRACT ADMINISTRATION DATA

1. Contract Administration: All contract administration matters will be handled by the following individuals:

a. CONTRACTOR: TBD

b. GOVERNMENT: Contracting Officer 36C10X Strategic Acquisition Center - Frederick Department of Veterans Affairs 5202 Presidents Court, Suite 103 Frederick MD 21703

The IDIQ CO is responsible for providing overall scope oversight, maintaining communication between contractors and VA, ensuring contract compliance, administering base contract and modifications, and ensuring that annual performance evaluations are completed at the base contract level. Each task order (TO) will have an identified CO who will be responsible for ensuring that task orders are within the scope of the IDIQ base contracts, administering all task order awards, overseeing payment or rejection of invoices, and ensuring that annual performance evaluations are completed at the TO level.

The CO reserves the right to designate a Contracting Officer’s Representative (COR) at the IDIQ contract or individual task order level. The CO will issue a designation letter to the COR and the contractor to ensure that all parties understand the limited authority of the COR.

2. Task Order Procedures

a. Contractors under this IDIQ shall provide services as requirements are identified throughout the ordering period. Requirements will specify details as they relate to deliverables, performance and other technical items.

(1) The IDIQ will follow ordering procedures as outlined in FAR 16.505. In accordance with FAR 16.505(b)(2), all awardees will be provided fair opportunity to be considered for all task order awards which exceed the micro-purchase threshold, unless an exception applies.

Should one of these exceptions exist, the CO will execute the task order as a sole-source task order, seeking proper justifications in accordance with the FAR and agency procedures.

(2) As requirements are defined, the CO will issue a Task Order Proposal Request (TOPR) in accordance with the procedures as outlined below. Contractors unable to perform the requirements as stated in a TOPR must submit a “no-bid” to the CO with a brief, yet specific, explanation.

(3) Each TOPR will include, at a minimum:

1. the due date and instructions for proposal submission,

1. a Statement of Work (SOW), Statement of Objectives (SOO), or Performance Work Statement (PWS) with a description of the requirements, including deliverables, minimum qualifications, and applicable information,

1. the place and period of performance, and

1. any additional information deemed necessary by the CO.

(4) Each task order requirement will have a unique evaluation plan that will be developed by the CO and detailed in the TOPR.

1. The task order proposals will be evaluated in accordance with the evaluation criteria as set forth in each TOPR. The CO is not required to prepare formal evaluation plans, evaluate offers, post notice on the Federal Business Opportunities webpage or hold discussions or negotiations with each offeror. The CO will, however, maintain an internal record of the award decision and supporting information.

1. In accordance with FAR 16.5, the CO has broad discretion in determining which contractor should receive a task order. The CO will issue a task order to the contractor whose proposal is most advantageous to the Government considering the evaluation factors specified in the TOPR. The CO reserves the right to withdraw or cancel the TOPR. In such event, the contractor will be notified, via email, of the CO’s decision. This decision shall be final and conclusive and shall not be subject to the Disputes Clause or the Contract Disputes Act.

1. Upon TO award, the TO will be sent via email to the contractor. The contractor is not authorized at any time to commence TO performance prior to issuance of a signed TO or other written approval provided by a CO. The contractor’s failure to begin performance within the time frame required may result in termination of the task order and reconsideration of the other task order proposals received in response to the TOPR.

1. In accordance with FAR 16.505(b)(6), contractors may request a post-award debriefing for orders exceeding $5 million. The TO CO will conduct post-award debriefings in accordance with FAR 16.505(b)(6)(ii) and FAR 15.506. Issues arising from the placement of orders are not protestable to the Government Accountability Office unless the protest alleges that the order exceeded the value, scope or period of the contract or in the case where a single task order exceeds $10 million.

1. Task orders may only be modified by written modification, executed by a warranted CO. The contractor shall not perform or provide services that are not expressly stated in the contract or TO. A Contracting Officer’s Representative (COR) does not have the authority or means to obligate the Government or change the terms and conditions of the contract or TO.

b. Minimum Guaranteed Amount and Maximum Value

1. The minimum guaranteed amount for this contract is $10,000.00, which will be obligated at the time of IDIQ award. Orders beyond the minimum will be determined by department needs and the results of fair opportunity competitions, other than exceptions as noted in section B above. The Government has no obligation to award TOs beyond the minimum guaranteed amount.

1. The maximum aggregate value of all awards and task orders under this IDIQ is $48,000,000.00. This ceiling is neither divided nor multiplied by the number of awardees.

c. Options

In accordance with FAR 17.2, task orders may contemplate the use of options. Inclusion of options at the task order level will be properly documented and approved in accordance with the FAR and agency procedures and will be clearly stated in the TOPR.

d. Invoicing

All invoice instructions will be given at the order level.

B.2 PERFORMANCE WORK STATEMENT (PWS)

1. BACKGROUND

The Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) consists of the Veterans Health Administration (VHA) which operates over 170 Medical Centers and 1100 Medical Clinics; the Veterans Benefits Administration (VBA) which operates 56 Regional Benefit Offices, and the National Cemetery Administration (NCA) which operates over 136 National Cemeteries; and numerous staff offices such as the VA Central Office (VACO). VACO operates multiple facilities in Washington DC; Austin, TX; Frederick, MD; Denver, CO, and other VA Facility staff offices across the nation.

The VA Office of Information and Technology (OIT), Compliance, Risk and Remediation (CRR), Enterprise Mail Management (EMM) is establishing and streamlining a lease-based contract vehicle to procure Mail Systems standardizing and integrating mailroom operations across the VA enterprise.

The EMM office has established strategic objectives related to mailroom operations:

• Modernize and standardize mail systems across the enterprise

• Establish, enhance, and advance mail management reporting through web-accessible, cloud-based data hosting services to optimize mail operations and fund efficiencies across the enterprise

• Establish and advance centralized management and oversight of agency mail managers, mail operations and accomplishment of emerging strategic objectives

2. SCOPE OF WORK

The contractor shall provide all-inclusive mail/shipping solution(s) or “mail system” lease equipment. For this PWS, a mail system is defined as any mail processing equipment, web-based software solutions, scalable cloud data storage/hosting, and support services to maintain all systems fully operational. The scope of this PWS is to provide mail system solutions for the VA Enterprise to include VA business offices, administrations, and facilities.

VA Administrations and Offices require equipment and support services for its mailrooms across the enterprise to standardize mail services, technology, processes, and accountability. VA requires equipment and services which meters mail, provides best cost shipping options, allows for accurate mail volume reporting, accountability, expenditures and traceability of mail and parcels that includes mail class, weight and added special services. All applicable hardware, software and support services must adhere to the United States Postal Service (USPS) Domestic Mail Manual (DMM) www.usps.gov, and shipping partners rules and regulations of those as United Parcel Service (UPS), Federal Express (FedEx), DHL, etc.

3. CONTRACT TYPE

This contract is a Multi-Award Indefinite-Delivery Indefinite-Quantity (IDIQ) Contract. Task orders associated with this IDIQ shall be awarded on a competitive basis as an enterprise, group, or individual basis in accordance with each Task Orders (TO) specific requirements. Task Order shall be firm fixed price.

4. PERIOD OF PERFORMANCE (PoP)

The PoP shall be for sixty (60) months from the effective date of award. Individual task orders shall not extend further than 60 months from the date of task order award.

Recognized Holidays:

The Contractor shall provide services during the facility hours of operation, except for the federal holidays set by law (5 U.S.C. § 6103).

5. PLACE OF PERFORMANCE

Tasks under this PWS shall be performed in VA facilities located at:

· Continental United States

· Hawaii

· Alaska

· US Virgin Islands

· Puerto Rico

· Philippines

· Guam

· American Samoa

The tasks under this PWS shall be performed at a Government facility. The Contractor shall assume the core work hours/schedule the Government utilizes unless otherwise directed in the terms and conditions of each Task Order award. The Contractor shall also be prepared to provide maintenance support services to meet requirements and to support the peak mailroom processing needs.

6. TRAVEL

Travel is not required.

7. TASK STATEMENT

Tasks performed shall be of a non-personal nature. VA organizations shall not provide supervision of contractor personnel. Contractor personnel shall at no time allow an employer-employee relationship to develop with VA organizations or their staff. VA organizations shall refrain from any activities that create the appearance of such a relationship.

Contractors shall not perform inherently governmental functions including decision-making, supervision of Government employees, supervision of other contractors on other contracts, and activities that create the appearance of performing such functions.

7.1 REPORTING REQUIREMENTS

The Contractor shall provide the IDIQ Contracting Officer’s Representative (COR) with Monthly Progress Reports in electronic form in Microsoft Word or Microsoft Excel. The report shall include detailed instructions/explanations for each required data element, to ensure that data is accurate and consistent. These reports shall reflect data as of the last day of the preceding Month.

The Monthly Progress Reports shall cover all work completed during the reporting period and work planned for the subsequent reporting period. The report shall also identify any problems that arose and a description of how the problems were resolved. If problems have not been completely resolved, the Contractor shall provide an explanation including their plan and timeframe for resolving the issue. The Contractor shall monitor performance against the previous month’s approved Monthly Progress Report and report any deviations. It is expected that the Contractor shall maintain communication with VA accordingly so that any arising issues are transparent to both parties to prevent escalation of outstanding issues.

7.2 Mail System Requirements

This IDIQ provides maximum flexibility for VA mailroom facilities to meet their local geographic and operational needs. The PWS is based on the below example of mailroom characteristics with the opportunity for each mailroom facility to further describe Mail System requirements in their individual Task Order.

The below chart depicts mailroom facility by size (Small, Medium, and Large) based on average mailroom processing volumes. The table is provided as a tool, based on historical and recommended configurations, to assist users of the IDIQ contract and industry to estimate requirements and Mail System proposed configurations.

Table 1

Scalable Cloud Based Data Hosting) (7.5.5) Mail Metering Software (7.4) Web-Based Mail Machine Software (7.5.5) Scanner Tracking Software (7.6.7) Mail Opener) (7.6.1) Letter Folder (7.6.2) Letter Inserter (7.6.2) Sorter (7.6.3) Mail Stacker (7.6.4) Digital Scale (7.6.5) Laser Printer (7.6.6) Thermal Printer (7.6.6) Hand-Held Scanner (7.6.7)

parcels/day

7.3 Mail System Global Requirement

Global requirements shall be applied across all Mail System components and services. Leased services shall include all mail processing equipment, web-based browser software, scalable cloud-based software solution for data hosting (with web-portal access), mailroom processing accessories, handheld scanners all supported maintenance and support services to keep all systems fully operational. Lease services additionally includes delivery, set-up, configuration, user training, complete functionality testing, thirty (30) day quantity of operating supplies and removal of old equipment. If required by the ordering activity, third party Contractor or Government owned equipment can only be processed with the authority and approval of the COR in writing.

7.3.1. VA shall lease only new, unused, non-refurbished, non-remanufactured Mail System equipment. This applies to all components of the equipment, replacement parts, associated accessories, and supplies.

7.3.2. A VA location may initiate TOs for leasing hardware, software, or both, when necessary, to meet the Mail System solution requirements. All equipment shall be new/unused and include maintenance for the length of the lease period. Locations are authorized to procure software to update legacy equipment.

7.3.3. The Mail System shall include password protected security features to prevent unauthorized use. The software application connecting all the Mailing Systems for reporting purposes must be Federal Information Processing Standards (FIPS) compliant and support active directory sign on authentication.

7.3.4. Postage meters must have the ability to stamp and postmark mailings, charging postage costs to the meter balance. Meters shall be able to provide exact shipping costs, deducted from the meter and can utilize postage discount rates assigned by the USPS.

7.3.5. Postage reports shall be accessible for data collection performance measurement, including the ability to access detailed summary reports to included class specification of mail (i.e., express, first class, priority, business reply etc.) electronic reports generate additional monitoring of postage spend and services utilized for mailings, include number of items processed and total spend. Transaction activity can be linked to existing Enterprise Payment System (EPS).

7.3.6. As of June 30, 2024, in accordance with updated performance standards, the US Postal Service begins decertifying non-Intelligent Mail Indicia (IMI) compliant postage meters. All equipment leased under this PWS shall follow USPS IMI compliance that provides a more transparent and detailed transaction data.

7.3.7. Postage meters shall be compatible with all major shippers and have the ability to work with, and process mail formats associated to USPS DMM products, services and shipping partner rules and regulations.

7.3.8. Software shall have the ability to electronically capture, store and make accessible mail management data for VA use. Data captured and stored shall be identifiable and referenced by Serial Number of each individual piece of equipment generating such data. Data shall include United States and International volumes (Number of Pieces) and expenditures for USPS letters/flats/packages in all mail classes, and commercially provided expedited services in all shipping classes. (Reference Appendix A – VA Agency Requirements)

7.3.9. An equipment naming convention shall identify each mail machine by Serial Number, Agency, Administration, Region, Station Identification Number, Account Owner, Facility and Physical Location. The following format shall be used in all service and financial documentation.

(Reference: VA Directive 7179 and Station Identification Number Reference:

https://www.va.gov/directory/guide/rpt_fac_list.cfm ) Table 2 Example

7.3.10. Contractor shall be responsible for removal of machines, mail meters and accessories confirmed and approved with the COR Not Later Than (NLT) ten business days after the expiration or cancellation of TO’s or IDIQ contract.

7.3.11. The contractor shall ensure all unused mail meter postage funds are returned to VA, in a method reported, confirmed, and approved with the COR NLT four to six weeks of expiration or cancellation of TO’s or IDIQ contract.

7.3.12. Media (i.e., hard drives, flash drives, memory devices) must be removed from the equipment, secured, and managed with return authorization approved by the COR NLT five business days within expiration or cancellation of TO’s or IDIQ contract.

7.4 Postage Meter and System Requirements

VA requires a cost effective leased, metered mail system associated USPS certified postal funds meter capability for all VA operated mailroom facilities. The postage metering capability shall meet the performance and volume/throughput demands of the individual facility or facilities as defined in the TO requirements. Equipment shall of the latest technologies and software associated with mail processing. System updates shall be completed outside core hours.

7.4.1. Mail Systems shall support the requirements as defined in the General Services Administration (GSA) Code of Federal Regulations 41 CFR 102 – 192 – Mail Management. All physical and virtual postage meters must meet the Department of Treasury’s requirement for using depositaries to hold public money, Chapter 4100 Section 4130.

7.4.2. The Mail Systems shall accurately scan, weigh, rate, meter, and account for all outbound mail and parcels. All equipment supplied shall have postage meters with remote capability which permits postage replenishment, usage, and balance reporting.

7.4.3. The Mail Systems shall accommodate network connectivity for downloading postage, software upgrades, updating rate changes, data collection, reporting and maintenance. It is the contractor’s responsibility to meet VA security requirements of all contractor-supplied equipment and software.

7.4.4. The Mail Systems shall provide rate shopping and produce UPS, FedEx, and USPS compliant bar codes through standard thermal label printer(s). No specialized label stocks shall be acceptable and must meet USPS regulations.

7.4.5. Mail Systems shall support VA carrier negotiated rates for UPS, FedEx, and USPS. This includes but is not limited to discounted rates as well as any VA carrier negotiated rate for the term of the lease agreement. Contractor shall sign Nondisclosure Agreements to ensure confidentially of VA negotiated rates and services.

7.5. Mailing and Shipping Software Requirements

The Federal Chief Information Officer (CIO) has confirmed that for Software-as-a-Service (SaaS), the Contractor shall comply with the Federal Information Security Management Act (FISMA) prior to a Task Order Award. The Contractor shall comply with the Federal Risk and Authorization Management Program (FedRAMP) requirements as mandated by Federal laws and policies, including making available any documentation, physical access, and logical access needed to support this requirement. The Contractor shall, where applicable, assist with the Department of Veterans Affairs Authority to Operate (VA ATO) process to help achieve agency authorization of the cloud service or migrated application. The Contractor shall be FedRAMP certified to be eligible for Task Order award. The use of cellular hot-spots, or any other technology, used to bypass the VA network connection and/or VA IT system security is not authorized.

7.5.1. Mail System shall support seamless processing of all carriers through automatic rate shopping. Software shall automatically determine the most economical delivery method for letters, flats, and parcels by examining criteria such as applied business rules, delivery time, priority and transportation method and then produce the carrier compliant label.

7.5.2. Software shall be delivered and maintained at the contractors most current version. The contractor shall deliver software that is operational/functional at the level specific to each new or legacy piece of equipment and scalable across the VA enterprise to facilitate maximum web-based access across the enterprise.

7.5.3. The software utilities shall provide access and identity controls to prevent unauthorized access or use.

7.5.4. Software shall provide a web-based/online end-to-end tracking of letters/flats/packages throughout the delivery process. The software shall also be capable of Resource visibility, management reporting, throughput efficiencies and workload or resource distribution. This software shall be available across the VA Enterprise, for new equipment under this contract vehicle.

7.5.5. Software shall be a web-based cloud solution allowing remote access to mail machines. Mail machines shall have locally stored data which includes United States and International volumes (No. Pieces) and expenditures for USPS letters/flats/packages in all mail classes; and commercially provided expedited services in all shipping classes.

7.5.6. Contractor shall provide an enterprise cloud solution for VA. The enterprise clouds solution shall allow compatible VA mailroom equipment to automatically transmit data to the cloud. Based on equipment compatibility, data shall be transmitted to the cloud hosting service on a transactional basis, within twenty-four (24) hours of transaction completion or manually based in equipment compatibility. Cloud stored data shall be consistent to the format as described in Section 7.3.8.

7.5.7. The enterprise cloud solution shall provide web-based portal for accessing the cloud stored data. Cloud stored data shall be accessible and downloadable to VA systems for local and enterprise data analysis and reporting.

7.5.8. Software shall have the ability to capture and download postage, track, and determine how much postage has been downloaded; determine postage remaining on the meter, and report daily/monthly/yearly spending from the meter.

7.5.9. No software shall be loaded to a VA computer unless approved at the order level by the ordering activities CIO.

7.5.10. The Contractor shall be FedRAMP certified to be eligible for Task Order award.

7.6. Mail System Accessory Requirements

7.6.1. Mail Openers/Extractors – shall cut, open and extract mail letters or overnight packs of different dimensions and thickness. Openers shall have adjustable cutters and options for single or multiple envelope cuts. Mailroom requirements range from processing a few letters per minute/hour to several thousands of letters per hour. Mailrooms shall define their individual overall requirements.

7.6.2. Folders/Inserters – shall provide low to high volume document and envelope Feeder with multi-sheet collation and fold modes to meet mailroom specification requirements. Mailroom requirements range from processing a few letters per minute/hour to several thousands of letters per hour. Mailrooms shall define their individual overall requirements.

7.6.3. Sorters – shall count the number of pieces in a postal tray and have the ability to sort several hundreds to thousands of pieces per day. Sorters shall leverage postal discounts and report mailing cost statistics. Mailrooms shall define their individual overall requirements.

7.6.4. Stackers – shall provide low to high volume envelope handlers which clears stamped mail from the mail machine. Based on mailroom requirements stackers may be minimum volume holding trays to stackers which are power driven to move stamped mail form the mail machine area. Mailroom requirements range from processing a few letters per minute/hour to several thousands of letters per hour. Mailrooms shall define their individual overall requirements.

7.6.5. Digital Scale – shall provide the ability to electronically weigh postal and parcel items for shipping. Scales shall be USB capable for downloading weight to a computer or other connected devices. Typical mailroom processing requires scales able to handle weight ranges from 0-70 lbs. Mailrooms shall define their individual overall requirements.

7.6.6. Printers –shall provide options for various mailroom requirements to meet mail addressing, barcoding and postage printing. Each mailroom shall specify their pages/minute, size, thickness, resolution, and type of media such as: extra-thick card stock, polyester, magnetic media, transparency films pages should conform with industry standards.

7.6.7. Handheld scanners – shall be able to be used to receive and process all types of mail with barcoded technology that allows traceability of items which are sent and received at mailroom or facility. Scanners shall be downloadable to a receipt/delivery program which can be standalone or integrated technology that allows storage of information, printability, and allows for ease of data downloads and research. Receiving program should have editable fields that can be created for ease of sorting by the following methods: Tracking number, Facility/VA Purchase Order Number, Item number, Address (Sender/Receiver), date, or other identifying methods as required by the facility.

7.7. Maintenance Support Requirements

All technology, hardware, software, and associated components of contractor provided solution(s) shall include maintenance and support services.

7.7.1. Contractor maintenance shall include preventative maintenance at manufacturer recommended intervals. Contractor shall submit a planned/projected maintenance schedule to be complied with and monitored by the COR within five days of TO award.

7.7.2. The contractor shall follow standard commercial practices to furnish manual(s), handbook(s) or brochure(s) containing operation, installation, and maintenance instructions, including pictures or illustrations, schematics, and complete repair/test guides, as necessary, for technical equipment and devices, and/or other technical and mechanical equipment. The manuals, handbooks or brochures shall be provided in hard copy, soft copy or with electronic access instructions, consistent with standard industry practices for the equipment or device. Where applicable, the manuals, handbooks or brochures shall include electrical data and connection diagrams for all utilities. The documentation shall also contain a complete list of all replaceable parts showing part number, name, and quantity required.

7.7.3. The contractor shall provide complete remedial and preventive maintenance for the components of the installed solution.

7.7.4. The contractor shall provide all replacement component parts as required to meet original equipment performance at no additional cost to VA.

7.7.5. The contractor shall provide an affixed label to leased nongovernment owed equipment which identifies equipment makes, model, device serial number, mail meter serial number and equipment service support and contact information.

7.7.6. The contractor shall employ Field Service Engineers (FSE) that are fully trained, qualified, and certified to provide maintenance services and shall maintain personnel in sufficient numbers to provide service and maintenance support in accordance with the submitted maintenance schedule.

7.7.7. The contactor shall be available to handle general questions regarding machine operation, maintenance, warranty, service, and related issues. VA personnel shall be able to access contractor service technicians via a toll-free number, Monday through Friday business days between the hours of 8:00 AM and 8:00 PM, Eastern Standard Time. Specific Service Level Agreement (SLA) requirements shall be defined with individual TO awards.

7.7.8. The contractor shall maintain a record of all service calls from the COR which shall include the following minimum level of information: Date and time the service call is received/resolved, location of equipment, name and phone number of the person reporting the problem, meter serial number, equipment serial number, description of the problem reported, response time, meter balance, final diagnosis of the problem and date and time of the final corrective action.

7.7.9. When a pattern of excessive repairs or other frequent operational problems/malfunctions occur, the contractor shall replace the malfunctioning equipment, accessory, or software component. The term “excessive repairs” means two or more service calls in a single month (thirty calendar days), not including preventative maintenance calls.

7.8. Delivery, Installation, Operational Readiness and Transition Requirements

7.8.1. The contractor shall install and make fully operational the mailing solution, including all accessories as ordered. The contractor shall be responsible for all costs associated with relocating or re-shipping any misdelivered solution components. At the expiration or termination of the lease the contractor shall at no cost to the Government, remove and pick-up equipment from the Government facility. Media (i.e., hard drives, flash drives, memory devices) must be removed from the equipment, secured, and managed with return authorization approved by the designated POC/COR NLT five business days within expiration or cancellation of TO or IDIQ contract. Returned data must in a format readable by the VA. Period of Performance will not start until inspection and acceptance by the POC/COR.

7.8.2. The contractor shall complete delivery, installation, configuration, testing and operational readiness Not to Exceed (NTE) thirty calendar days after TO award or as defined at the TO level. The government COR or local government Mailroom Manager shall provide the contact’s name(s), address(s), telephone number(s), and prioritized delivery locations at time of TO award.

7.8.3. The contractor shall at time of operational readiness ensure the implementation of the equipment naming convention as defined in Section 7.3.9 of this PWS.

7.8.4. The contractor shall contact the receiving site Mail Manager or COR to schedule delivery and installation as defined at the order level.

7.8.5. The contractor shall install and make fully operational the mailing solution(s), including all accessories as ordered.

7.8.6. The contractor shall establish internet connectivity to the postage meter for replenishment, rate change updates, etc. If applicable, contractor is to fully test remote diagnostics and troubleshooting as part of Mail System operational readiness.

7.8.7. The contractor shall provide one hard copy and an electronic version of the operator’s manual and job aid(s).

7.8.8. The contractor shall remove trade-in components, old or discarded equipment from the installation site immediately after the new solution is installed and fully operational. This is done at no cost to VA. Any equipment to be removed from a VA facility shall be identified at the TO level.

7.9. Material and Supply Requirements

7.9.1. The contractor shall provide, at time of delivery, an initial thirty business day stock of supplies sufficient for the installed Mailing System. The 30-day stock of supplies shall include ink, meter tape, sealing solution and any other system specific supplies sufficient for 30 business days of average use for the Mailing System installed.

7.9.2. The contractor shall have access to an inventory of parts and consumable supplies in quantities sufficient to perform under resulting order. The contractor must have an inventory system and delivery system for the parts and consumable supplies.

7.10. Training Requirements

7.10.1. All Training shall be conducted upon delivery and/or installation.

7.10.2. The contractor shall provide training at user site(s) to at least one key operator and one alternate for each solution installed.

7.10.3. The contractor shall schedule and document training in coordination with the local Mail Manager and COR. Training shall include ad-hoc and web-based opportunities.

7.10.4. Training shall cover, at a minimum, the following operations: proper operation of the solution component(s), replacement and ordering of supplies, performance of routine tasks such as daily maintenance, adding postage to the meter, reporting of mail volumes and costs, locating a component’s model and serial numbers, meter serial number, and placing service calls.

7.11. Enterprise Cloud Authority to Operate (ATO)

To establish, enhance and advance enterprise mail management capabilities cloud-based data storage and application hosting service requirements can be described as follows:

The Contractor shall provide all Assessment and Authorization (A&A) support and documentation required to achieve and maintain full A&A certification for a data and application-level ATO using the process specified in the in VA’s A&A Standard Operating Procedure (SOP). Use of this technology/standard is consistent with VA policies and standards, including, but not limited to, VA Handbooks 6102 and 6500; VA Directives 6004, 6513, and 6517; and National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) standards, including Federal Information Processing Standards (FIPS). Handbooks and SOPs will be provided upon request to the COR. Users must ensure sensitive data is properly protected in compliance with all VA regulations. to ensure that all actions are consistent with current VA policies and procedures prior to implementation.

7.11.1. This section applies only for Software as a Service (SaaS) with VA data.

7.11.1.1. The information system solution selected by the Contractor shall comply with the Federal Information Security Management Act (FISMA).

7.11.1.2. The Contractor shall comply with FedRAMP requirements as mandated by Federal laws and policies, including making available any documentation, physical access, and logical access needed to support this requirement.

7.11.1.3. VA shall utilize existing Joint Authorization Board (JAB) ATO or agency ATO issued by another agency.

7.11.1.4. The Contractor shall, where applicable, assist with the VA Authority to Operate (ATO) Process to help achieve agency authorization of the cloud service or migrated application.

7.11.1.5. The Contractor shall afford VA access to the Contractor’s and Cloud Service Provider’s, technical capabilities, operations, documentation, records, and databases.

7.11.1.6. If new or unanticipated threats or hazards are discovered by either VA or the Contractor, or if existing safeguards have ceased to function, the discoverer shall immediately bring the situation to the attention of the other party.

7.11.1.7. The Contractor shall not release any data without the consent of VA in writing. All requests for release must be submitted in writing to the CO.

7.11.1.8 This section only applies to SaaS with no VA data. If the SaaS product has no direct connections or interfaces to VA systems or network; thenusers must consent to share their data (Which may include PII and PHI) directly with the SaaS provider. SaaS provider must have and provide published terms and conditions for user consent to the end user. VA providers shall be granted access to data in a view-only mode, or with limited functionality per the user’s consent. All data processed by SaaS provider shall be owned by SaaS provider/user. This determination will be made at the task order level.

7.11.1.9. The contractor shall be fully responsible and accountable for ensuring compliance with all HIPAA, Privacy Act, FISMA, National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST), FIPS, and VA security and privacy directives. This includes conducting compliant risk assessments, routine vulnerability scanning, system patching and change management procedures, and the completion of an acceptable contingency plan for each system. The contractor’s security control procedures must be equivalent to those procedures used to secure VA systems.

7.11.1.10. The contractor shall ensure adequate security controls for collecting, processing, transmitting, and storage and removal of Personally Identifiable Information (PII) and Personal Health Information (PHI), as determined by the VA Privacy Service, must be in place, tested, and approved by VA prior to hosting, operation, maintenance, or use of the information system, or systems by or on behalf of VA.

7.11.1.11. The contractor shall ensure these security controls are to be assessed and stated within the Privacy Impact Assessment (PIA) and if these controls are determined not to be in place, or inadequate, a Plan of Action and Milestones (POA&M) shall be submitted and approved prior to the collection of PII and PHI.

7.11.1.12. The contractor shall perform monthly reviews of the contractor developed Plan of Action and Milestones (POAM) with the VA Project Manager (PM)/COR to ensure backlog is scheduled and prioritized for remediation, and to verify that defined milestones will be achieved.

7.11.13. The contractor shall perform monthly reviews of Risk Based Decisions with the VA PM/COR to ensure remediation to outstanding risks or path forward is identified and achievable.

7.11.1.14. The contractor shall support documentation of a Data Use and Reciprocal Support Agreement (DURSA)/Memorandum of Understanding (MOU)/IS) between the solution environment and VA.

8. Deliverables:

The contractor shall provide all deliverables identified in the PWS and individual TOs using Microsoft Office formats. All deliverables shall be compliant with Section 508, 1998 Amendment to the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 according to the requirements for each such deliverable.

Deliverables associated to this PWS are as follows:

A. Post Award Meeting Within ten business days after contract award, the COR shall schedule a Post-Award ‘Kick-Off’ meeting to be held with the Government and contractor representatives. The intent of the meeting is to initiate the communication process between the Government and contractor to ensure an open line of communication is established between key personnel (i.e., contractor contract representative, Contractor Technical Staff, Contract Mailroom Lead, and government COR).

B. Contract activities: The Prime Contractor shall report new TO awards, TO cancellations any modification to TO/contract status – due to the IDIQ COR NLT five business days after beginning of each month.

C. Monthly Service and Maintenance Calls roll-up report (identified by device serial number) for the preceding month and Risk Based Decisions – due NLT five business days beginning of each month.

D. Risk and Issue Report of overall contractor provided equipment (identified by device serial number), services and support – due to the IDIQ COR NLT five business days after beginning of each month.

E. Overall invoice detail and roll-up of all costs associated to this IDIQ and TOs of overall contractor provided equipment, services, and support – due to the IDIQ COR NLT five business days after beginning of each month.

F. Fielding Schedule – The contractor shall develop, establish, provide for government approval, and implement/execute (upon CO approval) an enterprise new equipment fielding schedule, only to be modified by the receiving local mail center. The enterprise fielding schedule shall include the following data elements; mail center provided new equipment/software, mail center point of contact, date of actual delivery, date initially scheduled for delivery, number of pieces of new equipment, each new piece of equipment’s serial number and TO number associated with the new equipment delivery. This report shall be delivered to the IDIQ COR, TO CO and TO COR within 5 days of TO award.

G. The contractor shall provide 100% of government owned data and information at the end of each thirty-day billing cycle and a comprehensive consolidated file with 100% of all government data and information acquired throughout the life of the contract. The comprehensive consolidated data file shall be delivered to the IDIG COR NLT thirty days prior to the end of the contract’s POP. Both the thirty-day cycle data and the comprehensive consolidated file shall be in a government designated medium, format and configuration for delivery.

9. GOVERNMENT- FURNISHED EQUIPMENT/ MATERIALS/ FACILITIES/ INFORMATION

GFI/GFE if required, those items may be facilitated at the order level.

10. QUALITY ASSURANCE SURVEILLANCE PLAN OR CONTRACT PERFORMANCE

The COR 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 level of performance. The Government reserves the right to alter or change the surveillance methods in the QASP at its own discretion. A Performance-Based Service Assessment will be used by the COR in accordance with the QASP to assess Contractor performance.

The contract performance shall be monitored by the COR, who ensures all contractual obligations are being met. Any issues or contractual disputes shall be forwarded to the CO via the COR. The contractor’s performance on this PWS and all TOs shall be reported to the Contractor Performance Assessment Reporting System (CPARS) on an annual basis. The CO and COR shall make use of information from Task Order Performance Evaluations, as well as any additional knowledge and information available to them with respect to the contractor’s performance, to complete the CPARS. Contractors shall familiarize themselves with the CPARS process and be prepared to respond to reports entered by the CO and COR.

10.1 METHODS OF SURVEILLANCE

Various methods exist to monitor performance. The COR shall use any or several of the surveillance methods listed below in the administration of this QASP.

Random Sample - The COR shall review a random sampling of the contractor’s performance/generated documentation and document your results accordingly. This assessment shall be placed in the COR’s QA file.

Validated Customer Complaint or Validated Below Average Performance - Each month, the COR shall review the contractor’s performance/generated documentation corresponding to a validated customer complaint or validated inability to perform in a specific area and document your results accordingly. This assessment shall be placed in the COR’s QA file.

10.2 FREQUENCY OF MEASUREMENT

During task order performance, the COR shall periodically analyze whether the negotiated frequency of surveillance is appropriate for the work being performed, and at a minimum shall be twice a year.

10.3 ACCEPTABLE PERFORMANCE LEVELS (APLS)

Standard Surveillance Method Outcome

10.4 DOCUMENTING PERFORMANCE

Acceptable Performance The Government shall document acceptable performance in accordance with the chart above. Any report may become a part of the supporting documentation for any contractual action.

Unacceptable Performance When unacceptable performance occurs, the COR shall inform the CO. This shall always be in writing although when circumstances necessitate immediate verbal communication, that communication shall be followed in writing. The COR shall document the discussion and place it in the COR file.

11. SECURITY AND PRIVACY REQUIREMENTS

11.2 CONTRACTOR PERSONNEL SECURITY REQUIREMENTS

11.2.1 Contractor Responsibilities:

A. The Contractor shall be responsible for the actions of all personnel provided to work for VA under this contract. In the event that 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.

11.2.3 Physical Security and Safety Requirements

The Contractor and their personnel shall follow all VA policies, standard operating procedures, applicable laws, and regulations while on VA property. Violations of VA regulations and policies may result in citation and disciplinary measures for persons violating the law.

a. The Contractor and their personnel shall always wear visible identification while they are on the premises.

b. VA does not provide parking spaces at the work site; the Contractor must obtain parking at the work site if needed. It is the responsibility of the Contractor to park in the appropriate designated parking areas. VA shall not invalidate or make reimbursement for parking violations of the Contractor under any conditions.

c. Smoking is prohibited inside/outside any building other than the designated smoking areas.

d. Possession of weapons is prohibited.

e. The Contractor shall obtain all necessary licenses and/or permits required to perform the work, with the exception of software licenses that need to be procured from a Contractor or vendor in accordance with the requirements document. The Contractor shall take all reasonable precautions necessary to protect persons and property from injury or damage during the performance of this contract.

11.2.4 Confidentiality and Non-Disclosure

0. The Contractor shall follow all VA rules and regulations regarding information security to prevent disclosure of sensitive information to unauthorized individuals or organizations.

0. The VA CO shall be the sole authorized official to release in writing, any data, draft deliverables, final deliverables, or any other written or printed materials pertaining to this contract. The Contractor shall release no information.