36C24123Q0001.docx

Special Notice Special Notice

GENERAL INFORMATION

Network Contracting Office 1

950 Campbell Avenue West Haven CT 06516

POINT OF CONTACT*

Contract Specialist Divianna Mathurin Divianna.Mathurin@va.gov 914-325-3258

ADDITIONAL INFORMATION

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AGENCY CONTACT’S EMAIL ADDRESS

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NOTICE OF THE INTENT TO SOLE SOURCE TO – Minuteman Technology Services, LLC, 75 State Street, Suite 100 Boston, MA 02109, UNITED STATES. Response Due Date: September 19, 2022, by 12:00PM (EST) NOTICE OF THE INTENT TO SOLE SOURCE SYNOPSIS Network Contract Office 1, Procurement Office East on behalf of The Department of Veterans Affairs, VISN 01 Healthcare Network intends to award a firm-fixed contract with a base plus 2 option years to Minuteman Technology Services, LLC to provide Monthly VetLink Queuing Sustainment Services for 3 years to all VA Medical Centers in the VISN 1 New England VA Healthcare System. The proposed procurement is for products for which the Government intends to solicit and negotiate with only one source under the authority of FAR 6.302-1 -- Only One Responsible Source and No Other Supplies or Services Will Satisfy Agency Requirements. 41 U.S.C. 3304(a)(1). The North American Industry Classification System code (NAICS) for this requirement is 334118. All responsible sources that feel they should be considered qualified to provide the above-mentioned products may submit a response to this notice (by the response due date shown above) to Divianna.Mathurin@va.gov. The information provided shall include detailed (and relevant) documentation to allow the government to perform adequate market research and make a proper determination. A determination by the government not to compete this proposed requirement based upon responses to this notice is solely within the discretion of the Government. Information received will be considered solely for the purpose of determining whether to conduct a competitive procurement. THIS IS NOT A REQUEST FOR COMPETITIVE PROPOSALS. THERE IS NO SOLICITATION AVAILABLE AT THIS TIME. REQUESTS FOR A SOLICITATION WILL NOT RECEIVE A RESPONSE.

Performance Work Statement VetLink O&M Services VISN-01 Healthcare Network

1.0 BACKGROUND

Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) contracted for and implemented an integrated, enterprise Point of Service (POS) software solution to support Veterans Health Administration (VHA). The POS solution is made up of hardware and software components geared towards enhancing the Veteran experience and their relationship with VHA, as well as improving workplace efficiency.

Currently the solution is operating with Vet Link hardware and VetLink proprietary software provided by Vecna Technologies, Inc., within the platform, which has a patient-facing User Interface (UI), a VHA staff-facing UI, and a provider-facing UI. The Veterans Point of Service (VPS) Program Office aligned under Office of Veterans Access to Care (OVAC) manages the nationally deployed patient information exchange software platform that provides Veterans with convenient control of their own health information, while streamlining and standardizing frontline staff and provider activities at VA Medical Centers (VAMCs) and VA Community Clinics (VACCs) nationwide.

Leveraging kiosk capabilities affords Veterans more opportunities to elevate the role they play in ensuring the accuracy of information critical to the continued delivery of services. VPS completed deployment of patient check-in kiosks in three placement styles (e.g., floor, desktop and wall-mounted) to all VAMCs in VISN-01 and their affiliated VACCs; as well as deployment of digital signage; intelligent queuing monitors, and multiple servers. The mission of VPS is to provide benefits and services to Veterans of VISN-01 while safeguarding their privacy and enhancing their healthcare experience by providing enhanced capabilities to self-report and participate more fully in their care. In meeting these goals, VPS strives to provide high quality, effective, and efficient clinical and business capabilities, along with Information Technology (IT) services to those persons who are responsible for providing care to the Veterans at the point-of-care. In addition, VPS strives to provide high quality health care to Veterans throughout all points of their experience in an effective, timely, and compassionate manner. VA depends on a strong business backing, Information Management (IM), and IT systems to meet mission goals.

2.0 ACRONYMS, INITIALISMS, AND DEFINITIONS

2.1 ACRONYMS AND INITIALISMS

Following are acronyms which may be used in place of full text throughout this Performance Work Statement:

2.2 DEFINITIONS AS APPLICABLE TO THIS PWS

Following are definitions for words or phrases used throughout this PWS:

2.2.1 Calendar Days: Every consecutive day on the calendar, including holidays and weekends.

2.2.2 Contractor: A supplier or vendor having a contract to provide specific supplies or service to the Government. The term used in this PWS refers to the prime Contractor. If the Contractor is a reseller and not the Licensor, the Contractor remains responsible for performance under this Contract/Order.

2.2.3 Contracting Officer: A person with authority to enter into, administer, and terminate contracts and make related determinations and findings on behalf of the Government. The only individual legally authorized to bind the Government.

2.2.4 Contracting Officer Representative (COR): An employee of the U.S. Government to assist with contract administration and to coordinate communications between the Contractor and CO.

2.2.5 Licensee: The U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (“VA”) and is synonymous with “Government”

2.2.6 Licensor: The Contractor possessing the necessary license or ownership rights to deliver license, software maintenance, and support of the computer software being acquired and maintained.

2.2.7 Maintenance: The process of enhancing and optimizing software, as well as remedying defects. It shall include all new fixes, patches, releases, updates, versions and upgrades, as further defined in this PWS.

2.2.8 Release or Update: Terms that refer to a revision of software that contains defect corrections, minor enhancements or improvements of the software’s functionality. This is usually designated by a change in the number to the right of the decimal point (e.g., from Version 5.3 to 5.4). An example of an update is the addition of new hardware.

2.2.9 Software: The licensed computer software product(s) cited in the Schedule of Supplies/Services.

2.2.10 Technical Support: Refers to the range of services providing assistance for the software via telephone, email, website, or otherwise.

2.2.11 Version or Upgrade: Terms that refer to a revision of software that contains new or improved functionality. This is usually designated by a change in the number to the left of the decimal point (e.g., from Version 5.4 to 6).

2.2.12 Quality Assurance: The Government procedures to verify provided Contractor services are performed according to acceptable standards.

2.2.13 Quality Assurance Surveillance Plan (QASP): A written document specifying the methodology to be used to surveil Contractor performance.

2.2.14 Quality Control: All measures taken by the Contractor to assure the quality of services provided meets contract requirements.

3.0 SCOPE OF WORK

3.1 The scope of work Includes comprehensive VetLink software sustainment services for the station’s existing VetLink servers (Test & Production). These VetLink servers control the VetLink hardware modalities (e.g., kiosks, queuing displays). All currently fielded kiosks will continue to function as they do today provided that the hardware is operational and/or under local extended warranty services with the vendor.

3.2 The Contractor shall provide a comprehensive range of project management, system administration support, and performance management sustainment support. The Contractor shall have the single point of responsibility for the system solution.

3.3 The Contractor shall provide project management to include project planning, meeting coordination and participation, monthly status reporting and service desk reporting.

3.4 The Contractor shall provide system administration support to include operations and maintenance support services, inclusive of a three-tier service desk as well as technical sustainment and server administration and management.

3.5 The Contractor shall provide information assurance support to include information system authorization, testing, and continuous monitoring.

3.6 The Contractor shall provide performance management sustainment support to include performance data management, performance data analytics, data reporting, and maintenance of current performance dashboards.

3.7 The Contractor shall perform all services in accordance with VA and VHA regulations, policies, procedures, and instructions as provided in the “Applicable Documents” Section in Attachment G.

3.8 SOFTWARE LICENSE

3.8.1 Unless otherwise stated in the Schedule of Supplies/Services, the Performance Work Statement or Product Description, the software license provided to the Government is a perpetual, nonexclusive license to use the software.

3.8.2 The Government may use the software in a networked environment.

3.8.3 Any dispute regarding the license grant or usage limitations shall be resolved in accordance with the Disputes Clause incorporated in FAR 52.212-4(d).

3.8.4 All limitations of software usage are expressly stated in the Schedule of Supplies/Services and the Performance Work Statement/Product Description.

3.9 SOFTWARE MAINTENANCE AND TECHNICAL SUPPORT

3.9.1 If the Government desires to continue software maintenance and support beyond the period of performance identified in this Contract/Order, the Government will issue a separate contract or order for maintenance and support. Conversely, if a contract or order for continuing software maintenance and technical support is not received, the Contractor is neither authorized nor permitted to renew any of the previously furnished services.

3.9.2 The Contractor shall provide software support services, which includes periodic updates, enhancements and corrections to the software, and reasonable technical support, all of which are customarily provided by the Contractor to its commercial customers so as to cause the software to perform according to its specifications, documentation or demonstrated claims.

3.9.3 Any telephone support provided by Contractor shall be at no additional cost. Customers may contact the vendor for support by emailing support@vecna.com. Customers may also contact the vendor by calling (855) 460-8267.

3.9.4 The Contractor shall provide all maintenance services in a timely manner in accordance with the Contractor’s customary practice or as defined in the Performance Work Statement or Product Description. However, prolonged delay (exceeding 2 business days) in resolving software problems will be noted in the Government’s various past performance records on the Contractor (e.g., www.ppirs.gov).

3.8.5 If the Government allows the maintenance and support to lapse and subsequently wishes to reinstate it, any reinstatement fee charged shall not exceed the amounts that would have been charged if the Government had not allowed the subscription to lapse.

3.10 DISABLING SOFTWARE CODE

The Government requires delivery of computer software that does not contain any code that will, upon the occurrence or the nonoccurrence of any event, disable the software. Such code includes but is not limited to a computer virus, restrictive key, node lock, time-out or other function, whether implemented by electronic, mechanical, or other means, which limits or hinders the use or access to any computer software based on residency on a specific hardware configuration, frequency of duration of use, or other limiting criteria. If any such disabling code is present, the Contractor agrees to indemnify the Government for all damages suffered as a result of a disabling caused by such code, and the contractor agrees to remove such code upon the Government’s request at no extra cost to the Government. Inability of the Contractor to remove the disabling software code will be considered an inexcusable delay and a material breach of contract, and the Government may exercise its right to terminate for cause. In addition, the Government is permitted to remove the code as it deems appropriate and charge the Contractor for consideration for the time and effort expended in removing the code.

3.11 MANUALS AND PUBLICATIONS

Upon Government request, the Contractor shall furnish the most current version of the user manual and publications for all products/services provided under this Contract/Order at no cost.

4.0 PERFORMANCE DETAILS

4.1 PERFORMANCE PERIOD

4.1.1 The period of performance shall be: Base plus 2 option years

Base Year: 09/30/2022- 09/29/2023

Option Year 1: 09/30/2023- 09/29/2024

Option Year 2: 09/30/2024- 09/29/2025

4.1.2 All tasks shall be performed in the base and option period, if exercised.

4.1.3 The overall period of performance shall not exceed 3 Years.

4.1.4 Any work at the Government site shall not take place on Federal holidays or weekends unless directed by the Contracting Officer (CO).

4.1.5 There are ten (11) Federal holidays set by law (USC Title 5 Section 6103) that VA follows:

Under current definitions, five are set by date:

If any of the above falls on a Saturday, then Friday shall be observed as a holiday. Similarly, if one falls on a Sunday, then Monday shall be observed as a holiday. The other six are set by a day of the week and month:

4.2 PLACE OF PERFORMANCE

Tasks under this PWS shall be performed at both Contractor and Government facilities. The Contractor shall be on site when required to provide operations and maintenance support throughout VAMCs/VACCs as required by the operations and sustainment tasks contained in the Performance Work Statement (PWS). As needed and with approval of the Contracting Officer’s Representative (COR), the Contractor staff shall visit VA locations identified in Attachment B: VPS Parent Site Locations which is a complete list of all VAMCs and VACCs to provide the support requirements in the PWS tasks below. Unless otherwise stated in the PWS, tasks shall be performed remotely at Contractor facilities. No more than four (4) Contractor staff may be supported on-site at a given time.

4.3 TRAVEL

5.0 SPECIFIC TASKS AND DELIVERABLES

The Contractor shall perform the tasks required in this PWS. The Contractor shall be responsible for providing all the support services and deliverables as described in this PWS.

For delivery of all project artifacts, the Contract shall utilize approved Process Asset Library (PAL) templates (refer to Attachment G: Applicable Documents). When no PAL template exists, the Contractor shall design and develop a template that must be reviewed and approved by the VPS Project Manager (PM) and VA COR prior to delivery of the associated artifact. All deliverables that are the property of the Government shall not be marked proprietary.

All documents shall be created using Microsoft Word, Microsoft Excel, Microsoft PowerPoint, and/or Microsoft Project. All draft documents shall be delivered in one of these formats. All final documents shall be delivered in one of these formats as well as PDF. Additionally, all shared documents shall also be in one of the above formats.

5.1 PROJECT MANAGEMENT

5.1.1 TECHNICAL KICKOFF MEETING

5.1.1.1 The Contractor shall hold a technical kickoff meeting within five (5) calendar days after contract award.

5.1.1.2 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 in a brief presentation format.

5.1.1.3 The Contractor shall specify dates, locations (can be virtual), agenda (shall be provided to all attendees at least five (5) calendar days prior to the meeting), and meeting minutes (shall be provided to all attendees within three (3) calendar days after the meeting).

5.1.1.4 The Contractor shall invite the Contracting Officer (CO), Contract Specialist (CS), COR, and the VA PM.

5.1.1.5 As part of project management, the Contractor shall manage its performance in accordance with the established Attachment E: Key Performance Metrics Table.

5.1.2 REPORTING REQUIREMENTS

DELIVERABLE:

· MONTHLY CONTRACTOR PROGRESS, STATUS, AND MANAGEMENT REPORT

5.1.2.1 The Contractor shall provide the VA PM/COR with a Monthly Contractor’s Progress, Status, and Management Report in electronic form in Microsoft Word. (Reference Attachment D: Template Contractor’s Progress, Status, and Management Report). The report shall include detailed instructions and 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.

5.1.2.2 The Contractor’s Progress, Status, and Management Report shall cover all work completed during the reporting period and work planned for the subsequent reporting period. The report shall be based upon a reporting period of Sunday through Saturday. The Contractor’s Progress, Status and Management Report shall be a roll up report of activities for completing all deliverables and performance.

5.1.2.3 The Contractor shall also be responsible for measuring and monitoring its conformance to the Attachment E: Key Performance Metrics Table and reporting results in the Monthly Contractor’s Progress Status and Management Report to ensure long-term consistency and results. Refer to Attachment G: Applicable Documents and Attachment D: Contractor’s Progress, Status, and Management Report.

5.1.2.4 It is expected that the Contractor shall keep in communication with VA accordingly so that issues that arise are transparent to both parties to prevent escalation of outstanding issues.

5.1.2.5 The Monthly Contractor’s Progress Status and Management Report shall also include the Defect Tracking Management Log which identifies, and reports issues and risks associated with software and report risks/issues and status of any mitigation actions. The Defect Tracking Management Log will be an output of the Contractor’s commercially available ticketing system and access shall be available 24/7 to the VPS PM or their assigned designee(s). The Contractor shall be responsible to provide an update on all tickets on a recurring monthly basis in Microsoft Excel format. The Contractor shall roll up the performance and availability trend analysis and supporting data in the Monthly Contractor’s Progress Status and Management Report to show prediction, trending, and monitoring of system’s performance trends. The Contractor shall roll up all sustainment activities in the Monthly Contractor’s Progress Status and Management Report during the reporting period. The Contractor shall roll up the tracking of the number and trends in incident tickets both functional and technical in the Monthly Contractor’s Progress Status and Management Report. The Contractor shall track workforce staffing data showing all Contractor personnel performing on the effort during the current reporting period. After the initial labor baseline is provided, each Contractor’s Progress, Status, and Management Report Monthly Progress Report shall identify any changes in staffing identifying each person who was added to the contract or removed from the contract.

5.1.2.6 The Contractor shall report and track the status of VA Privacy and Information Security Awareness training for all individuals engaged on the task. The status reporting shall identify; a single Contractor Security Point of Contact (POC), the names of all personnel engaged on the task, their initial training date for VA Privacy and Information Security training, and their next required training date. This information shall be submitted as part of the Monthly Contractor’s Progress Status and Management Report Contract Progress Report under “A.4 Accomplishments”.

5.1.2.7 The Contractor shall participate in weekly status meetings with the VPS team and VA COR. Weekly status meetings shall address requirements for that week, important topics and other administrative topics needed to carry out operations.

5.1.2.8 The Contractor shall notify the VPS PM or their designee and VA COR, in writing, immediately if problems arise adversely impacting the performance of the PWS.

5.1.3 SERVICE DESK REPORTING

DELIVERABLES:

· BI-WEEKLY SERVICE DESK TICKET REPORT

· DAILY KIOSK OFFLINE/ONLINE REPORT (AKA VETLINK KIOSK MORNING REPORT FILES)

5.1.3.1 The Contractor shall provide detailed Bi-Weekly Service Desk Ticket Reports. For each Bi-Weekly Service Desk Ticket Report, the Contractor shall provide summary information regarding kiosk usage, uptime, downtime, bandwidth, and resource utilization throughout the PoP.

5.1.3.2 The Contractor shall provide help desk support response and operational metrics for all tickets, interactions, and resolutions. The Contractor shall provide VPS with access to its commercially available business intelligence tool(s) used to analyze, review and monitor data.

5.1.3.3 The Contractor shall provide a Daily Kiosk Offline/Online Report, also known as the VetLink Kiosk Morning Report Files, which includes the following information:

· The specific kiosks that are offline for that day (e.g., xxx of xxx kiosks online = %)

· The number of kiosks online at each facility.

5.1.3.4 The Contractor shall be responsible for delivery of the Daily Kiosk Offline/Online Report to the VPS PM and/or assigned designee(s) by 6am each morning through email. Online indicates that the machine is functioning as expected. Offline means that Pulse, a utility within the VetLink software, cannot properly reach the kiosk and that there may be a problem. Pulse allows users to monitor the health of kiosk groups that are registered in VetLink. The Pulse utility shows at a glance how VetLink system hardware is functioning and identifies or provides diagnostic information for issues that may be affecting the performance of devices. Local site and remote Vecna Technical Support personnel use Pulse for daily monitoring of:

• Systemwide, group-level, and device-level kiosk activity

• Systemwide, group-level, and device-level display activity

• Systemwide, group-level, and device-level signage activity

5.1.3.5 Pulse is accessed as a collection of web pages within the VetLink app. The systemwide page for each device type is a dashboard that shows groups containing at least one active device. The data for each group provides insight into the operational status of its devices. Group-level information is accessible from the dashboard, device-level information, from the group-level view.

5.1.4 PRIVACY TRAINING

DELIVERABLE:

· VA PRIVACY AND INFORMATION SECURITY TRAINING CERTIFICATES

5.1.4.1 The Contractor shall submit status of VA Privacy and Information Security Awareness training for all individuals engaged on the task.

5.1.4.2 The status reporting shall identify:

· A single Contractor Security Point of Contact (POC)

· The names of all personnel engaged on the task

· Their initial training date for VA Privacy and Information Security training

· Their next required training date.

5.1.4.3 This information shall be submitted as part of the Monthly Contractor’s Progress Status and Management Report.

5.1.4.4 The Contractor shall submit VA Privacy and Information Security training certificates in accordance with Section 9, Training, from Appendix C of the VA Handbook 6500.6, “Contract Security”.

5.2 SYSTEM ADMINISTRATION SUPPORT SERVICES

The Contractor shall provide system administration support to include operations and maintenance support services, inclusive of a three-tier service desk as well as technical sustainment and system performance and capacity monitoring. The Contractor shall provide information assurance support to include information system authorization, testing, and continuous monitoring. The Contractor shall provide performance management sustainment support to include performance data management, performance data analytics, data reporting, and maintenance of current performance dashboards.

5.2.1 OPERATIONS AND MAINTENANCE SUPPORT

DELIVERABLE:

· OPERATIONS AND MAINTENANCE RESPONSIBILITY MATRIX

5.2.1.1 The Contractor shall perform operations and maintenance support services for the branded VetLink system as part of system administration, which includes security support.

5.2.1.2 The Contractor shall work with VPS to establish and deliver an Operations and Maintenance Responsibility Matrix for sustainment in accordance with the Process Asset Library (https://www.va.gov/process/artifacts.asp).The Operations and Maintenance Responsibility Matrix defines the roles and responsibilities of each party involved in the support of the application/service.

5.2.1.3 The Contractor shall work with VPS, Office of Information and Technology (OI&T) and other relevant stakeholders to coordinate the day-to-day operation and maintenance of the branded VetLink system.

5.2.1.4 The Contractor shall be responsible for system administration tasks. The Contractor shall be responsible for managing the VetLink application and kiosk components as well.

5.2.1.5 The Contractor shall perform the Information Technology Infrastructure Library (ITIL) based processes that directly relate to VetLink hardware and operating system. The Contractor shall ensure the branded VetLink system is updated with the latest security patches, upgrades and encryption.

5.2.1.6 The Contractor shall be the single point of responsibility for the branded VetLink system solution which includes kiosk appliances, each peripheral device, the server and the network infrastructure supporting them.

5.2.1.7 The Contractor shall be responsible for application administration tasks. The Contractor shall be responsible for performing application administration to include scheduling application tasks, developing backup schedules, monitoring operations of the VetLink software, and troubleshooting the branded VetLink system when a problem occurs.

5.2.1.8 The Contract shall be responsible for any tuning of the branded VetLink system to resolve performance issues.

5.2.1.9 The Contractor shall be responsible for availability management tasks. The Contractor shall continually monitor uptime of the VetLink software and notify relevant stakeholders when an issue is detected. The Contractor shall ensure the uptime requirements of the software are met, monitor services, and proactively respond to projected branded VetLink system demands.

5.2.1.10 The Contractor shall be responsible for supporting business (service) continuity the continuity of operations during a disaster recovery anytime a kiosk application and/or server outage occurs. The Contractor shall be responsible for ensuring kiosk operation is restored and shall follow established escalation processes in the event of an outage.

5.2.1.11 The VetLink software is and remains in a code freeze, “baselined.” Any modifications or changes to the software by the Contractor shall only be as approved through the VA change board for the sustainment needs detailed below.

5.2.1.12 All Contractor VetLink security software updates, “security patches”, must be reviewed and approved by the VA change approval board as coordinated through the VPS Project Manager or their assigned designee. The “red” or “green” light shall come from the system owners, VPS Program Office, and OI&T and coordinated with the COR.

5.2.1.13 The Contractor shall follow all VA release processes prior to requesting a National change. The Contractor shall be responsible for database administration which involves design, security, administration, and problem resolution for all the database functionalities.

5.2.1.14 The Contractor shall be responsible for the kiosk server applications and associated database(s). The Contractor shall ensure the database adheres to all VA security policies, in accordance with Attachment G: Applicable Documents. For the operational VetLink system, the Contractor shall perform the following functions:

• Document, implement and maintain standard operating procedures for the VetLink environment

• Provide and maintain event management functions

• Monitor system efficiency and perform troubleshooting and tuning of system, components, peripherals and interfaces

• Perform regular and scheduled maintenance, which includes security patches, and performance tuning; known as Blue Time or regular scheduled maintenance time.

5.2.1.15 The Contractor-provided schedule for this activity shall be delivered to the COR/VPS Program Manager (PM) for approval. Any effort defined as an emergency must also be approved by the COR/VPS PM (i.e., security hot patch/fix).

5.2.1.16 The Contractor shall monitor and report on systems usage and other key performance indicators (KPIs) in the Monthly Contractor’s Progress Status and Management Report.

5.2.1.17 The Contractor shall benchmark, analyze, report on, and make recommendations for the improvement and growth of infrastructure and system in the Monthly Contractor’s Progress Status and Management Report. No recommendations shall be implemented without the review and approval of the COR/VPS PM or their assigned designee(s).

5.2.1.18 The Contractor shall review and update all system documentation as changes occur or on a regularly scheduled basis (e.g., Disaster Recovery Plan, User Manuals).

5.2.2 TECHNICAL SUSTAINMENT

5.2.2.1 SOFTWARE SUSTAINMENT

5.2.2.1.1 The Contractor shall provide technical maintenance and sustainment support services for VetLink proprietary software and hardware (e.g., vKiosk hardware including vKiosk peripherals (e.g., magnetic strip readers, thermal receipt printer, barcode scanner, card image scanner), and servers) that are managed by the VPS Program Office, at all deployed VA locations.

5.2.2.1.2 The Contractor shall ensure that VetLink software and hardware maintenance requirements are met. The Contractor shall perform software sustainment and maintenance which includes patches, and fixes to correct security related defect/faults.

5.2.2.1.3 The Contractor shall be responsible for technically maintaining and modifying the VetLink infrastructure system configuration to address, security, and connectivity or load issues.

5.2.2.1.4 The Contractor shall provide all services and materials necessary to perform VetLink software sustainment, including sustainment testing for all security fixes/updates and security patch releases.

5.2.2.1.5 The Contractor shall be responsible for the repair of all Severity Level 1- Critical and Severity Level 2- High defects in accordance with VA’s Information Assurance Vulnerability Alert (IAVA) Office of Information and Technology reporting which currently is monthly. Per the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) definition for Severity Level 1 – Critical: The defect results in the failure of the complete software system, of a subsystem, or of a software unit (program or module) within the system.

• Any defect that compromises patient safety or system security. Examples of system security defects include breach of confidentiality requirements of the Privacy Act, the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA), or Federal Tax Information guidelines.

• Loss of system functionality critical to user operations with no suitable workaround, i.e., there is no way to achieve the expected results using the application.

• System crash or hang that prevents further testing or operation of the complete application or a section of the application.

• Any defect that causes corruption of data from a result of the system (as opposed to user error).

• Any defect in which inappropriate transmissions are consistently generated or appropriate transmissions of HL7 messages fail to be generated.

• Loss of functionality resulting in erroneous eligibility/enrollment determinations or communications not being sent. Per the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) definition for Severity Level 2 – High: The defect results in the failure of the complete software system, of a subsystem, or of a software unit (program or module) within the system. There is no way to make the failed component(s) function. However, there are acceptable processing alternatives which will yield the desired result.

• A major defect in the functionality that does not result in corruption of data.

• A major defect in the functionality resulting in a failure of all or part of the application, where:

• The expected results can temporarily be achieved by alternate means. The customer indicates the work around is acceptable for the short term.

• Any defect that does not conform to Section 508 standards.

• Any defect that results in inaccurate or missing requirements.

• Any defect that results in invalid authentication or authentication of an invalid end user.

5.2.2.1.6 The Contractor shall also be responsible for entering VA Your IT/ESD (Enterprise Service Desk) tickets when it’s identified by the Contractor, VPS PM or their designee(s) and the VPS Product Development that one is necessary, such as a connection loss between Veterans Health Information Systems and Technology Architecture (VistA) and the branded VetLink system. As part of technical software sustainment support, the Contractor shall also perform preventive and corrective maintenance as described below:

For preventive maintenance, the Contractor shall:

• Daily monitor the performance of the VetLink infrastructure and verify that performance thresholds are within nominal operating range and take corrective action necessary to mitigate or relieve VetLink performance deviations. The Contractor shall log and notify VPS of any performance deviation, and any known or suspected rationale for the deviation.

• Perform root cause analysis to determine fundamental causes of events (e.g., frequent equipment failures may be the result of deficiencies in maintenance, equipment operating conditions or abnormal events) and recommend solutions back to VPS PM or their designee(s). Recommendations shall be communicated and documented in a System Improvement Recommendation Reports, which includes Root Cause Analysis Findings.

For corrective maintenance, the Contractor shall:

• Record and track for any software defects reported by end users. Resolution shall require approval from the Change Approval Board (CAB) prior to any system software fixes or patches. The “red” or “green” light shall come from the system owners, VPS and OI&T.

• Perform troubleshooting to identify and isolate faults causing any failure or degradation and/or loss of service and/or functionality in the branded VetLink system including hardware, software, servers, and infrastructure and associated components.

• Address and resolve all security remediation and vulnerabilities from Federal Information Security Management Act (FISMA) compliance audits and Nessus scans.

• Respond to and resolve VetLink server offline events and connection outages.

• Submit a configuration/change request (CR) for approval from a Change Approval Board (CAB) prior to any system software fixes or patches. All system software fixes must be coordinated with the VA Office of Information and Technology (OIT) and all associated stakeholders/vendors within the VPS Program.

• Coordinate with VA and designated VA Contractors to address security issues to achieve and maintain secure code, create work-around solutions, and/or apply critical bug fixes.

• Provide input, code corrections, and documentation updates as required for significant application/interface software fixes

5.2.2.2 OPERATING SYSTEM (OS) AND VETLINK SOFTWARE SUSTAINMENT SUPPORT

DELIVERABLES:

· VETLINK PRE-RELEASE WORKBOOK

· VETLINK PRE-RELEASE NOTES

· SOFTWARE RELEASE PLANNING AND TESTING DOCUMENTATION

5.2.2.2.1 The Contractor shall be responsible for monitoring and sustaining the Operating System (OS) and the VetLink software. This includes but is not limited to configurations management/control, updated existing manuals and training; as well as release management, if necessary (distribution processes).

5.2.2.2.2 The Contractor shall not be responsible for updating or configuration changes of the Kernel.

5.2.2.2.3 The Contractor shall plan, build, test and deploy VetLink software security releases including system security patches and security patching management.

5.2.2.2.4 The Contractor shall identify and manage risks to successfully deploy each software release for the VetLink system. The Contractor shall establish a clear understanding of each VetLink software/system release between all stakeholders as well as coordinate release with VPS PM or their assigned designee, VPS Product Development, and Office of Information and Technology (OI&T).

5.2.2.2.5 Any maintenance time (Blue time) shall be handled and tested within a development testing environment (DevTest) or site environment prior to National release:

1) Contractor first then,

2) Government test then,

3) Government pilot test then

4) Government pilot production, then

5) National release to Government production.

5.2.2.2.6 Any system and security patching shall be executed from Tuesday through Friday in non-core hours, 6pm to 4am per the facility location time zone, and as needed. All system patching shall go through the VA change board approval process prior to deployment. Blue time is defined as authorized down time to conduct system/security patching on a monthly cycle or an emergency patch that has been approved by a CAB.

5.2.2.2.7 The Contractor shall ensure existing functionality of VetLink including Contractor-developed interfaces is not comprised due to software/system releases unless specifically approved by the VPS PM or their assigned designee.

5.2.2.2.8 The Contractor shall provide deployment and implementation support of VetLink security patch software releases. The Contractor shall provide VetLink Pre-Release documentation for the VetLink software system via a Microsoft Excel Workbook (the file must be created and maintained in Excel) and Microsoft PowerPoint. The Pre-Release documentation shall be coordinated and distributed among all VetLink facilities to ensure notification of the software changes and the potential impact to current business processes once the sites have activated the kiosks. The Contractor shall work with the existing VetLink software release Contractor to acquire the required release information to perform this task. It is anticipated that there will be approximately one software release per quarter.

5.2.2.2.9 The Contractor shall deliver VetLink Pre-Release Workbook in a Microsoft Excel Workbook format that includes the name of the releases, the functionality, whether the release is a critical defect, “bug fix”, or security patch to released functionality, the release date, and issue number for the Contractor’s ticketing system. The Contractor shall provide release notes and deliver as VetLink Pre-Release Notes in Microsoft PowerPoint, which outlines the change/fix, describes the change/fix, and provides screenshots where necessary.

5.2.2.2.10 For software security patch releases, the Contractor shall provide and ensure required documentation complies with the ProPath requirements and VA template standards. Release planning and testing shall comply with the release schedule and plan which shall be submitted for approval five (5) business days before the release process begins. Test cases and test information shall be shared at least three (3 business days) in advance of User Acceptance Testing (UAT) or other test situations. Documentation shall be submitted to VA or and other vendors at least three (3) business days in advance of submission for Initial Operating Capabilities (IOC), Operational Readiness Review (ORR), or other VA release approval dates.

5.2.3 SERVICE DESK SUPPORT

DELIVERABLES:

· DAILY SERVICE DESK STATUS UPDATES NOTIFICATION/REPORT

· UPDATED VETLINK SYSTEM SERVICE DESK STANDARD OPERATING PROCEDURE (SOP)

· UPDATED CUSTOMER FACING SERVICE DESK SCRIPTS

· MONTHLY RESOLUTION OPERATION SUPPORT/HELP DESK TICKET REPORT INCLUSIVE OF TIER 1, TIER 2, AND TIER 3

5.2.3.1 The Contractor shall provide a dedicated service desk for the VetLink system users in a service desk environment. The Contractor’s Service Desk shall support VPS during core hours: Monday through Friday (8:00 am to 4 pm; and 4 pm to 12 pm Eastern Standard Time) for Tier 1; and for Tier 2 and Tier 3: Monday through Friday (8:00 am to 4 pm Eastern Standard Time). Tiers 2 and 3 shall support On-Call during non-core hours: weekdays, weekends and holidays, leveraging best practices including Information Technology Infrastructure Library (ITIL). Non-core hours are defined as 6 pm to 4 am per the facility location time zone. The Contractor shall provide and maintain a dedicated Tier 1, 2, and 3 Service Desk, with a Contractor Service Manager coordinating with the VPS PM or their assigned designee(s).

5.2.3.2 The Contractor shall be responsible for all activities associated with the Service Desk to include establishing, equipping and managing service desk operations.

5.2.3.3 The three-tiered scope includes support for all hardware and software deployed for VPS throughout the country and the connectivity and network behavior of the hardware and VetLink software.

5.2.3.4 The Contractor-provided Service Desk shall have the capability of reporting open ticket status by 4:00 pm EST, daily to the VPS PM or their assigned designee(s). This status reporting can be in email format or as agreed upon by the VA PM or their assigned designee(s). The Contractor-provided Service Desk shall have a ticket tracking system that ensures the management of the resolution process and monitoring of performance metrics. Designated VA personnel (e.g., VPS PM, VPS Product Development, and VA COR) shall be provided access to the Service Desk ticket tracking system.

5.2.3.5 The Contractor shall ensure the Service Desk can receive requests for service from the following sources:

• Telephone Number: Users shall have the option of reporting incidents/problems with any of the supporting systems via telephone and TTY/TDD.

• Voicemail: Users shall be able to leave a voicemail incident/problem report if put on hold.

• E-mail Support: Users shall have the option of reporting incidents/problems with any of the supported systems by means of electronic mail. Electronic mail will be addressed to the Help Desk mailbox. Users shall receive automated responses of receipt of their inquiry. Customers may contact the vendor for support by emailing support@vecna.com.

• Service Desk Ticketing System: Users shall have the option of opening a Help Desk ticket through a website support portal, through which all users will be able to track open and closed tickets. Customers may also contact the vendor by calling (855) 460-8267.

5.2.3.6 The Contractor shall keep all Service Desk Standard Operating Procedure (SOP) up to date. The SOPs shall clearly articulate procedures for escalating problems when target response or resolution times are not met. The Contractor shall provide SOP updates to the VPS PM or their assigned designee, for review and concurrence, when applicable. The SOP shall clearly articulate the procedures for expediting messaging to the user community during site(s) performance degradation and outages. The Contractor shall be responsible for producing and delivering content for such messaging to VPS PM or their assigned designee, for review prior to distribution.

5.2.3.7 Tiers 1, 2, and 3 are defined below as well as non-tiered:

• Non-Tiered: is defined as managing the escalation and resolution of inquires such as Congressional complaints

• Tier 1 Support: Is defined as first level customer support for services. This support includes technical advice, trouble analysis, problem detection, problem resolution and general information systems support to users. The support also includes kiosk hardware, peripherals, software, network connectivity, kiosk metrics and reports generated by vKiosk, software/hardware troubleshooting, installation support and equipment services.

• Tier 2 Support: This tier requires the inclusion of a Vecna Technologies Inc., involvement (e.g., VetLink software engineer) and/or the involvement of VPS management. Tier 2 support includes supporting sites with new VetLink feature activation and VetLink system configuration remotely.

• Tier 3 Support: This tier is supported solely by a Vecna engineer, and/or VPS management to resolve. It also could require collaboration with other VA entities (e.g., OI&T). Tier 3 support may also include supporting sites with new VetLink feature activation and VetLink system configuration remotely. Under Tier 3 support, the Contractor may be required to work with OI&T organizations such as IT Operations and Services (ITOPS), Identity and Access Management (IAM), ESD, VHA site staff and third-party Contractors to resolve tickets. The Contractor shall be responsible for developing VPS-approved workarounds for system defects when needed.

5.2.3.8 The Contractor shall be required to contact the VPS PM or their assigned designee, and appropriate stakeholder(s) within eight (8) hours of not resolving an open Tier 1, Tier 2 or Tier 3, support ticket within the stated timeframes with Attachment E: Key Performance Metrics Table. All tickets unresolved by the timeframes in Attachment E: Key Performance Metrics Table, will be considered late.