QASP Homeless Beds for Female Veterans.doc

QUALITY ASSURANCE SURVEILLANCE PLAN

Homeless Beds for Female Veterans

1. PURPOSE.

This Quality Assurance Surveillance Plan (QASP) provides a systematic method to evaluate Contractor performance related to a specific contract. This QASP explains the following:

· What performance measures will be monitored?

· How will the monitoring take place?

· Who will monitor the performance?

· How will monitoring efforts and results be documented?

This QASP does not detail how the contractor accomplishes the work. Rather, the QASP is created with the premise that the contractor is responsible for management and quality control actions to meet the terms of the contract. It is the Government’s responsibility to be objective, fair, and consistent in evaluating performance. In addition, the QASP should recognize that unforeseen and uncontrollable situations may occur.

This QASP is a “living document” and the Government may review and revise it on a regular basis. However, the Government shall coordinate changes with the contractor. Updates shall ensure that the QASP remains a valid, useful, and enforceable document. Copies of the original QASP and revisions shall be provided to the contractor and Government officials implementing surveillance activities.

2. GOVERNMENT ROLES AND RESPONSIBILITIES.

The following personnel shall oversee and coordinate surveillance activities:

· Contracting Officer (CO) - The site Contracting Officer shall ensure performance of all necessary actions for effective contracting, ensure compliance with the contract terms, and shall safeguard the interests of the United States in the contractual relationship. The CO shall also assure that the contractor receives impartial, fair, and equitable treatment under this contract. The CO is ultimately responsible for the final determination of the adequacy of the contractor’s performance.

· Contracting Officer’s Representative (COR) - The COR is responsible for technical administration of the contract and shall assure proper Government surveillance of the contractor’s performance. The COR shall keep a quality assurance file. At the conclusion of the contract or when requested by the CO, the COR shall provide documentation to the CO.

· Homeless Beds for Female Veterans VA Coordinator will provide clinical and administrative supervision. Any concerns will be shared immediately with the contracting agency. The contractor will be expected to be a participant of the Homeless Beds for Female Veterans team.

3. PERFORMANCE STANDARDS.

Performance standards define desired services. The Government performs surveillance to determine if the contractor exceeds, meets or does not meet these standards. The Performance Requirements Summary Matrix includes performance standards. The Government shall use these standards to determine contractor performance and shall compare contractor performance to the Acceptable Quality Level (AQL).

Access

· The Contractor shall be responsible for: admitting veterans, assessing veterans (including initial and ongoing assessments), care planning (including the care-planning process and the evaluation of the care and services provided), clinical case management, crisis intervention, and discharge planning. There must be a full-time case manager or their designee available 24 hours a day, 7 days per week.

Therapeutic and Rehabilitative Services

· The Contractor shall meet the therapeutic and rehabilitative needs of each veteran in accordance with a plan of care which addresses the specific needs of each veteran.

· The plan shall be written by a licensed professional with input from the veteran, other community resources, and the VA, as needed.

· The plan should provide motivation and education geared toward achieving independence in ADL’s and self-care.

· The Contractor will establish and maintain an intensive therapeutic relationship with the Veteran, program staff, significant others, and other State, Federal, and community providers.

Record & Reports

· The veteran’s record will include all essential identifying data relevant to the veteran (including all relevant assessments), data relating to the veterans admission, reports of contact with each veteran, reports of ‘staffing’ by the treatment team, documentation of the veteran’s progress within the program, and discharge summaries.

· Individual case records must be kept in a secure, locked environment and be maintained in confidence as required by the Privacy Act of 1974, and all other applicable laws and regulations, and VA statutes and policies.

· Records will be available for inspection and evaluation at all times.

· Discharges will be reported to the VA within 24 hours of discharge and Discharge Summaries will be provided to the VA Homeless Beds for Female Veterans Coordinator within 5 working days.

4. SURVEILLANCE METHODS

Various methods exist to monitor performance. The CO will use the surveillance methods listed below in the administration of this QASP.

Regardless of the surveillance method, the CO shall always contact the contractor or on-site representative when a problem is identified, and inform the manager of the specifics of the problem. The CO, with assistance from the COR, shall be responsible for monitoring the contractor’s performance in meeting a specific performance standard/AQL.

· DIRECT OBSERVATION.

· MANAGEMENT INFORMATION SYSTEMS (MIS).

· PROGRESS OR STATUS MEETINGS

· PERIODIC INSPECTION.

· USER SURVEY

5. RATINGS

· Metrics and methods are designed to determine if performance exceeds, meets, or does not meet a given standard and acceptable quality level. A rating scale shall be used to determine a positive, neutral, or negative outcome. Compliance with the Statement of Work is evaluated on an ongoing basis using various surveillance methods. The following ratings shall be used to indicate the extent to which the Contractor meets performance standards:

6. DOCUMENTING PERFORMANCE.

· ACCEPTABLE PERFORMANCE.

The Government shall document positive performance. 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 contractor. This will normally be in writing unless circumstances necessitate verbal communication. In any case the COR shall document the discussion and place it in the COR file.

When the COR determines formal written communication is required, the COR shall prepare a Contract Discrepancy Report (CDR), and present it to the contractor's task manager or on-site representative. Any CDRs may become a part of the supporting documentation for contractual action. The Contractor will have 30 days from the receipt of the CDR to address actions that will be taken to address the concerns.

The contractor shall acknowledge receipt of the CDR in writing. The CDR will specify if the contractor is required to prepare a corrective action plan to document how the contractor shall correct the unacceptable performance and avoid a recurrence. The CDR will also state how long after receipt the contractor has to present this corrective action plan to the COR. The Government shall review the contractor's corrective action plan to determine acceptability.

· FREQUENCY OF MEASURMENT

During contract performance, the COR shall periodically assess whether the negotiated frequency of measurement is appropriate for the work being performed.

The COR or designee shall meet with the contractor quarterly to assess performance and shall provide a written assessment.

Contract Program Manager Date

Contract Officer’s Representative (COR) Date

Performance Report

1. CONTRACT NUMBER:

2. Prepared by: (Name of COR)

3. Date and time of observation: Quarterly Reviews

4. Observation:

Prepared by: Shara Katsos

Signature – Contracting Officer’s Representative

Date

QUALITY ASSURANCE SURVILLANCE PLAN (QASP)

Quality

Level

immediately