QASP - Bronx Hazardous Waste.docx

Quality Assurance Surveillance Plan (QASP)

1. PURPOSE

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

· What will be monitored?

· How monitoring will take place?

· Who will conduct the monitoring?

· 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 through task order modifications. 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.

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

Assigned Administrative Contracting Officer: Charles Collins Contract Specialist Network Contracting Activity 2

b. Contracting Officer’s Representative (COR) - The COR is responsible for technical administration of the task order and shall ensure proper Government surveillance of the contractor’s performance. The COR shall keep a quality assurance file. The COR is not empowered to make any contractual commitments or to authorize any contractual changes on the Government’s behalf.

3. CONTRACTOR REPRESENTATIVES

The following employee(s) of the contractor serve as the contractor’s program manager for this contract.

Primary Contact:

Alternate Contact:

4. 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 are contained in the Statement of Work. The Government shall use these standards to determine contractor performance and shall compare contractor performance to the Acceptable Quality Level (AQL).

Method Incentive/ Deduction

5. METHODS OF QA SURVEILLANCE

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

· DIRECT OBSERVATION. 100% surveillance: Clinic management staff will observe on an ongoing basis contractor performance in the clinic environment to ensure patient satisfaction and patient access standards are maintained. Deviations from performance requirements will be documented as they occur and reported to the Chief of Medicine and COR for validation.

· PERIODIC INSPECTION. Evaluates outcomes on a periodic basis or as needed. Inspections may be scheduled or unscheduled, as required. Patient treatment files to be reviewed will be randomly selected on a quarterly basis. All inspections and reports will be conducted in compliance with VA Privacy and Information security standards.

· VALIDATED USER/CUSTOMER COMPLAINTS. Relies on patient reporting to identify deficiencies. Complaints are then investigated and validated.

6. 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. The following ratings shall be used:

Note: To justify an Exceptional rating, you should identify multiple significant events in each category and state how it was a benefit to the GOVERNMENT. However, a singular event could be of such magnitude that it alone constitutes an Exceptional rating. Also, there should have been NO significant weaknesses identified.

Note: To justify a Very Good rating, you should identify a significant event in each category and state how it was a benefit to the GOVERNMENT. Also, there should have been NO significant weaknesses identified.

Note: To justify a Satisfactory rating, there should have been only minor problems, or major problems the contractor recovered from without impact to the contract. Also, there should have been NO significant weaknesses identified.

Note: To justify Marginal performance, you should identify a significant event in each category that the contractor had trouble overcoming and state how it impacted the GOVERNMENT. A Marginal rating should be supported by referencing the management tool that notified the contractor of the contractual deficiency (e.g. Management, Quality, Safety or Environmental Deficiency Report or letter).

Note: To justify an Unsatisfactory rating, you should identify multiple significant events in each category that the contractor had trouble overcoming and state how it impacted the GOVERNMENT. However, a singular problem could be of such serious magnitude that it alone constitutes an unsatisfactory rating. An Unsatisfactory rating should be supported by referencing the management tools used to notify the contractor of the contractual deficiencies (e.g. Management, Quality, Safety or Environmental Deficiency Reports, or letters).

7. DOCUMENTING PERFORMANCE

· ACCEPTABLE PERFORMANCE: The Government shall document positive performance. Any report may become a part of the supporting documentation for any task order action by preparing annual past performance using CONTRACTOR PERFORMANCE ASSESSMENT REPORT (CPAR).

· UNACCEPTABLE PERFORMANCE: When the task order does not meet the acceptable quality level, the CO shall inform the contractor. This will normally be in writing unless circumstances necessitate verbal communication. In any case, the CO shall document the discussion and place it in the task order file.

· If the CO and COR determine formal written communication is required, the COR shall prepare a Contract Discrepancy Report (CDR), present it to the CO for review and who will in turn present it to the contractor’s program manager.

· 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 the receipt the contractor has to present this corrective action plan to the CO. The Government shall review the contractor’s corrective action plan to determine acceptability. The CO shall also assure that the contractor receives impartial, fair, and equitable treatment. The CO is ultimately responsible for the final determination of the adequacy of the contractor’s performance and the acceptability of the Contractor’s corrective action plan.

· Any CDRs may become part of the supporting documentation for any task order action deemed necessary by the CO. Sample CDR below.

CONTRACT DISCREPANCY REPORT

5. DATES

a. CDR PREPARED

6. DISCREPANCY OR PROBLEM (Describe in detail. Include reference to PWS Directive; attach continuation sheet if necessary.)

10. CONTRACTOR RESPONSE AS TO CAUSE, CORRECTIVE ACTION AND ACTIONS TO PREVENT RECURRENCE. (Cite applicable quality control program procedures or new procedures. Attach continuation sheet(s) if necessary.)

12. GOVERNMENT EVALUATION. (Acceptance, partial acceptance, reflection. Attach continuation sheet(s) if necessary.)

13. GOVERNMENT ACTIONS (Acceptance, partial acceptance, reflection. Attach continuation sheet(s) if necessary.)

14. CLOSE OUT

CONTRACTOR NOTIFIED

COR

CONTRACTING OFFICER

8. FREQUENCY OF MEASUREMENT

· Frequency of Measurement. The frequency of measurement is defined in the task order or otherwise in this document. The government (COR or CO) will periodically analyze whether the frequency of surveillance is appropriate for the work being performed.

· Frequency of Performance Reporting. The COR shall communicate with the contractor and will provide written reports to the CO quarterly (or as outlined in the task order or COR delegation) to review task order performance.

9. COR AND CONTRACTOR ACKNOWLEDGEMENT OF QASP

SIGNED:

COR NAME/TITLE DATE

SIGNED:

CONTRACTOR NAME/TITLE DATE