Quality Assurance Evaluator Surveillance Plan.pdf

QUALITY ASSURANCE EVALUATOR (QAE) SURVEILLANCE PLAN

INTRODUCTION

1. This QAE Plan has been developed for a service contract. It is designed to aid the Government's QAE in providing effective and systematic surveillance of all aspects of laundry services. This plan provides for monitoring all contract requirements through a combination of methods. These are:

Sampling guides Customer complaint surveillance guides; and Surveillance activity checklist.

The objective of this surveillance plan is to evaluate how the Contractor is performing in key areas. We are primarily interested in the final product and service being provided and not in the details of accomplishment.

The principal method of surveillance will be the random sampling of the quantity and quality of laundered items processed. The plan contains sampling guides for use in random sampling. It contains random sampling (tally) checklists which are used to record information about the random samples.

Tasks not surveyed by random sampling will be covered by daily observation in some cases or by use or periodic checklist inspections. Appropriate checklists are provided for recording observations in this type of surveillance.

2. HOW TO USE THE SURVEILLANCE PLAN

This surveillance plan has been organized to facilitate use by the QAE. It is the QAE’s responsibility to develop a monthly schedule for activities based on the surveillance plan’s requirements. The monthly schedule will be completed by the last workday of the preceding month and a copy will be submitted to the COR for information and review by an assigned workday of the month.

To build the inspection schedule, the QAE will select a time for the random sampling using the procedures shown in the surveillance plan. Periodic checklist items to be surveyed during the month will be programmed into the schedule to facilitate their accomplishment. This monthly schedule should show what the QAE is monitoring each day. Changes will be posted weekly and copies sent to appropriate officials. The reasons for changes will be fully documented and explained. Actual surveillance activity must be comparable to the monthly schedule. The responsible management official must be able to observe a QAE’s performance by using the monthly schedule, as updated. One should be able to conduct a complete audit trail from the monthly schedule by observing the QAE perform sampling or other checklist surveillance, and completion of tally and other checklists. An auditor should be able to track from the above items to the management’s actions (payment deductions or other actions as necessary if contract service is being performed), described on a CDR.

Monthly tally checklists will be prepared for each sampling guide and will be used to record information on observations and defects. Each observation in the sampling will be recorded on the tally checklists. These documents will then become a formal record for later reference. The tally of observations and defects at the end of each month will be compared to the acceptable number of defects appearing in the relevant sampling guide. Any errors detected during the course of the surveillance, even if not of sufficient degree to render the service unsatisfactory in terms of the AQL parameters, will require corrective action by the Contractor for contracted services. Errors detected by the QAE in the course of surveillance will be transmitted to the Contractor for correction. Notification of errors will take place within 1 working day. Specifics concerning any errors should be recorded on the tally checklist. The Contractor should be asked to initial this record.

If the sampling guide indicates that the number of defects is too high, the current month’s service will be considered unsatisfactory. If performance in any area is judged unsatisfactory, based on random sampling or other criteria as set forth in Summary Table 7.3.1. Performance Requirements Summary, of the Laundry Performance Work Statement, a Contractor will be given a CDR by the COR. When completed and signed, the CDR, along with the tally checklist becomes the documentation supporting payment or nonpayment or other actions as necessary for contractor provided services.

There are some requirements in a contract which are more conveniently monitored on an individual periodic basis. For example, a Contractor is required to provide continuing training. When these items are checked (quarterly and monthly, for example), the deficiencies will be recorded on the appropriate checklist. When these items are discovered to be unsatisfactory, actions as described above will be taken. For the number of allowable defects, see the Performance Requirement Summary in the

PWS.

3. Performance Requirements Summary

Summary Table:

Factor No.

Performance Indicator

Performance Standard

AQL Maximum Allowable Degree If Deviation

Method – Type of Surveillance Reduction When AQL Exceeded

Deduction Amount

(monthly billing)

1 Shipment schedule is met. All quotas are delivered to Fisher House per established schedule.

1 discrepancy per month

COR Weekly inspection

2%

3. Laundry is clean Laundry is clean, dry, free of lint and odor, spots and stains removed.

5 discrepancy per month.

Random Sampling

2%

5. Proper textile finish for items

All articles are properly processed;

articles are free from wrinkles and scorches.

4 discrepancy Per month

Random Sampling

2%

6. Packaging is properly accomplished.

Laundered items are bundled, tied, wrapped, covered, etc.

3 discrepancy per month

Random Sampling

2%

8. Damaged Clean linen items.

Laundered items are not physically damaged due to improper processing or carelessness.

5 discrepancy per month

Random Sampling

1%

Performance Requirements Summary Method of Application

The Contractor is required to perform all the work specified in the performance work statement. If the contractor fails to perform a specific element of the work, payments for the task in question will be subject to reductions as specified. Any amount deducted for deviation from the required performance will be reflected in an amount commensurate with the task.

The purpose of this section is to:

List the contract requirements considered most critical to acceptable contract performance.

Show, where applicable, the maximum allowable degree of deviation from perfect performance for each requirement that shall be allowed by the Government before contract performance is considered unsatisfactory. This is known as the AQL and represents the level of quality required in a VA run operation.

Show the percentages of the major elements of the contract price that each listed contract requirement represents.

Explain the quality assurance methods the Government will use to evaluate the Contractor’s performance in meeting the contract requirements.

Define the procedure the Government shall use in reducing the Contractor’s monthly payment if the Contractor does not render satisfactory performance.

The Government’s quality assurance procedures are based in part on statistical random sampling of the recurring critical output. Other areas will be reviewed periodically (e.g., monthly, quarterly, semi-annually).

The criteria for acceptable and unacceptable performance are as follows:

NA

Other Requirements: The criteria for other requirements are the level of performance deemed acceptable to the Government. When the number of defects discovered by the COR exceeds the number shown in the AQL column, a CDR, as described above will be issued.

Monthly payments to the Contractor will be reduced for unsatisfactory performance using the following methods:

During each month, Contractor performance will be compared to contract standards and acceptable quality levels using the Quality Assurance Plan.

If performance in any required service is unsatisfactory for the period of surveillance (monthly, quarterly, etc.) and the poor performance is clearly the fault of the Contractor, an amount of money up to the percentage cost of the service as stated in the fifth column of the Performance Requirements Summary will be withheld as described below.

The amount of money to be deducted for unsatisfactory performance will be computed as follows:

Total monthly contract price multiplied by the percentage of the function represented by the required service (see deduct percentage, column five, Performance Requirements Summary) multiplied by the percentage of the sample found defective when sampling is used.

SAMPLING GUIDES

SAMPLING GUIDE 1

CLEANLINESS OF LINEN

2. Lot size: _________ (number of Bags received )

3. Sample size: __________

4. Sampling and Inspection Procedure: Select _________ random carts per day from each delivery of clean linen. Examine linen on carts selected for compliance with standards of cleanliness established contract.

SAMPLING GUIDE 2

FINISH AND PACKAGING

2. Lot size: ____________ (number of bags received )

3. Sample size: ____________

4. Sampling and inspection procedure: Select ________ random carts from each delivery of clean linen. Examine linen on carts selected for compliance with standards of finish and packaging established in contract.

SAMPLING GUIDE 3

DAMAGE

1. Lot size: _________ (number of deliveries per month)

2. Sample size: ____________

3. Sampling and inspection procedure: Select ________ random carts per day from each delivery of clean linen. Examine linen on carts selected for compliance with standards for nondamage of linen item established in contract.