36C24623Q1017_5.docx

36C24623Q1017

RFQ 36C24623Q1017

VA CARES PROGRAMMING SURVEY (Program of General Caregiver Support Services (PGCSS)) Durham Veterans Affairs Health Care System

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1. REQUISITION NO.

2. CONTRACT NO.

3. AWARD/EFFECTIVE DATE

4. ORDER NO.

5. SOLICITATION NUMBER

6. SOLICITATION ISSUE DATE

a. NAME

b. TELEPHONE NO. (No Collect Calls)

8. OFFER DUE DATE/LOCAL

TIME

9. ISSUED BY

CODE

10. THIS ACQUISITION IS

UNRESTRICTED OR

SET ASIDE:

% FOR:

SMALL BUSINESS

HUBZONE SMALL

BUSINESS

SERVICE-DISABLED

VETERAN-OWNED

SMALL BUSINESS

WOMEN-OWNED SMALL BUSINESS

(WOSB) ELIGIBLE UNDER THE WOMEN-OWNED

SMALL BUSINESS PROGRAM

EDWOSB

8(A)

NAICS:

SIZE STANDARD:

11. DELIVERY FOR FOB DESTINA-

TION UNLESS BLOCK IS

MARKED

SEE SCHEDULE

12. DISCOUNT TERMS

13a. THIS CONTRACT IS A

RATED ORDER UNDER

DPAS (15 CFR 700)

13b. RATING

14. METHOD OF SOLICITATION

RFQ

IFB

RFP

15. DELIVER TO

CODE

16. ADMINISTERED BY

CODE

17a. CONTRACTOR/OFFEROR

CODE

FACILITY CODE

18a. PAYMENT WILL BE MADE BY

CODE

TELEPHONE NO.

UEI:

EFT:

PHONE:

FAX:

17b. CHECK IF REMITTANCE IS DIFFERENT AND PUT SUCH ADDRESS IN OFFER 18b. SUBMIT INVOICES TO ADDRESS SHOWN IN BLOCK 18a UNLESS BLOCK BELOW IS CHECKED

SEE ADDENDUM

19.

20.

21.

22.

23.

24.

ITEM NO.

SCHEDULE OF SUPPLIES/SERVICES

QUANTITY

UNIT

UNIT PRICE

AMOUNT

(Use Reverse and/or Attach Additional Sheets as Necessary)

25. ACCOUNTING AND APPROPRIATION DATA

26. TOTAL AWARD AMOUNT (For Govt. Use Only) 27a. SOLICITATION INCORPORATES BY REFERENCE FAR 52.212-1, 52.212-4. FAR 52.212-3 AND 52.212-5 ARE ATTACHED. ADDENDA

ARE

ARE NOT ATTACHED.

27b. CONTRACT/PURCHASE ORDER INCORPORATES BY REFERENCE FAR 52.212-4. FAR 52.212-5 IS ATTACHED. ADDENDA

ARE

ARE NOT ATTACHED

28. CONTRACTOR IS REQUIRED TO SIGN THIS DOCUMENT AND RETURN _______________

29. AWARD OF CONTRACT: REF. ___________________________________ OFFER

COPIES TO ISSUING OFFICE. CONTRACTOR AGREES TO FURNISH AND

DATED ________________________________. YOUR OFFER ON SOLICITATION

DELIVER ALL ITEMS SET FORTH OR OTHERWISE IDENTIFIED ABOVE AND ON ANY

(BLOCK 5), INCLUDING ANY ADDITIONS OR CHANGES WHICH ARE

ADDITIONAL SHEETS SUBJECT TO THE TERMS AND CONDITIONS SPECIFIED

SET FORTH HEREIN IS ACCEPTED AS TO ITEMS:

30a. SIGNATURE OF OFFEROR/CONTRACTOR 31a. UNITED STATES OF AMERICA (SIGNATURE OF CONTRACTING OFFICER) 30b. NAME AND TITLE OF SIGNER (TYPE OR PRINT) 30c. DATE SIGNED 31b. NAME OF CONTRACTING OFFICER (TYPE OR PRINT) 31c. DATE SIGNED

AUTHORIZED FOR LOCAL REPRODUCTION

(REV. NOV 2021)

PREVIOUS EDITION IS NOT USABLE

Prescribed by GSA - FAR (48 CFR) 53.212

7. FOR SOLICITATION

INFORMATION CALL:

STANDARD FORM 1449

SOLICITATION/CONTRACT/ORDER FOR COMMERCIAL PRODUCTS AND COMMERCIAL SERVICES

OFFEROR TO COMPLETE BLOCKS 12, 17, 23, 24, & 30

36C24623Q1017 36C24623Q1017 09-08-2023

DONALD V. HARRIS

(757) 726-6089 09-12-2023

9AM

EDT

DONALD V. HARRIS

DEPARTMENT OF VETERANS AFFAIRS

NETWORK CONTRACTING OFFICE 6

100 EMANCIPATION DRIVE

HAMPTON

VA

23667 X X 541990 $19.5 Million N/A X

DEPARTMENT OF VETERANS AFFAIRS

DURHAM VA MEDICAL CENTER

508 FULTON STREET

DURHAM

NC

27705

DONALD V. HARRIS

DEPARTMENT OF VETERANS AFFAIRS

NETWORK CONTRACTING OFFICE 6

100 EMANCIPATION DRIVE

HAMPTON

VA

23667

Department of Veterans Affairs Financial Services Center

PO BOX 149971

Austin

TX

78714-9971 512-460-5049 512-460-5221 X See CONTINUATION Page

THIS CONTRACT REQUIRES PROGRAM OF GENERAL CAREGIVER SUPPORT

SERVICES (PGCSS)

See CONTINUATION Page X X

BYRON L. BROWN

CONTRACTING OFFICER

Table of Contents

SECTION B - CONTINUATION OF SF 1449 BLOCKS

B.1 CONTRACT ADMINISTRATION DATA

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

a. CONTRACTOR:

b. GOVERNMENT: Contracting Officer 36C246

DONALD V. HARRIS

DEPARTMENT OF VETERANS AFFAIRS

NETWORK CONTRACTING OFFICE 6

100 EMANCIPATION DRIVE

HAMPTON VA 23667

2. CONTRACTOR REMITTANCE ADDRESS: All payments by the Government to the contractor will be made in accordance with:

3. INVOICES: Invoices shall be submitted in arrears:

4. GOVERNMENT INVOICE ADDRESS: All Invoices from the contractor shall be submitted electronically in accordance with VAAR Clause 852.232-72 Electronic Submission of Payment Requests.

ACKNOWLEDGMENT OF AMENDMENTS: The offeror acknowledges receipt of amendments to the Solicitation numbered and dated as follows:

B.2 PRICE/COST SCHEDULE

ITEM INFORMATION

PROGRAMMING SURVEY / SET-UP DELIVERABLE ONE ORIENTATION (Orientation to the project objectives and goals, begin programming on questionnaire.)

Contract Period: Base POP Begin: 09-15-2023 POP End: 09-14-2024

TRAINING OF STAFF DELIVERABLE TWO SURVEY PROGRAMMING, TRAINING AND SOFT LAUNCH (Verify programming on questionnaire. Prepare and conduct training. The Vendor will also mail or email recruitment letter to approximately 2,000 caregivers, to arrive at least one week before telephone contact.)

MAILING DELIVERABLE THREE PHASE 1 HARD LAUNCH (The Vendor will mail or email recruitment letters to approximately 9,000 caregivers (based on response rate from soft launch).

SENDING EMAILS / TEXTS DELIVERABLE FOUR PHASE 2 SOFT LAUNCH (The Vendor will mail or email follow-up letters to remaining caregivers (based on response rate from soft launch). Contact and attempt to interview all sampled caregivers who do not opt out within one week of or complete the web survey.)

Contract Period: Option 1 POP Begin: 09-15-2024 POP End: 09-14-2025

DATA COLLECTION - BASELINE DELIVERABLE FIVE PHASE 2 HARD LAUNCH (The Vendor will mail or email follow-up letters to remaining caregivers (based on response rate from soft launch). Contact and attempt to interview all sampled caregivers who do not opt out within one week of or complete the web survey.)

DATA PROCESSING SERVICES DELIVERABLE SIX PHASE 1 FILES (Phase 1 files will be provided to the VA CARES team at the end of the phase 1 field period.)

PROJECT MANAGEMENT SERVICES DELIVERABLE SEVEN PHASE 2 FILES (Phase 2 files will be provided to the VA CARES team at the end of the field period. The Vendor will supply the VA with a disposition file with final dispositions for every sampled number, a report of AAPOR response and refusal rates, and a cleaned data response file. The final data files will be in a desired format with variable names, and labels. Thank you letters will be mailed to caregivers who completed the survey.)

PROJECT MANAGEMENT SERVICES DELIVERABLE SEVEN PROJECT MANAGEMENT SERVICES (Survey conclusion efforts)

Veterans Affairs Caregiver Support Program Partnered Evaluation Center Caregiver Health and Wellbeing Survey VA Program of General Caregiver Support Services (PGCSS) Durham VA Healthcare System Statement of Work (SOW)

1. Introduction The purpose of this Statement of Work (SOW) is to outline the tasks and responsibilities for a contract focused on Veteran caregiver health and wellbeing. Specifically, this SOW outlines the tasks and responsibilities of the successful Vendor to complete data collection for a telephone/web-based survey of fifteen hundred (1,500) caregivers and a one-year follow-up survey. The Vendor will provide high-level survey assistance for an operations project within the Durham VA’s Center of Innovation to Accelerate Discovery and Practice Transformation (ADAPT), Health Service Research & Development Center. The VA Caregiver Support Program Partnered Evaluation Center (VA CARES) is a partnered evaluation initiative supported by the VA Caregiver Support Program (CSP) and the VA Quality Enhancement Research Initiative (QUERI).

The purpose of this caregiver health and wellbeing (CHASE) survey is to identify how participating in the Program of General Caregiver Support Services (PGCSS) is associated with changes in caregiver health and well-being outcomes and trust in VA over time and describe how caregivers engage in PGCSS services. We are also surveying caregivers who are not enrolled in CSP services as a comparison group. Each survey participant will be invited to participate at least twice (baseline, 12 month follow up) in this longitudinal survey.

The Vendor shall furnish all labor materials, and any other supplies or equipment necessary to perform the requirements as outlined in this SOW from 15 September 2023 to 14 September 2025, and any option years exercised. The Contractor/Vendor agrees to provide services in accordance with the SOW and VA policies for the VA CARES partnered evaluation initiative.

Study Description The survey collects emotional (depressive symptoms, anxiety, burden) and financial (perceived strain, work reductions) well-being and health measures directly from caregivers. In addition to satisfaction with VA care, the survey also measures engagement in PGCSS services (name and number of programs accessed, timing of access) and trust with VA. Combined these measures are expected to reflect key components of caregiver quality of life related to their caregiving role. Survey administration (phone or online based) will occur at the baseline time period and 12 months later. Completing the interview over the phone will take approximately 30-40 minutes and 20 minutes online.

Scope The survey contractor will work solely with Durham VA’s ADAPT project team staff on the tasks below. The vendor will be responsible for conducting a multi-mode survey of 1,500 caregiver participants. Modes will include a web-based survey, and a Computer-assisted telephone interviewing (CATI). The vendor will use a sample of Veteran patients and caregivers provided by the ADAPT project team staff and will be responsible for providing all resources necessary to accomplish the deliverables described in this SOW, except as otherwise specified. The period of performance is 15 September 2023 to 14 September 2025:

· The goal for this project will be to complete 1,500 baseline surveys with two Veteran caregiver audience groups and then work to complete as many as possible with these same groups in a 12 month follow-up interview.

· One group is defined as PGCSS (Program of General Caregiver Support Services) members (new sign-ups). These are households in which someone has recently signed up for the program and will be contacted to complete a baseline and eventual 12 month follow-up interview.

· The second group (non PGCSS members) are Veterans that have been referred to community or home-based services and may or may not have a caregiver. Contact will be made to attempt to locate and interview the caregiver (if applicable) for the baseline and follow-up interview.

· It is expected that the Vendor will receive approximately 120 to 150 PGCSS members and 325 to 375 non PGCSS members each week to achieve the baseline of 750 completed surveys for each of these two groups.

· Sample records will be transferred securely for approximately 3 to 4 months or until baseline quotas are met. The Vendor will work with the VA to potentially adjust numbers for the non-members group in order to keep pace with the number of completed baseline surveys of the members group.

· Each survey will take approximately 30 minutes to complete via telephone or 20 minutes via self-administered web.

· All outreach materials will be approved by the VA, but will be geared to screen for and reach the caregiver. The Vendor will assist in preparing these written materials.

The contact process for this project is expected to follow this outline:

Tasks and Deliverables Mandatory Requirements The Vendor will:

Provide evidence of recent experience with interviewing survey respondents on sensitive subjects such as mental health care use, or personal alcohol and drug use.

· Be a licensed user of CATI software that meets industry standards for security, efficiency, and functionality, including data validation, and the ability to create customized disposition reports. In addition, the CATI system must allow a supervisor and/or interviewer to perform a “warm handoff” of a caregiver that becomes distressed during the interview to the VA Caregiver Support Line. In case a respondent becomes distressed, the vendor must have the technical and staff capability to live connect one two-way call with another two-way call to allow for a warm hand-off of the veteran to the Caregiver Support Line. This is an important part of ensuring caregivers’ best interests are protected. Once the call has been answered by Caregiver Support Line staff, and the “warm handoff” connection has been established, the interviewer may sign off.

· Must have the ability to securely receive and send Veteran and caregiver protected health information.

Be a licensed user of software to facilitate web based surveys that meets industry standards for security, efficiency, and functionality, including data validation, and the ability to create customized disposition reports.

Have a line-of-site capability for Vendor supervisors to oversee interviewing staff. Previous experience indicates this is an important requirement, as it serves as a safety back-up to the technological requirement for the interviewer being able to message their supervisor while on the line with a respondent who becomes upset during the interview. Having both technological and line-of-site oversight capabilities means that if a warm handoff is needed to ensure the safety and/or well-being of the Veteran respondent, the supervisor and interviewer will be able to communicate clearly during the handoff process.

Demonstrate it has the time, resources, and facilities to conduct and carry out this project, including sufficient numbers of experienced programmers and interviewers, and sufficient numbers of experienced supervisory staff to directly oversee the interviewing force.

Demonstrate its ability to meet all VA and regulatory requirements for secure handling and storage of VA data, by providing a detailed written summary of data security equipment, processes, and procedures intended to limit access and protect VA data from disclosure. In particular, the Vendor must provide a study server that either resides in a dedicated locked room accessible only to study staff, or is separately physically secured in a locked cage, if it resides in a shared server room.

Supply, with its bid: (1) a project management plan, (2) a data security plan, and (3) a quality assurance plan.

Mandatory Tasks To complete the multi-mode survey, the Vendor will accomplish the following tasks:

Using VA-supplied sensitive data consisting of a sample drawn from recent VA Veteran users, conduct a multi-mode (web and CATI) survey over a two year period starting 15 September 2023 ending 14 September 2025. The web and CATI survey will average about 20 minutes in length.

For each identified eligible Veteran or caregiver in the sample given to Vendor (approx. 20,000), the Vendor will mail pre-notification packets to arrive at least one week before telephone contact. This may include a cover letter, Information brochure, an endorsement letter, information on how to opt-out, and a QR code and link for completing the web survey.

Provide a dedicated toll free 800 number, to allow respondents to opt out or arrange a time for the interview. The number will be answered by Vendor staff during office hours, and checked for messages immediately each morning, as the Vendor will be responsible for ensuring that Caregivers who opt out of the study are not contacted for the remainder of the project.

Demonstrate the capabilities of its telephone / CATI system for performing a “warm handoff” which involves keeping the interviewer/Supervisor and respondent on the line while the caregiver’s call is forwarded to the Caregiver Support Line, so that the interviewer is able to verify that contact between the Caregiver Support Line staff and the caregiver is made before hanging up the line. Include information for the Caregiver Support Line in all printed study materials and the web survey.

Participate in preparing materials, scheduling, and performing project-specific interviewer training, including individual training on the use of the emergency protocol for conducting a warm handoff transfer. Training will be ongoing throughout the field period, based on information acquired from interview monitoring.

Follow project specifications for making call attempts, scheduling call backs, refusal conversion, and coding dispositions:

· Known cell phone numbers will be dialed by hand, as required by federal Telemarketing Consumer Protection Act of 1991 (TCPA, 47 U.S.C. 227), which is enforced by the U.S. Federal Communications Commission (FCC).

· The majority of call attempts will take place between the hours of 4pm-9pm weekdays, and 10am-5pm on weekends, respondent local time. Every sample telephone number must be attempted primarily during evening hours, but day attempts, and weekend evening attempts will be made as needed to maximize the likelihood of contacting an eligible respondent.

Program and verify the questionnaire for both web and CATI to create a final instrument for the VA CARES team sign off. To accomplish this, the Vendor will:

· Provide feedback on question wording, answer categories and question order.

· Program and test the web and CATI questionnaire by comparing them to the written version, and testing skip patterns.

· Revise the questionnaire as needed. Provide the opportunity for the VA CARES team to test the questionnaire after each revision, until final sign-off is provided.

Prepare sample management and quality assurance plans that meet or exceed industry standards for the collection of valid and reliable data:

· Equal effort must be made to contact and complete an interview with all sample members.

· If the web survey is not completed and an opt-out notice is not received online or a call to the Vendor’s provided 800 number, up to 6 attempts will be made to contact each individual, leaving up to one voice mail message.

· Periodic assessments of interviewer quality will be conducted randomly throughout the survey field period, using observation and review by supervisors and research auditors. No fewer than 10% of interviews will be monitored by Vendor staff, who will also implement a retraining protocol for interviewers as needed.

· The VA CARES team must be provided with the opportunity to remotely monitor interviews.

· Experienced interviewers will be employed, giving priority to those who have worked on other surveys involving Veterans and/or caregivers.

· Refusal conversion: If a respondent “breaks off” during an interview, or the call is declined by someone other than the potential respondent, or the respondent otherwise does not participate but also does not ask to be removed from the project call list and seems amenable to another call, specially trained interviewers will re-contact the individual after a minimum 3 day wait.

Code the outcome of all contact attempts using the American Association for Public Opinion Polling (AAPOR) Standard Definitions dispositions for mail surveys of specifically named persons, and will: The Vendor will also code the mode in which the survey was completed (web or CATI).

· During the field period, provide regular disposition reports (weekly during the field period) detailing the disposition of each contact attempt (complete, break-off, refused, unable to contact, no contact, opt-out, etc.)

· At the end of the field period, supply the VA with a disposition file with final dispositions for every number, and a report of AAPOR response and refusal rates.

3.3 Deliverables

Deliverable One: Orientation to the project objectives and goals, begin programming on questionnaire.

Deliverable Two (soft launch—pilot phase): Verify programming on questionnaire. Prepare and conduct training. The Vendor will also mail or email recruitment letter to approximately 2,000 caregivers, to arrive at least one week before telephone contact that will include informational materials about the study, a link for the web survey, an 800 number for question/opt-outs/schedule telephone interview. Contact and attempt to interview all sampled caregivers who do not opt out within one week of being sent a pre-notification letter or complete the web survey.

Deliverable Three (hard launch, rolling recruitment phase 1 baseline): The Vendor will mail or email recruitment letters to approximately 9,000 caregivers (based on response rate from soft launch). Contact and attempt to interview all sampled caregivers who do not opt out within one week of being sent a recruitment letter or complete the web survey. The Vendor will code the outcome of all contact attempts using the American Association for Public Opinion Polling (AAPOR) Standard Definitions dispositions for mail surveys of specifically named persons, and will provide regular disposition reports. The Vendor will also code the mode in which the survey was completed (web or CATI).

Deliverable Four and Five (soft launch, hard launch, rolling recruitment phase 2 follow up): The Vendor will mail or email follow-up letters to remaining caregivers (based on response rate from soft launch). Contact and attempt to interview all sampled caregivers who do not opt out within one week of or complete the web survey. The Vendor will code the outcome of all contact attempts using the American Association for Public Opinion Polling (AAPOR) Standard Definitions dispositions for mail surveys of specifically named persons, and will provide regular disposition reports. The Vendor will also code the mode in which the survey was completed (web or CATI). The Vendor will be provided with updates on deaths of Veterans for the follow up on a quarterly basis.

Deliverable Six: Phase 1 files will be provided to the VA CARES team at the end of the phase 1 field period.

Deliverable Seven: Phase 2 files will be provided to the VA CARES team at the end of the field period. The Vendor will supply the VA with a disposition file with final dispositions for every sampled number, a report of AAPOR response and refusal rates, and a cleaned data response file. The final data files will be in a desired format with variable names, and labels. Thank you letters will be mailed to caregivers who completed the survey.

The Vendor will plan to send multiple data files during the course of the project (after pilot launch), during the middle of fielding and at the end of the data collection period.

Table 3: Vendor provided schedule of deliverables

3.4 Itemized Costs for Tasks

· Total estimated costs (15 September 2023 to 14 September 2025): Includes start-up activities and data collection (N=20,000 recruitment letters; N=1,500 completed interviews for 2 cohorts, combine web and CATI (defined as answering at least 80% of eligible questions) and then as many as possible 12-month follow-up surveys (expect at least 60% response rate for the follow-up).

Table 2: Deliverables and Estimated Costs

$0

Total

Change Management Plan The Vendor shall provide a Change Management Plan to document procedures for additions, deletions, and modifications to the Scope of Work and the Mandatory Tasks as outline in section 3.1.

Hours of Operation Normal tour-of-duty hours at the Durham VAHCS are 8:00 am to 4:30 pm, Monday through Friday, excluding Federal holidays. There may be instances in which the vendor’s workday may be outside of this period. The vendor is required to coordinate these times with the designated Project Manager.

In accordance with 5 U.S.C. 6103, Executive Order 11582 and Public Law 94-97 the following national holidays are observed and for the purpose of this contract are defined as “Legal Federal official holidays”.

Table 3: Federal Holiday Schedule

When a holiday falls on a Sunday, the following Monday will be observed as a National Holiday. When a holiday falls on a Saturday, the preceding Friday is observed as a National Holiday by U.S. Government Agencies.

Acceptance/Period of Performance The Vendor will complete all tasks and deliverables in the designated time frame (15 September 2023 to 14 September 2025).

Vendor Responsibilities The Vendor will establish a mechanism for feedback of performance.

The Vendor will designate a point of contact (POC) to serve as the POC for quality control issues/complaints.

The Vendor will establish reliable methods of record keeping and documentation of all corrective actions and process improvements undertaken during the acceptance period.

The Vendor will sign and honor a Business Associate Agreement (BAA) with VAGLA, which governs the survey Vendor’s protection, use and disclosure of VA data.

The Vendor shall be responsible for any and all liability actions or suits when the Vendor is at fault or negligent in the performance of installation and testing activities. Pecuniary liability is also included for any and The Vendor shall comply with all local building and fire codes in addition to VA policy and procedures at the site.

The Vendor is responsible for programming the survey instrument, and making any revisions requested by the VA in a timely manner.

The Vendor shall be responsible for mailing survey thank you notes and compensation (gift cards or checks; will be provided by the Vendor) The Vendor will monitor survey progress and quality and notify the VA immediately of any issues, impediments, or errors.

The Vendor shall be responsible for reducing variation and error during data collection through a process of continuous quality monitoring of all processes and procedures at every step.

The Vendor will ensure that all VA sensitive data files are destroyed after the end of the project, once all data files have been provided to the VA and verified.

Records Management

· Vendor shall comply with all applicable records management laws and regulations, as well as National Archives and Records Administration (NARA) records policies, including but not limited to the Federal Records Act (44 U.S.C. chs. 21, 29, 31, 33), NARA regulations at 36 CFR Chapter XII Subchapter B, and those policies associated with the safeguarding of records covered by the Privacy Act of 1974 (5 U.S.C. 552a). These policies include the preservation of all records, regardless of form or characteristics, mode of transmission, or state of completion.

· In accordance with 36 CFR 1222.32, all data created for Government use and delivered to, or falling under the legal control of, the Government are Federal records subject to the provisions of 44 U.S.C. chapters 21, 29, 31, and 33, the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) (5 U.S.C. 552), as amended, and the Privacy Act of 1974 (5 U.S.C. 552a), as amended and must be managed and scheduled for disposition only as permitted by statute or regulation.

· In accordance with 36 CFR 1222.32, Vendor shall maintain all records created for Government use or created in the course of performing the contract and/or delivered to, or under the legal control of the Government and must be managed in accordance with Federal law. Electronic records and associated metadata must be accompanied by sufficient technical documentation to permit understanding and use of the records and data.

· Durham VAHCS and its contractors are responsible for preventing the alienation or unauthorized destruction of records, including all forms of mutilation. Records may not be removed from the legal custody of the Durham VAHCS or destroyed except for in accordance with the provisions of the agency records schedules and with the written concurrence of the Head of the Contracting Activity. Willful and unlawful destruction, damage or alienation of Federal records is subject to the fines and penalties imposed by 18 U.S.C. 2701.

· In the event of any unlawful or accidental removal, defacing, alteration, or destruction of records, Vendor must report to Durham VAHCS. The agency must report promptly to NARA in accordance with 36 CFR 1230.

· The Vendor shall immediately notify the appropriate Contracting Officer upon discovery of any inadvertent or unauthorized disclosures of information, data, documentary materials, records, or equipment. Disclosure of non-public information is limited to authorized personnel with a need-to-know as described in the contract. The Vendor shall ensure that the appropriate personnel, administrative, technical, and physical safeguards are established to ensure the security and confidentiality of this information, data, documentary material, records and/or equipment is properly protected. The Vendor shall not remove material from Government facilities or systems, or facilities or systems operated or maintained on the Government’s behalf, without the express written permission of the Head of the Contracting Activity. When information, data, documentary material, records and/or equipment is no longer required, it shall be returned to the Durham VAHCS control, or the Contractor must hold it until otherwise directed. Items returned to the Government shall be hand carried, mailed, emailed, or securely electronically transmitted to the Contracting Officer or address prescribed in the contract. Destruction of records is EXPRESSLY PROHIBITED unless in accordance with Paragraph (4).

· The Vendor is required to obtain the Contracting Officer's approval prior to engaging in any contractual relationship (sub-contractor) in support of this contract requiring the disclosure of information, documentary material and/or records generated under, or relating to, contracts. The Vendor (and any sub-contractor) is required to abide by Government and the Durham VAHCS guidance for protecting sensitive, proprietary information, classified, and controlled unclassified information.

· The Vendor shall only use Government IT equipment for purposes specifically tied to or authorized by the contract and in accordance with the Durham VAHCS policy.

· The Vendor shall not create or maintain any records containing any non-public Durham VAHCS information that are not specifically tied to or authorized by the contract.

· The Vendor shall not retain, use, sell, or disseminate copies of any deliverable that contains information covered by the Privacy Act of 1974 or that which is generally protected from public disclosure by an exemption to the Freedom of Information Act.

· The Durham VAHCS owns the rights to all data and records produced as part of this contract. All deliverables under the contract are the property of the U.S. Government for which Durham VAHCS shall have unlimited rights to use, dispose of, or disclose such data contained therein as it determines to be in the public interest. Any Contractor rights in the data or deliverables must be identified as required by FAR 52.227-11 through FAR 52.227-20.

· Training. All Vendor employees assigned to this contract who create, work with, or otherwise handle records are required to take VHA-provided records management training, Talent Management System (TMS) Item #3873736, Records Management for Records Officers, and Liaisons. The Vendor is responsible for confirming training has been completed according to agency policies, including initial training and any annual or refresher training.

Option to Extend Services

To eliminate the possibility of variation and bias in results which may be introduced by changing survey vendors during administration of surveys, all interviews should be conducted by the same Vendor.

The Government may require continued performance of any services within the limits and at the rates specified in the contract. These rates may be adjusted only as a result of revisions to prevailing labor rates provided by the Secretary of Labor. The option provision may be exercised more than once, but the total extension of performance hereunder shall not exceed 6 months. The Contracting Officer may exercise the option by written notice to the Contractor within ten calendar days of contract expiration. Note that costs for additional 6 month of administration of the survey, if conducted by the same Vendor will be considerably lower than for the first year, due to one-time setup and preparation costs.

Center of Innovation to Accelerate Discovery and Practice Transformation (ADAPT), Health Service Research & Development, Durham VA Health Care System (Durham VAHCS) Responsibilities:

The VA shall provide the Vendor with a list of key personnel associated with the project along with the name and contact information for the POC/Project Manager.

The VA shall provide access to the appropriate personnel (management, technical, subject matter expertise, etc.) necessary to fulfill the Vendor’s requirements in a timely fashion.

The VA will provide the Vendor with sensitive data which is the sample list of contact information containing the sample of Veterans and caregiver names and phone numbers. This file will be uploaded to the Vendor’s secure server.

The VA will prepare a draft of the questionnaire for programming. VA study team members will incorporate any feedback from the Vendor and provide revisions in a timely manner.

The VA will prepare and provide to the Vendor all content for the thank you mailings. The VA reserves the option to print the materials as well.

The VA will lead the preparation of training materials and lead/participate in project-specific interviewer training.

Travel All Vendor travel shall be responsibility of the Vendor.

To minimize travel expenses for VA staff, whenever possible, conference calls, video conferencing, and other non-travel methods of communication should be used.

Security The C&A requirements do not apply, and that a Security Accreditation Package is not required.

Information Security The Vendor must also meet strict VA data security requirements which apply to CATI (computer-assisted telephone interviewing) interviewer stations.

As required by HIPAA regulations, the Vendor must have a Business Associate Agreement (BAA) with the Durham VAHCS.

The Vendor will provide data access only to Vendor project staff members who have successfully completed VA human subjects training and project-specific training.

The Vendor will provide project-specific equipment, staffing and resources.

The Vendor must provide a dedicated partition on a server that either resides in a dedicated locked room accessible only to study staff, or is separately physically secured in a locked cage, if it resides in a shared server room.

The VA server will be securely housed in a secure room accessible only to the Vendor’s project staff or in a locked bay in a restricted access server room, accessible only to study-authorized staff.

Any security violations or attempted violations shall be reported to the VA Project Manager and the VHA Headquarters Information Security Officer as soon as possible. The Vendor shall follow all applicable VA policies and procedures governing information security, especially those that pertain to certification accreditation.

Data files will be transferred via encrypted CDs and hand-delivered to the Vendor and/or VA site.

The survey, disposition and contact files will be temporarily stored on the Vendor’s secure server until surveys are completed and the data is verified. All project data files will be permanently housed on the secure Durham VA HSRD server behind the VA firewall. Access to study data will be limited to the minimum number of individuals necessary to achieve the approved purpose and to those individuals on a need-to-know basis only.

The Vendor will destroy all survey-related files (Contact File, Survey Data files, and the Disposition File) once the survey closes and the survey data has been verified and validated.

(a) The Vendor and their staff shall be subject to the same Federal laws, regulations, standards, and VA policies as VA personnel, regarding information and information system security. These include, but are not limited to Federal Information Security Management Act (FISMA), Appendix III of OMB Circular A-130, and guidance and standards, available from the Department of Commerce's National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST). This also includes the use of common security configurations available from NIST's Web site at: http://checklists.nist.gov

(b) To ensure that appropriate security controls are in place, the Vendor must follow the procedures set forth in "VA Information and Information System Security/Privacy Requirements for IT Contracts" located at the following Web site: http://www.iprm.oit.va.gov Contract Personnel Security All contractor employees who require access to the Department of Veterans Affairs' computer systems shall be the subject of a background investigation and must receive a favorable adjudication from the VA Security and Investigations Center (07C). The level of background security investigation will be in accordance with VA Directive 0710 dated September 10, 2004 and is available at: http://www.va.gov/pubs/asp/edsdirec.asp (VA Handbook 0710, Appendix A, Tables 1 - 3). Appropriate Background Investigation (BI) forms will be provided upon contract (or task order) award, and are to be completed and returned to the VA Security and Investigations Center (07C) within 30 days for processing. Contractors will be notified by 07C when the BI has been completed and adjudicated. These requirements are applicable to all subcontractor personnel requiring the same access. If the security clearance investigation is not completed prior to the start date of the contract, the employee may work on the contract while the security clearance is being processed, but the contractor will be responsible for the actions of those individuals they provide to perform work for the VA. In the event that damage arises from work performed by contractor personnel, under the auspices of the contract, the contractor will be responsible for resources necessary to remedy the incident.

Completion Date 36C24623Q1017 The Vendor shall have all services rendered and data received no later than 26 months from the date of receipt of Contract Award, and within the option year, if granted.

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SECTION C - CONTRACT CLAUSES

C.1 52.212-4 CONTRACT TERMS AND CONDITIONS—COMMERCIAL PRODUCTS AND COMMERCIAL SERVICES (DEC 2022)

(a) Inspection/Acceptance. The Contractor shall only tender for acceptance those items that conform to the requirements of this contract. The Government reserves the right to inspect or test any supplies or services that have been tendered for acceptance. The Government may require repair or replacement of nonconforming supplies or reperformance of nonconforming services at no increase in contract price. If repair/replacement or reperformance will not correct the defects or is not possible, the Government may seek an equitable price reduction or adequate consideration for acceptance of nonconforming supplies or services. The Government must exercise its post-acceptance rights—

(1) Within a reasonable time after the defect was discovered or should have been discovered; and

(2) Before any substantial change occurs in the condition of the item, unless the change is due to the defect in the item.

(b) Assignment. The Contractor or its assignee may assign its rights to receive payment due as a result of performance of this contract to a bank, trust company, or other financing institution, including any Federal lending agency in accordance with the Assignment of Claims Act (31 U.S.C. 3727). However, when a third party makes payment (e.g., use of the Governmentwide commercial purchase card), the Contractor may not assign its rights to receive payment under this contract.

(c) Changes. Changes in the terms and conditions of this contract may be made only by written agreement of the parties.

(d) Disputes. This contract is subject to 41 U.S.C. chapter 71, Contract Disputes. Failure of the parties to this contract to reach agreement on any request for equitable adjustment, claim, appeal or action arising under or relating to this contract shall be a dispute to be resolved in accordance with the clause at Federal Acquisition Regulation (FAR) 52.233-1, Disputes, which is incorporated herein by reference. The Contractor shall proceed diligently with performance of this contract, pending final resolution of any dispute arising under the contract.

(e) Definitions. The clause at FAR 52.202-1, Definitions, is incorporated herein by reference.

(f) Excusable delays. The Contractor shall be liable for default unless nonperformance is caused by an occurrence beyond the reasonable control of the Contractor and without its fault or negligence such as, acts of God or the public enemy, acts of the Government in either its sovereign or contractual capacity, fires, floods, epidemics, quarantine restrictions, strikes, unusually severe weather, and delays of common carriers. The Contractor shall notify the Contracting Officer in writing as soon as it is reasonably possible after the commencement of any excusable delay, setting forth the full particulars in connection therewith, shall remedy such occurrence with all reasonable dispatch, and shall promptly give written notice to the Contracting Officer of the cessation of such occurrence.

(g) Invoice.

(1) The Contractor shall submit an original invoice and three copies (or electronic invoice, if authorized) to the address designated in the contract to receive invoices. An invoice must include—

(i) Name and address of the Contractor;

(ii) Invoice date and number;

(iii) Contract number, line item number and, if applicable, the order number;

(iv) Description, quantity, unit of measure, unit price and extended price of the items delivered;

(v) Shipping number and date of shipment, including the bill of lading number and weight of shipment if shipped on Government bill of lading;

(vi) Terms of any discount for prompt payment offered;

(vii) Name and address of official to whom payment is to be sent;

(viii) Name, title, and phone number of person to notify in event of defective invoice; and

(ix) Taxpayer Identification Number (TIN). The Contractor shall include its TIN on the invoice only if required elsewhere in this contract.

(x) Electronic funds transfer (EFT) banking information.

(A) The Contractor shall include EFT banking information on the invoice only if required elsewhere in this contract.

(B) If EFT banking information is not required to be on the invoice, in order for the invoice to be a proper invoice, the Contractor shall have submitted correct EFT banking information in accordance with the applicable solicitation provision, contract clause (e.g., 52.232-33, Payment by Electronic Funds Transfer—System for Award Management, or 52.232-34, Payment by Electronic Funds Transfer—Other Than System for Award Management), or applicable agency procedures.

(C) EFT banking information is not required if the Government waived the requirement to pay by EFT.

(2) Invoices will be handled in accordance with the Prompt Payment Act (31 U.S.C. 3903) and Office of Management and Budget (OMB) prompt payment regulations at 5 CFR part 1315.

(h) Patent indemnity. The Contractor shall indemnify the Government and its officers, employees and agents against liability, including costs, for actual or alleged direct or contributory infringement of, or inducement to infringe, any United States or foreign patent, trademark or copyright, arising out of the performance of this contract, provided the Contractor is reasonably notified of such claims and proceedings.

(i) Payment.—

(1) Items accepted. Payment shall be made for items accepted by the Government that have been delivered to the delivery destinations set forth in this contract.

(2) Prompt payment. The Government will make payment in accordance with the Prompt Payment Act (31 U.S.C. 3903) and prompt payment regulations at 5 CFR part 1315.

(3) Electronic Funds Transfer (EFT). If the Government makes payment by EFT, see 52.212-5(b) for the appropriate EFT clause.

(4) Discount. In connection with any discount offered for early payment, time shall be computed from the date of the invoice. For the purpose of computing the discount earned, payment shall be considered to have been made on the date which appears on the payment check or the specified payment date if an electronic funds transfer payment is made.

(5) Overpayments. If the Contractor becomes aware of a duplicate contract financing or invoice payment or that the Government has otherwise overpaid on a contract financing or invoice payment, the Contractor shall—

(i) Remit the overpayment amount to the payment office cited in the contract along with a description of the overpayment including the—

(A) Circumstances of the overpayment (e.g., duplicate payment, erroneous payment, liquidation errors, date(s) of overpayment);

(B) Affected contract number and delivery order number, if applicable;

(C) Affected line item or subline item, if applicable; and

(D) Contractor point of contact.

(ii) Provide a copy of the remittance and supporting documentation to the Contracting Officer.

(6) Interest.

(i) All amounts that become payable by the Contractor to the Government under this contract shall bear simple interest from the date due until paid unless paid within 30 days of becoming due. The interest rate shall be the interest rate established by the Secretary of the Treasury as provided in 41 U.S.C.