36C24E18Q0122-0001000.docx

5. PROJECT NUMBER (if applicable)

CODE

7. ADMINISTERED BY

2. AMENDMENT/MODIFICATION NUMBER

CODE

6. ISSUED BY

8. NAME AND ADDRESS OF CONTRACTOR

4. REQUISITION/PURCHASE REQ. NUMBER

3. EFFECTIVE DATE

9A. AMENDMENT OF SOLICITATION NUMBER

9B. DATED

PAGE

OF PAGES

10A. MODIFICATION OF CONTRACT/ORDER NUMBER

10B. DATED

BPA NO.

1. CONTRACT ID CODE

FACILITY CODE

CODE

Offers must acknowledge receipt of this amendment prior to the hour and date specified in the solicitation or as amended, by one of the following methods:

The above numbered solicitation is amended as set forth in Item 14. The hour and date specified for receipt of Offers

E. IMPORTANT:

is extended,

(a) By completing Items 8 and 15, and returning __________ copies of the amendment; (b) By acknowledging receipt of this amendment on each copy of the offer submitted; or (c) By separate letter or electronic communication which includes a reference to the solicitation and amendment numbers. FAILURE OF YOUR ACKNOWLEDGMENT TO BE RECEIVED AT THE PLACE DESIGNATED FOR THE RECEIPT OF OFFERS PRIOR TO THE HOUR AND DATE SPECIFIED MAY is not extended.

12. ACCOUNTING AND APPROPRIATION DATA

(REV. 11/2016)

is required to sign this document and return ___________ copies to the issuing office.

is not, A. THIS CHANGE ORDER IS ISSUED PURSUANT TO: (Specify authority) THE CHANGES SET FORTH IN ITEM 14 ARE MADE IN THE CONTRACT ORDER NO. IN ITEM 10A.

15C. DATE SIGNED

B. THE ABOVE NUMBERED CONTRACT/ORDER IS MODIFIED TO REFLECT THE ADMINISTRATIVE CHANGES SET FORTH IN ITEM 14, PURSUANT TO THE AUTHORITY OF FAR 43.103(b).

RESULT IN REJECTION OF YOUR OFFER. If by virtue of this amendment you desire to change an offer already submitted, such change may be made by letter or electronic communication, provided each letter or electronic communication makes reference to the solicitation and this amendment, and is received prior to the opening hour and date specified.

C. THIS SUPPLEMENTAL AGREEMENT IS ENTERED INTO PURSUANT TO AUTHORITY OF:

D. OTHER

BY

Contractor

16C. DATE SIGNED

14. DESCRIPTION OF AMENDMENT/MODIFICATION

16B. UNITED STATES OF AMERICA

Except as provided herein, all terms and conditions of the document referenced in Item 9A or 10A, as heretofore changed, remains unchanged and in full force and effect.

15A. NAME AND TITLE OF SIGNER

16A. NAME AND TITLE OF CONTRACTING OFFICER

15B. CONTRACTOR/OFFEROR

STANDARD FORM 30

PREVIOUS EDITION NOT USABLE

Prescribed by GSA - FAR (48 CFR) 53.243 (Type or print) (Type or print) (Organized by UCF section headings, including solicitation/contract subject matter where feasible.)

(Number, street, county, State and ZIP Code) (If other than Item 6) (Specify type of modification and authority) (such as changes in paying office, appropriation date, etc.)

(If required)

(SEE ITEM 11)

(SEE ITEM 13)

(X)

CHECK

ONE

13. THIS ITEM APPLIES ONLY TO MODIFICATIONS OF CONTRACTS/ORDERS,

IT MODIFIES THE CONTRACT/ORDER NO. AS DESCRIBED IN ITEM 14.

11. THIS ITEM ONLY APPLIES TO AMENDMENTS OF SOLICITATIONS

AMENDMENT OF SOLICITATION/MODIFICATION OF CONTRACT

(Signature of person authorized to sign) (Signature of Contracting Officer) 07-12-2018 00240E US Department of Veterans Affairs Veterans Health Administration Service Area Office (SAO) East 323 North Shore Drive, Suite 500 Pittsburgh

PA

15212-5319 00240E US Department of Veterans Affairs Veterans Health Administration Service Area Office (SAO) East 323 North Shore Drive, Suite 500 Pittsburgh

PA

15212-5319 To all Offerors/Bidders

36C24E18Q0122

X x x The purpose of this amendment is to answer vendor questions. No additional questions will be answered.

Quote packages are due on 7/30/18 at 12pm EST. Vendors must follow instructions for submission starting on page 17 of the solicitation and submit their packages accordingly.

Lynn Portman

LMS Q&A

· When the system is up, what would be the estimated daily visit volume? No more than 50, more likely 15-25.

· How many staff would be actively interacting with the participants? Up to three staff interacting with participants.

· For online chat, how many people would be using or waiting to use the system at the same time? No more than 25.

· Can you elaborate “Gamification options”？ Gamifications needs are relatively basic and do not require freestanding or incorporated mini-games. We need to incorporate badges for progress, completing sections, passing tests, reporting job search activities, getting interviews. We would like a dashboard where veterans can see others’ scores and achievements (others must be anonymized)

· Will this work be performed on government site or contractor site? If government site, what city and state. If contractor site, is there a location requirement? Contractor site, must be within the U.S.

· Is there a current incumbent performing any part of this work, or is this a new requirement? If so, who is the incumbent? No

· What is the page limit for the RFQ response? 20

· Is there a page limit for the Technical Capability Document? 20

· Is there a page limit for the management approach? 3

· What is the response time required for the technical support? The Contractor shall provide online and toll-free technical support, which allows participants 24-hour access, 7 days-per-week customer support to troubleshoot any technical or systems’ operational issue.

· The specific strategic elements that would be critical to planning, informing the design and build, and ensuring adequate understanding of audience are not fully addressed in the SOW. Will the VA provide resources that can help the vendor understand the target audience, and the context that surrounds the education program? For example audience profiles, use cases, data etc? The vendor will be expected to work very closely with content experts at the VA to assure the program is appropriately targeted to the student audience.

· Will the VA provide resources to the vendor during the strategic phase to best understand the audience? This context would help the vendor to develop the most effective gamification options. The vendor will be expected to work very closely with content experts at the VA to assure the program is appropriately targeted to the student audience.

· Will the VA provide insight into the range of usability concerns or impairments of its audience in order for the vendor to innovate UI solutions and universal design that can properly serve the audience to the greatest extent possible The vendor will be expected to work very closely with content experts at the VA to assure the program is appropriately targeted to the student audience.

· Will the system be required to be Section 508 compliant at WCAG AAA, or AA? Is there a specific level of accessibility required? Yes – videos are that will be used are already created and are 5085 compliant

· Will the vendor host the system outside the VA? Yes

· Is FEDRAMP compliance required? No

· Is FEDRAMP cloud hosting an acceptable hosting option? Yes

· Is there any requirement for building in a specific technology? For example, is a PHP based system on a LAMP stack an acceptable technology stack? No

· Is the use of third-party software for chat, ticket management, analytics, and quiz/test development acceptable? Yes

· Will users be uploading videos and graphics to the system? If so, what type of graphics? No

· Can the system limit file sizes for these graphics/videos? Users will not upload videos

· Will the system be required to scan uploads for security? Is a moderation queue acceptable or will there need to be a system solution for automating security scanning in order to publish in real-time? No

· Is the DAP analytics for federal agencies required for this website? No

· Beyond users having a dashboard with progress reports, what system reports would benefit staff or are required? Amount of time logged in or using the system, ‘grades’ of tests for segments and grades of some tests across time (they may be administered multiple times and progress should be recorded, number of chats, e,

· Can the VA provide an example of a test scenario that might be commonly used? For instance, will the test include graphics, videos, interactives? Will tests be mostly static multiple choice? Multiple choice only

· Will testing be integrated with the learning component such that users might complete e-learning sections and take tests in segments? Yes, the course is divided into segments with each having testing

· Is the testing curriculum developed or is that forthcoming? Would vendors be able to review a sample test to best understand what capabilities are required from the software? Testing is forthcoming but will be limited to standard multiple choice with either true false or up to 5 or six responses.

· Will support staff require specialized training to support Veterans with certain conditions? Will the VA provide and/or support the vendor by providing guidance or guidelines? Yes.

· Some users may require adaptive devices for accessing any website. Will the support staff be expected to assist these users in identifying and locating these devices? Or will they be referred to other VA departments? Other VA departments will be brought in.

· How many users does the VA expect will use the system? total of up to 150 over a 2.5 year period. Typically no more than 50 will have access to the system at any one time.

· How many support calls/tickets are expected on a daily basis? Unknown but we anticipate no more than 25 at the most on any given day.

· Is there any required place of performance for any part of the contract? I don’t know what this means. If it means physical location, the system must be able to be fully accessed from within the VA and outside the VA.

· Is travel required during the contract for any meetings, updates, training, etc? Not required.

· Live chat capabilities - Chat (one on one with staff to/from Veteran, no group chats between participants required): Can a Veteran chat with any staff member or only 1 or certain staff members? Must chat transcripts be retained? If so, for how long? Can either a Veteran or a Staff member initiate a live chat? Chatting will can be with any one of the staff members – however the veteran will have a prime member; others will cover if on leave. Transcripts should be retained for 6 months – then would like to be able to download them for archiving. Both vet and staff can initiate chat

· Asynchronous Chat: Can a Veteran chat with any staff member or only 1 or certain staff members? Must chat transcripts be retained? If so, for how long? Can either a Veteran or a Staff member initiate a live chat? Chatting will can be with any one of the staff members – however the veteran will have a prime member; others will cover if on leave. Transcripts should be retained for 6 months – then would like to be able to download them for archiving. Both vet and staff can initiate chat

· Ability to upload and embed videos and graphics: What sets of users have the ability to upload and embed videos and graphics? What is the intended purpose of uploaded videos and graphics? To where are videos and graphics being uploaded – to specific Veterans, groups of Veterans, etc.? Only staff will need to upload and embed videos. Veterans will not. We can use uploads to youtube if the videos can be linked from within the system. staff would need to be able to direct these l inks.

· Ability to create tests and quizzes within the system: Is there a concept of instructional users who have permissions to create tests and quizzes? In general, can you summarize the types of users and the permissions that each user has? Unsure of the answer. We do need to have the ability to create and change tests as needed. Only staff can create and change the test. All staff can be included in that level of permission

· Option to comment directly underneath or on-the-side of the Veteran’s responses on each module: Is a module a learning module? Are the comments to be retained or otherwise utilized? The comments should be reatained both where the user can see them, as well as in a data base which can be downloaded for archiving.

· Alert notification on Participants’ Dashboard when a staff member has made a comment: What content is included in the notification? How long is the notification retained? Can participants dismiss notifications or otherwise choose the notifications they wish to receive? Any comments from a staff member will cause a notification. The notification can be deleted or dismissed. Notification does not need to be retained.

· Alert notification on Staff Dashboard when a Veteran has accessed the system, and/or are working on a module: Does each Staff member have their own unique dashboard? What content is included in the notification? How long is the notification retained? Can staff members dismiss notifications or otherwise choose the notifications they wish to receive? Each staff member should have a unique login which tracks their activity. They should see the notifications from all Veterans and be able to respond. Notifications should be retained/ clearing them should result in a comment/icon that it has been cleared but the notification should not disappear so project leadership can see the clear rates.

· System Analytics to analyze participant system participation and completion of each: module…how much has been completed by each participant Which users have the ability to see these System Analytics? Are they available on demand or continuously? Can System Analytics be configured and if so, by which users? All staff member can see the analytics. Available continuously. Veterans should be able to see what they staff have deemed ‘completed’.

· Participant Progress Reports generated by the system, a section where veterans can view and update their progress every two-weeks: What specific Progress Report information can Veterans view? What does it mean for a veteran to update their progress? Do notifications go out every 2 weeks? If so, what is the content of notifications? Veterans can see their progress thorough the modules, partial and fully completed. Veterans are expected to update their progress on job search activities such as number of interviews and applications submitted, every two weeks. Notifications sent to veterans to update this information is preferred.

· System generated database of all homework and tests that can be downloaded and printed in an Excel format; all responses can be analyzed outside the system: Is the requirement to download all homework and tests for working offline, or is the requirement to download the results of all homework and tests? Who can download and print the generated database of all homework and tests? Downloads of completed homework and tests are done by administrators/staff of the project for data analysis. Not for working offline.

· System should have the ability to be used across internet browsers (Safari, Explorer, Google Chrome, etc.): Are Google Chrome, Safari, and Internet Explorer the only supported browsers, or are there more? What is the minimum supported version of each supported web browser? Firefox would be beneficial.

· System should have the ability to be used across various devices (MAC, PC, Tablets, Computer, etc.): Is the requirement for the capabilities to be fully responsive across the set of applicable devices, or is the requirement for a unique presentation on each device? Fully responsive

· Gamification options: We understand what gamification means, but what is the actual requirement? What gamification options does the VA envision? Are we to price these now or at a later time when more information is available? Gamifications needs are relatively basic and do not require freestanding or incorporated mini-games. We need to incorporate badges for progress, completing sections, passing tests, reporting job search activities, getting interviews. We would like a dashboard where veterans can see others’ scores and achievements (others must be anonymized)

· Ability to print hard copies of required forms: How many required forms are there? In what format(s) do the forms exist? Is printing to PDF a requirement? Approximately 30 pages of text across all sections. For context, when a veteran completes a section where he describes his/her job skills, he should be able to print that so he can carry it if he wishes to. PDF is not a requirement though the format should be readily available to a low income group – no relatively rare software needed

· System ability to not allow participants to move to certain sections without full completion of a specific modules or sections (Firm Stop): When there is a firm stop, is the stop point the same for every participant or does the firm stop point vary by participant? Both. There is one fixed stop point for every participant; the staff should be able to put a hard stop when needed on other sections.

· Ability for answers presented in one section to be auto populated into another (Data Transfer in sections that require the same information): Are these answers to learning content or answers to something else? Not sure of question. However, for context, the veteran my describe his top 5 skills. The skills should populate to a section where the veteran will create examples of the described skills later in the module/section

· Is there an existing system providing all or most of these capabilities? No

· Are there preferences for the Learning Management System? No

· Are open source components acceptable within the overall solution? Yes

· Must the system be accredited IAW DoD/DISA or other applicable accreditation frameworks? No

· Is there any Travel anticipated as part of this contract? Will Travel be reimbursed per Federal Travel regulations? No need for travel assuming video conferencing is available by vendor

· What is the expected number of system users and expected types of users, i.e. Veteran users, content developers, system administrators? Total of 150 veteran users, over a 2.5 year period, each veteran having access to the system for 6 months. 3-4 staff members interacting with veterans. 2-3 administrators.

· Who will be providing content development/content developers? Vendor is expected to work closely with VA content experts (tied to this contract) to incorporate and format the content.

· Who will be providing user/account administration support? Unsure of question, but if I’m understanding this, the we need to have project staff able to open and close veteran accounts.

· Is there a target date in which the LMS is expected to be completely developed and rolled out, i.e. operational? What is the expected total period for system maintenance? January 15, 2019

· Please define the technical support model and structure, i.e., Level 1, Level 2+ support. Unable to answer this question since we do not know your support structure. Vendor should propose the appropriate support model based on the VA’s stated requirements.

· Does the VA have a current technical support center/call center model that can be leveraged for Level 1 support or is the Contractor responsible for all technical support requirements? What are expected number and level of technical support calls? Is there an expected SLA or response time for calls/emails? Calls should only be needed if access to the system is down. Response time should be within 12 hours.

· Who will be responsible for providing content for the LMS program/application? Vendor will be expected to work closely with VA content experts associated with this contract.

· What format will the test questions and quizzes be? i.e. multiple choice, essay? Multiple choice

· RFQ indicates that homework and tests need to be downloaded on Excel spreadsheets. What sort of data will be used to populate the spreadsheet. The homework and tests will need to be able to be downloaded by project staff after veterans have completed them. This is for analysis and archiving.

· Could you please clarify item in the RFQ that states " Ability for answers presented in one section to be auto populated into another (Data Transfer in sections that require the same information)" What type of information/data will be transferred? The information is text field or choices made by the veteran. For example, a veteran may be asked to choose or identify his top 5 skills in one section. These skill names should auto populate in another section which is asking veterans to write down examples of their skills.

· What is the anticipated award date for this effort? asap

· What is the user base (how many expected users)? 150 veteran users spread out over 3 years with each veteran being able to access the system for approximately 6 months.

· What is the number of anticipated users for the new LMS website? Anticipated veteran users is: 150 veteran users spread out over 3 years with each veteran being able to access the system for approximately 6 months.

· Does the government anticipate the number of users to grow during the duration of the contract? If so, what is the estimated growth? We anticipate there to relatively higher traffic early in the project with reduced access later in the contract.

· Does the government anticipate migration of existing content and media to the new LMS? Is the data/content available in standards-based format/packages? Only videos will be migrated.

· Does the government require new learning or training content to be developed by the contractor during the duration of the contract? No, the content should be relatively locked in upon delivery.

· Does the government plan to provide subject matter experts for the creation of content / learning objects / assessments / questions? Yes the vendor is expected to work closely with subject matter experts throughout development

· Does the government require the contractor to provide 24/7 Tier 1 technical support or is Tier 2 and Tier 3 also required? Unsure of tiers.

· Can the government provide more information and clarification in regards to the level of and the scope of end-user training that needs to be provided? Training on the system can be done virtually. Training is required at delivery. After delivery and assurance of staff competence in using the training, project staff will be responsible for training additional project staff.

· Is the end-user training provided on government site? Unsure of what is meant here

· Does the government have an established time-frame for go-live / expected completion of implementation? March 1, 2019 assuming this includes the training and debugging phase

· Does the government plan to provide VA staff directly supporting the requirement? If so, what role(s) will VA staff provide (i.e. program administrator, Q&A / content review, etc.). VA content experts will oversee the project once delivered and interact with veteran participants. Project staff will be the only ones to interact with vendor once product is delivered.

· What is the approximate number of users for the system? 150 veterans.

· How many concurrent users is the system expected to support? Probably no more than 50 at any one time

· Can the government provide the place of performance? The place of performance for the contractor would be their own facility. There is no on-site requirement at the VA medical centers.

· Is the government open to a custom built platform (i.e., …Educational Training Website). yes

· Can the government confirm that the contractor is only responsible for the LMS and will not be expected to supply/develop/maintain any course materials or content? Contractor must host the LMS. Government staff will supply and develop the content.

· Does the government expect to maintain HIPPA data elements, and if so, more explanation is needed about the data collection and mining requirements? Is there already a plan for this requirement? HIPAA elements will not be expected to be collected by the LMS system. These will be maintained within the VA network system.

· What are the requirements of “Private Secure Cloud-Based Server (Government Approved)”? FIPS 140.2 level of encryption is preferred but not a requirement.

· What Internet browser versions need to be supported? Safari, chrome, internet explorer.

· Do alert notifications need to be live? Unclear of what this means

· What is the government expecting in “gamification options”? What level of interactivities are required (i.e. Level 1 – 4)? Within gamifications we are primarily restricting this to badges for progress and an master score board (with other’s scores anonymized). Assuming I am using the levels appropriately, some drag and drop and clickable menus.

· Is 508 compliance a requirement for this effort? Videos to be included are already 508 compliance.

· Will participants be required to scan and upload documents via the LMS? No. All information will be entered directly

· Can the government provide the number of anticipated participants? This information is needed to know how to staff/price the 24-hour call line. Can the government explain in more detail? 150 over a 3 year period, each participant will have access to the system for 6 months

· Can the government provide more guidance (detail) on the “CONTRACT ADMINISTRATION and PERFORMANCE MONITORING”? Additional details cannot be provided at this time.