36C26026Q0987.docx

36C26026Q0987

GENERAL INFORMATION

ATTN: V4CONT

1601 E. Fourth Plain Blvd Bldg.17, Suite B428 Vancouver WA 98661

POINT OF CONTACT*

Contract Officer Amy Kuczajda amy.kuczajda@va.gov 208-429-2018

PLACE OF PERFORMANCE

Puget Sound VA Health Care System

1660 S Columbian Way

Seattle WA

ADDITIONAL INFORMATION

AGENCY’S URL

URL DESCRIPTION

AGENCY CONTACT’S EMAIL ADDRESS

EMAIL DESCRIPTION

DESCRIPTION

This is a combined synopsis/solicitation for commercial products and commercial services as prepared in accordance with the format in Revolutionary Federal Acquisition Regulation Overhaul (RFO) Subpart 12.212(b)(1), as supplemented in the attached Request for Quotation (RFQ). This announcement constitutes the only solicitation. A firm-fixed price purchase order is anticipated. RFO 12, Acquisition of Commercial Products and Commercial Services will be used. This announcement constitutes the only solicitation.

The solicitation number is 36C26026Q0987 and is attached.

This solicitation is set aside for SDVOSB. This solicitation incorporates provisions and clauses by reference. The full text of provisions and clauses may be accessed electronically at https://www.acquisition.gov/far-overhaul/far-part-deviation-guide/far-overhaul-part-52#FAR_52_252_1

The associated North American Industrial Classification System (NAICS) code for this procurement is 518210 – Computing Infrastructure Providers, Data Processing, Web Hosting and related services with a small business size standard of $40M. This NAICS code is subject is not subject to a waiver. The FSC/PSC is DA01 – IT and Telecom – Business Application/application Development Support Services (Labor)

The VA Puget Sound Health Care System is seeking to purchase a Primary Care Analytic Team (PCAT) Data Steward. See attached Request for Quotes (RFQ) for details.

The period of performance will be a base plus three option years.

Base Year: 10/15/2026 – 10/14/2027 Option Year One: 10/15/2027 – 10/14/2028 Option Year Two: 10/15/2028 – 10/14/2029 Option Year Three: 10/15/2029 – 10/14/2030

Award will be based upon the evaluation factors listed in Section E of the attached RFQ. The award will be made to the response most advantageous to the Government. Responses should contain your best terms and conditions.

Offers must be emailed to Amy Kuczajda amy.kuczajda@va.gov and received no later than 3:00 PM Mountain on 09/10/2026.

Any questions or concerns regarding this solicitation should be forwarded in writing via email to Amy Kuczajda amy.kuczajda@va.gov. Telephone inquiries will not be responded to.

No late quotations will be accepted.

Combined Synopsis/Solicitation Notice Combined Synopsis/Solicitation Notice

Combined Synopsis/Solicitation Notice

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OF

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

663-27-1-2584-0001 36C26026Q0987 08-27-2026 Amy Kuczajda 208-429-2018 09-10-2026 3pm

MDT

36C260 NCO 20 Network Contracting Office

ATTN: V4CONT

1601 E. Fourth Plain Blvd Bldg.17, Suite B428 Vancouver WA 98661 X X 518210 $40 Million Net 30 N/A X Department of Veterans Affairs 1660 S Columbian Way Seattle WA 98108 36C260 NCO 20 Network Contracting Office

ATTN: V4CONT

1601 E. Fourth Plain Blvd Bldg.17, Suite B428 Vancouver WA 98661

Tungsten Network

FMS-VA-2(101)

Financial Services Center PO Box 149971 Austin TX 78714-9971 See CONTINUATION Page The Puget Sound VA Health Care System requires a Primary Care Analytic Team Data Steward IAW the Statement of Work.

See Continuation Page for Details.

Period of Performance: 10/15/26 - 10/14/30 You must submit the following to be considered for award:

1. Signed and completed 1449 (this document).

2. Completed quote on Price/Cost Schedule.

3. Completed C.

Notice of Limitations on Subcontracting Certificate of Compliance for Services and Construction on pages and

4. Your company must be a certified SDVOSB in the SBA database.

See CONTINUATION Page X X

ONE

Page 1 of 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: TBD

b. GOVERNMENT: Contracting Officer NCO 20 Network Contracting Office

ATTN: V4CONT

1601 E. Fourth Plain Blvd Bldg.17, Suite B428 Vancouver WA 98661

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:

36C26026Q0987

Page 1 of Page 1 of Page 1 of Page 1 of

B.2 STATEMENT OF WORK

Primary Care Analytic Team (PCAT) Data Systems Development Data Steward

1. Introduction

The purpose of this Statement of Work (SOW) is to outline the deliverables required for a Primary Care Analytic Team (PCAT) Data Steward to upgrade and oversee maintenance of systems to maintain integrity and continuity of the data acquisition, data storage, data access and security for the VA Office of Primary Care Analytic Team (PCAT), Puget Sound Medical Center (663), Department of Veterans Affairs, Seattle, WA.

1.1 Background

PCAT’s mission is to provide the Office of Primary Care analytic resources needed for:

· Project and Program evaluation:

· evidence synthesis based on relevant VA and non-VA studies.

· outcome assessment: quality and safety; morbidity and mortality; utilization; cost; ROI; provider, staff, and team experience; and patient experience.

· Program planning, including data support to councils; needs assessment and strategic planning facilitation.

· Innovation development, including responsive evidence review, quality improvement team support.

The purpose of this service contract is to have a PCAT data steward to enhance PCAT’s achievement of VHA and Office of Primary Care priority goals focusing on care for complex or high-risk patients, evidence-based practices related to, and optimization of telehealth modalities. Evaluation and analysis of these priority areas necessitate the acquisition and management of data from over 50 sources, both within and outside of the VA. The data steward will continue to develop, upgrade and maintain an integrated data system that will greatly enhance the PCAT’s ability to manage all their data in a safe, secure, and easily accessible environment. The data steward will also educate and train users on the legal and technical aspects of PCAT’s data systems—this includes the organization and documentation of relevant information about the systems.

2. Scope The proposed service contract is a firm-fixed price contract for a base plus 3 option years. Work can be performed remotely but working on site at VA Puget Sound Medical Center at least one day a week is mandatory. The agency worksite will be VA Puget Sound Health Care System (VAPSHCS) located at 1660 South Columbian Way, Seattle, WA 98108. The individual Data Steward will have limited access to operations data and will access VA information systems only as needed.

3. Tasks and Deliverables

3.1

3.1.1. Development of Data Management Model

· Data Steward will review PCAT data systems and submit reports outlining milestones in PCAT data management, with a focus on data governance.

· Data Steward will conduct a data management practices assessment, to include assessment of PCAT’s data maturity; Assessment of the current state of PCAT’s overall data management; Analysis of gaps and strengths and development of an action plan to address them. These practices will contribute to the development of a data management model for PCAT.

· Data Steward will submit an annual report at the end of each contract year, outlining significant changes in PCAT’s data management practices.

3.1.2. Data Management Practices Assessment of PCAT Data Systems

· Data Steward will conduct an annual assessment of the maturity of PCAT’s data, determining the extent to which PCAT's data is managed, utilized and governed effectively to support informed decision-making and achieve business goals; Assign maturity levels to PCAT’s data domains and practice areas; track progress and guide strategic planning across immediate needs, emerging priorities and long-range goals; examine current data management capabilities and identify areas where implementing new practices can lead to higher levels of maturity.

· Data Steward will conduct an annual assessment of the current state of PCAT data management practices, comparing existing data management capabilities against industry best practices standards, identifying both strengths and areas for improvement.

3.1.3. Development of Data Management Action Plan

· Data Steward will perform an annual analysis of the areas for improvement noted in the Data Management Practices Assessment, identifying gaps between current and desired maturity levels and prioritizing the gaps based on their impact on business objectives and data management goals

· Data Steward will submit annually an action plan for modifying PCAT data systems to address identified gaps, including: Developing, enacting and maintaining the data management model; Data access management; Data quality and integration management; Enforcing data governance policies and standards; Ensuring compliance; Metadata management; Defining and enforcing data standards and policies; Establishing and coordinating communication between business and technical teams; Developing and maintaining documentation related to data management.

3.1.4. Implementation, Training, Monitoring, Improvement and Training

· Data Steward will implement the Action Plan

· Data Steward will conduct ongoing monitoring of data systems looking for opportunities for improvement

· Data Steward will provide additional modifications and updates as requested by PCAT staff.

· Data Steward will troubleshoot issues related to the use of PCAT’s data systems (e.g., problems with data access, connectivity with remote servers).

· Data Steward will conduct regular training sessions to update all staff on data management developments.

· Data Steward will also:

· Attend regular local project and program meetings: Provide advice regarding data availability, data quality, compliance and access methods.

· Stay current on any changes in VHA databases by attending weekly and monthly calls conducted by VHA data experts and stewards of large VA administrative databases and other source data from within VA. Summarize contents of these meetings in emails to all PCAT staff

· Manage communication and training for affiliated investigators, keeping them updated on important developments in PCAT source data and its use.

· Organize and lead biweekly scrum meetings with the core PCAT analytics team

· Conduct regular presentations for all PCAT investigators and analysts during the monthly PCAT Team Meeting to train staff on best methods and update them on new developments regarding available analytic resources and source data availability.

3.2 Deliverable Schedule

Task 1: Initial Data Management Model Development

C. Data Maturity Assessment

Task 2: Action Plan Development

Task 3: Implementation, Training, Monitoring and Improvement

Task 4: Final Year One Report and Recommendations

A. Data Maturity Assessment

3.3. Hours of Operation

· Normal tour-of-duty hours at the VA Puget Sound are 8:00 am to 4:30 pm, Monday through Friday, excluding Federal holidays. There may be instances in which the Data Steward workday may be outside of this period. The Data Steward is required to coordinate these times with the designated Program 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”.

Juneteenth Independence Day June 19th July 4th

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.

3.3 Acceptance/Period of Performance

· Upon completion of the mandatory tasks, the VA Puget Sound shall monitor and verify the completion of tasks monthly.

· Any problems with Data Steward’s work will be identified during the acceptance period. Please note that any problems during the acceptance phase will result in a reset of the acceptance phase, resulting in a new 3-week acceptance phase as outlined above.

· The Data Steward and the VA Puget Sound shall jointly cooperate in the development and implementation of a Quality Assurance Plan (QAP). The QAP shall document the process that will verify and validate quality assurance in compliance with the requirements and ensure these requirements meet the VA Puget Sound’s expectations.

· The Data Steward shall develop the QAP based on accepted industry standards such as the CMMI SM, ISO 9000, IEEE 12207, or other accepted industry QA standards. The QAP shall detail the processes, procedures, and metrics for assuring quality. The QAP shall also include, at a minimum, a description of the following key activities:

· Establishment of capable processes.

· Development and implementation of procedures to identify, prevent, and ensure non-recurrence of defective services.

· Establishment of mechanisms for feedback of performance.

· Monitoring and control of critical processes.

· Establishment of a designated point of contact (POC) to serve as the POC for quality control issues/complaints.

· Establishment of reliable methods of record keeping and documentation of all corrective actions and process improvements undertaken during the acceptance period.

4. Data Steward Responsibilities

· The Data Steward must have extensive experience with the VHA’s compliance and risk management rules and regulations.

· The Data Steward must have experience and expertise in the VHA’s data environment, particularly data specific to the PCAT’s focus areas; care for complex or high-risk patients, implementation of the PCAT model and its components, and telecare modalities.

· The Data Steward must be registered as a VA Vendor within the project’s time frame.

· The Data Steward shall be responsible for 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 damage to VA buildings and equipment caused by installation activities. The Data Steward shall comply with all local building and fire codes in addition to VA policy and procedures at the site.

· The Data Steward shall operate under, but not limited, to the following national codes, telecommunications industry standards and practices: National Electric Code (NEC), Building Industry Consulting Service International (BICSI), all standards, Electronic Industries Association/Telecommunications Industry Association EIA/TIA, Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), National Fire Protection Association (NFPA), Underwriters Laboratories (UL), ITU and IETF and all applicable audio, video, communication, data and control standards.

5. VA Puget Sound Responsibilities

· The PCAT will assign a Project Manager who shall provide access to the appropriate personnel (management, technical, subject matter expertise, etc.) necessary to fulfill the Data Steward’s requirements in a timely fashion.

· The PCAT shall provide the Data Steward with a list of key personnel associated with the project along with the name and contact information for the POC/Project Manager.

· The PCAT Director will ensure that all project staff are up to date on VA training on privacy and security, as well as project specific training.

6. Travel

· All travel shall be responsibility of the Data Steward.

· Whenever possible, conference calls and video conferences should be used.

7. Security The Data Steward shall be subject to the same Federal laws, regulations such as U.S.C Chapter 21, 29, 31, 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. The Vendor and their personnel agree to comply with Agency records management policies, including those policies associated with the safeguarding of records covered by the Privacy Act of 1974.

Government will furnish the Data Steward with one workspace, computer equipment, data sets, documentation or tools to perform the work set forth and required in this contract. 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 Data Steward shall follow all applicable VA policies and procedures governing information security, especially those that pertain to certification accreditation.

1. GENERAL

Contractors, contractor personnel, subcontractors, and subcontractor personnel shall be subject to the same Federal laws, regulations, standards, and VA Directives and Handbooks as VA and VA personnel regarding information and information system security. (The Veterans Affair Acquisition Regulation (VAAR) security clause VAAR-852.273-75 “SECURITY REQUIREMENTS FOR UNCLASSIFIED INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY RESOURCES”)

2. ACCESS TO VA INFORMATION AND VA INFORMATION SYSTEMS

a. All contractor/subcontractor shall request logical (technical) or physical access to VA information and VA information systems for their employees, subcontractors, and affiliates only to the extent necessary to perform the services specified in the contract, agreement, or task order.

b. All contractors, subcontractors, third-party services and associates working with VA information are subject to the same investigative requirements as those of VA appointees or employees who have access to the same types of information. The level and process of background security investigations for contractors must be in accordance with VA Directive and Handbook 0710, Personnel Suitability and Security Program. The Office for Operations, Security, and Preparedness is responsible for these policies and procedures.

c. Contract personnel who require access to national security programs must have a valid security clearance. National Industrial Security Program (NISP) was established by Executive Order 12829 to ensure that cleared U.S. defense industry contract personnel safeguard the classified information in their possession while performing work on contracts, programs, bids, or research and development efforts. The Department of Veterans Affairs does not have a Memorandum of Agreement with Defense Security Service (DSS). Verification of a Security Clearance must be processed through the Special Security Officer located in the Planning and National Security Service within the Office of Operations, Security, and Preparedness.

d. Custom software development and outsourced operations must be in the U.S. to the maximum extent practical. If such services are proposed to be performed abroad and are not disallowed by other VA policy or mandates, the contractor/subcontractor must state where all non-U.S. services are provided and detail a security plan, deemed to be acceptable by VA, specifically to address mitigation of the resulting problems of communication, control, data protection, and so forth. Location within the U.S. may be an evaluation factor.

e. The contractor or subcontractor must notify the Contracting Officer immediately when an employee working on a VA system or with access to VA information is reassigned or leaves the contractor or subcontractor’s employ. The Contracting Officer must also be notified immediately by the contractor or subcontractor prior to an unfriendly termination.

3. VA INFORMATION CUSTODIAL RULES

a. Information made available to the contractor or subcontractor by VA for the performance or administration of this contract or information developed by the contractor/subcontractor in performance or administration of the contract shall be used only for those purposes and shall not be used in any other way without the prior written agreement of the VA. This clause expressly limits the contractor/subcontractor's rights to use data as described in Rights in Data - General, FAR 52.227-14(d) (1).

b. VA information should not be co-mingled, if possible, with any other data on the contractors/subcontractor’s information systems or media storage systems to ensure VA requirements related to data protection and media sanitization can be met. If co-mingling must be allowed to meet the requirements of the business need, the contractor must ensure that VA’s information is returned to the VA or destroyed in accordance with VA’s sanitization requirements. VA reserves the right to conduct on-site inspections of contractor and subcontractor IT resources to ensure data security controls, separation of data and job duties, and destruction/media sanitization procedures are in compliance with VA directive requirements.

c. Prior to termination or completion of this contract, contractor/subcontractor must not destroy information received from VA, or gathered/created by the contractor while performing this contract without prior written approval by the VA. Any data destruction done on behalf of VA by a contractor/subcontractor must be done in accordance with National Archives and Records Administration (NARA) requirements as outlined in VA Directive 6300, Records and Information Management and its Handbook 6300.1 Records Management Procedures, applicable VA Records Control Schedules, and VA Handbook 6500.1, Electronic Media Sanitization. Self-certification by the contractor that the data destruction requirements above have been met must be sent to the VA Contracting Officer within 30 days of termination of the contract.

d. The contractor/subcontractor must receive, gather, store, back up, maintain, use, disclose and dispose of VA information only in compliance with the terms of the contract and applicable Federal and VA information confidentiality and security laws, regulations and policies. If Federal or VA information confidentiality and security laws, regulations and policies become applicable to the VA information or information systems after execution of the contract, or if NIST issues or updates applicable FIPS or Special Publications (SP) after execution of this contract, the parties agree to negotiate in good faith to implement the information confidentiality and security laws, regulations and policies in this contract.

e. The contractor/subcontractor shall not make copies of VA information except as authorized and necessary to perform the terms of the agreement or to preserve electronic information stored on contractor/subcontractor electronic storage media for restoration in case any electronic equipment or data used by the contractor/subcontractor needs to be restored to an operating state. If copies are made for restoration purposes, after the restoration is complete, the copies must be appropriately destroyed.

f. If VA determines that the contractor has violated any of the information confidentiality, privacy, and security provisions of the contract, it shall be sufficient grounds for VA to withhold payment to the contractor or third party or terminate the contract for default or terminate for cause under Federal Acquisition Regulation (FAR) part 12.

g. If a VHA contract is terminated for cause, the associated BAA must also be terminated and appropriate actions taken in accordance with VHA Handbook 1600.01, Business Associate Agreements. Absent an agreement to use or disclose protected health information, there is no business associate relationship.

h. The contractor/subcontractor must store, transport, or transmit VA sensitive information in an encrypted form, using VA-approved encryption tools that are, at a minimum, FIPS 140-2 validated.

i. The contractor/subcontractor’s firewall and Web services security controls, if applicable, shall meet or exceed VA’s minimum requirements. VA Configuration Guidelines are available upon request.

j. Except for uses and disclosures of VA information authorized by this contract for performance of the contract, the contractor/subcontractor may use and disclose VA information only in two other situations: (i) in response to a qualifying order of a court of competent jurisdiction, or (ii) with VA’s prior written approval. The contractor/subcontractor must refer requests, demands for production of, or inquiries about VA information and information systems to the VA contracting officer to response.

k. Notwithstanding the provision above, the contractor/subcontractor shall not release VA records protected by Title 38 U.S.C. 5705, confidentiality of medical quality assurance records and/or Title 38 U.S.C. 7332, confidentiality of certain health records pertaining to drug addiction, sickle cell anemia, alcoholism or alcohol abuse, or infection with human immunodeficiency virus. If the contractor/subcontractor is in receipt of a court order or other requests for the above-mentioned information, that contractor/subcontractor shall immediately refer court orders or other requests to the VA contracting officer for response.

l. For services that involve storing, generating, transmitting, or exchanging of VA sensitive information but that do not require C&A or an MOU-ISA for system interconnection, the contractor/subcontractor must complete a Contractor Security Control Assessment (CSCA) on a yearly basis and provide it to COTR.

4. SECURITY INCIDENT INVESTIGATION

a. The term “security incident” means an event that has, or could have, resulted in unauthorized access to, loss or damage to VA assets, or sensitive information, or an action that breaches VA security procedures. The contractor/subcontractor shall immediately notify the COTR and simultaneously, the designated ISO and Privacy Officer for the contract of any known or suspected security/privacy incidents, or any unauthorized disclosure of sensitive information, including that contained in system(s) to which the contractor/subcontractor has access.

b. To the extent known by the contractor/subcontractor, the contractor/subcontractor’s notice to VA shall identify the information involved, the circumstances surrounding the incident (including to whom, how, when, and where the VA information or assets were placed at risk or compromised), and any other information that the contractor/subcontractor considers relevant.

c. With respect to unsecured protected health information, the business associate is deemed to have discovered a data breach when the business associate knew or should have known of a breach of such information. Upon discovery, the business associate must notify the covered entity of the breach. Notifications need to be made in accordance with the executed business associate agreement.

d. In instances of theft or break-in, or other criminal activity, the contractor/subcontractor must concurrently report the incident to the appropriate law enforcement entity (or entities) of jurisdiction, including the VA OIG and Security and Law Enforcement. The contractor and their employees, subcontractors shall cooperate with VA and any law enforcement authority responsible for the investigation and prosecution of any possible criminal law violation(s) associated with any incident. The contractor/subcontractor shall cooperate with VA in any civil litigation to recover VA information, obtain monetary reimbursement or other valuable information.

5. LIQUIDATED DAMAGES FOR DATA BREACH

a. Consistent with the requirements of 38 U.S.C. §5725, a contract may require access to sensitive personal information. If so, the contractor is liable to VA for liquidated damages in the event of a data breach or privacy incident involving any SPI the contractor/subcontractor processes or maintains under this contract.

b. The contractor/subcontractor shall provide notice to VA of a “security incident” as set forth in the Security Incident Investigation section above. Upon such notification, VA must secure from a non-Department entity or the VA Office of Inspector General an independent risk analysis of the data breach to determine the level of risk associated with the data breach for the potential misuse of any sensitive personal information involved in the data breach. The term 'data breach' means the loss, theft, or other unauthorized access, or any access other than that incidental to the scope of employment, to data containing sensitive personal information, in electronic or printed form, that results in the potential compromise of the confidentiality or integrity of the data. Contractor shall fully cooperate with the entity performing the risk analysis. Failure to cooperate may be deemed a material breach and grounds for contract termination.

c. Each risk analysis shall address all relevant information concerning the data breach, including the following:

(1) Nature of the event (loss, theft, unauthorized access).

(2) Description of the event, including:

a. date of occurrence.

b. data elements involved, including any PII, such as full name, social security number, date of birth, home address, account number, disability code.

(3) Number of individuals affected or potentially affected.

(4) Names of individuals or groups affected or potentially affected.

(5) Ease of logical data access to the lost, stolen or improperly accessed data considering the degree of protection for the data, e.g., unencrypted, plain text.

(6) Amount of time the data has been out of VA control.

(7) The likelihood that the sensitive personal information will or has been compromised (made accessible to and usable by unauthorized persons).

(8) Known misuses of data containing sensitive personal information, if any.

(9) Assessment of the potential harm to the affected individuals.

(10) Data breach analysis as outlined in 6500.2 Handbook, Management of Security and Privacy Incidents, as appropriate.

(11) Whether credit protection services may assist record subjects in avoiding or mitigating the results of identity theft based on the sensitive personal information that may have been compromised.

d. Based on the determinations of the independent risk analysis, the contractor shall be responsible for paying to the VA liquidated damages in the amount of $35.00 per affected individual to cover the cost of providing credit protection services to affected individuals consisting of the following:

(1) Notification.

(2) One year of credit monitoring services consisting of automatic daily monitoring of at least 3 relevant credit bureau reports.

(3) Data breach analysis.

(4) Fraud resolution services, including writing dispute letters, initiating fraud alerts and credit freezes, to assist affected individuals to bring matters to resolution.

(5) One year of identity theft insurance with $20,000.00 coverage at $0 deductible.

(6) Necessary legal expenses that subjects may incur to repair falsified or damaged credit records, histories, or financial affairs.

6. TRAINING

a. All contractors and subcontractors requiring access to VA information and VA information systems shall complete the following before being granted access to VA information and its systems:

(1) Sign and acknowledge (either manually or electronically) understanding of and responsibilities for compliance with the Contractor Rules of Behavior, Appendix E relating to access to VA information and information systems.

(2) Successfully complete the VA Cyber Security Awareness and Rules of Behavior training and annually complete required security training.

(3) Successfully complete the appropriate VA privacy training and annually complete required privacy training; and

(4) Successfully complete any additional cyber security or privacy training, as required for VA personnel with equivalent information system access [to be defined by the VA program official and provided to the contracting officer for inclusion in the solicitation document – e.g., any role-based information security training required in accordance with NIST Special Publication 800-16, Information Technology Security Training Requirements.]

b. The contractor shall provide the contracting officer and/or the COTR with a copy of the training certificates and certification of signing the Contractor Rules of Behavior for each applicable employee within 1 week of the initiation of the contract and annually thereafter, as required.

c. Failure to complete the mandatory annual training and sign the Rules of Behavior annually, within the timeframe required, is grounds for suspension or termination of all physical or electronic access privileges and removal from work on the contract until such time as the training and documents are complete.

7.2 Contract Personnel Security

All Vendor 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. Vendors 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 Vendor will be responsible for the actions of those individuals they provide to perform work for the VA. If damage arises from work performed by Vendor personnel, under the auspices of the contract, the Vendor will be responsible for resources necessary to remedy the incident.

7.3 Data Ownership

VA will retain all ownership rights to the data provided to the Vendor or collected by the Vendor and will maintain a complete record (original or copy) of all data obtained in accordance with privacy requirements, the Federal Records Act, and applicable federal records retention requirements.

9. Privacy Officer Language for Statement of Work (SOW)

a. Information made available to the contractor or subcontractor by VA for the performance or administration of this contract or information developed by the contractor/subcontractor in performance or administration of the contract shall be used only for those purposes and shall not be used in any other way without the prior written agreement of the VA. This clause expressly limits the contractor/subcontractor's rights to use data as described in Rights in Data- General, FAR 52.227-14(d) (1).

b. VA information should not be co-mingled, if possible, with any other data on the contractors/subcontractor’s information systems or media storage systems to ensure VA requirements related to data protection and media sanitization can be met. If co-mingling must be allowed to meet the requirements of the business need, the contractor must ensure that VA’s information is returned to the VA or destroyed in accordance with VA’s sanitization requirements. VA reserves the right to conduct on-site inspections of contractor and subcontractor IT resources to ensure data security controls, separation of data and job duties, and destruction/media sanitization procedures are in compliance with VA directive requirements.

c. Prior to termination or completion of this contract, contractor/subcontractor must not destroy information received from VA, or gathered/created by the contractor while performing this contract without prior written approval by the VA. Any data destruction done on behalf of VA by a contractor/subcontractor must be done in accordance with National Archives and Records Administration (NARA) requirements as outlined in VA Directive 6300, Records and Information Management and its Handbook 6300.1 Records Management Procedures, applicable VA Records Control Schedules, and VA Handbook 6500.1, Electronic Media Sanitization. Self-certification by the contractor that the data destruction requirements above have been met must be sent to the VA Contracting Officer within 30 days of termination of the contract.

d. The contractor/subcontractor must receive, gather, store, back up, maintain, use, disclose and dispose of VA information only in compliance with the terms of the contract and applicable Federal and VA information confidentiality and security laws, regulations and policies. If Federal or VA information confidentiality and security laws, regulations and policies become applicable to the VA information or information systems after execution of the contract, or if NIST issues or updates applicable FIPS or Special Publications (SP) after execution of this contract, the parties agree to negotiate in good faith to implement the information confidentiality and security laws, regulations and policies in this contract.

e. The contractor/subcontractor shall not make copies of VA information except as authorized and necessary to perform the terms of the agreement or to preserve electronic information stored on contractor/subcontractor electronic storage media for restoration in case any electronic equipment or data used by the contractor/subcontractor needs to be restored to an operating state. If copies are made for restoration purposes, after the restoration is complete, the copies must be appropriately destroyed.

10. Records Management Language for Contracts Required The following standard items relate to records generated in executing the contract and should be included in a typical Electronic Information Systems (EIS) procurement contract:

1. Citations to pertinent laws, codes and regulations such as 44 U.S.C chapters 21, 29, 31 and 33; Freedom of Information Act (5 U.S.C. 552); Privacy Act (5 U.S.C. 552a); 36 CFR Part 1222 and Part 1228.

2. Contractor shall treat all deliverables under the contract as the property of the U.S. Government for which the Government Agency shall have unlimited rights to use, dispose of, or disclose such data contained therein as it determines to be in the public interest.

3. Contractor shall not create or maintain any records that are not specifically tied to or authorized by the contract using Government IT equipment and/or Government records.

4. Contractor shall not retain, use, sell, or disseminate copies of any deliverables that contain information covered by the Privacy Act of 1974 or which is generally protected by the Freedom of Information Act.

5. Contractor shall not create or maintain any records containing any Government Agency records that are not specifically tied to or authorized by the contract.

6. The Government Agency owns the rights to all data/records produced as part of this contract.

7. The Government Agency owns the rights to all electronic information (electronic data, electronic information systems, electronic databases, etc.) and all supporting documentation created as part of this contract. Contractor must deliver sufficient technical documentation with all data deliverables to permit the agency to use the data.

8. Contractor agrees to comply with Federal and Agency records management policies, including those policies associated with the safeguarding of records covered by the Privacy Act of 1974. These policies include the preservation of all records created or received regardless of format [paper, electronic, etc.] or mode of transmission [e-mail, fax, etc.] or state of completion [draft, final, etc.].

9. No disposition of documents will be allowed without the prior written consent of the Contracting Officer. The Agency and its contractors are responsible for preventing the alienation or unauthorized destruction of records, including all forms of mutilation. Willful and unlawful destruction, damage or alienation of Federal records is subject to the fines and penalties imposed by 18 U.S.C. 2701. Records may not be removed from the legal custody of the Agency or destroyed without regard to the provisions of the agency records schedules.

10. Contractor 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, this contract. The Contractor (and any sub-contractor) is required to abide by Government and Agency guidance for protecting sensitive and proprietary information.

B.3 PRICE/COST SCHEDULE

ITEM INFORMATION

Data Steward for the Office of Primary Care Analytic Team (PCAT) in accordance with the Statement of Work.

Contract Period: Base POP Begin: 10-15-2026 POP End: 10-14-2027

Data Steward for the Office of Primary Care Analytic Team (PCAT) in accordance with the Statement of Work.

Contract Period: Option 1 POP Begin: 10-15-2027 POP End: 10-14-2028

Data Steward for the Office of Primary Care Analytic Team (PCAT) in accordance with the Statement of Work.

Contract Period: Option 2 POP Begin: 10-15-2028 POP End: 10-14-2029

Data Steward for the Office of Primary Care Analytic Team (PCAT) in accordance with the Statement of Work.

Contract Period: Option 3 POP Begin: 10-15-2029 POP End: 10-14-2030

SECTION C - CONTRACT CLAUSES

C.1…