69319521R000004 - Amendment 0001.pdf

(x)

69319521R000004 x x

1 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 ACKNOWLEDGEMENT TO BE

RECEIVED AT THE PLACE DESIGNATED FOR THE RECEIPT OF OFFERS PRIOR TO THE HOUR AND DATE SPECIFIED MAY 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.

x

693195

Washington DC 20590 1200 New Jersey Ave. SE Office of Acquisition Management Federal Transit Administration

09/07/20210001

13. THIS ITEM ONLY APPLIES TO MODIFICATION OF CONTRACTS/ORDERS. IT MODIFIES THE CONTRACT/ORDER NO. AS DESCRIBED IN ITEM 14.

12. ACCOUNTING AND APPROPRIATION DATA (If required) is not extended.is extended, Items 8 and 15, and returning

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: (a) By completing

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

11. THIS ITEM ONLY APPLIES TO AMENDMENTS OF SOLICITATIONS

FACILITY CODE CODE

10B. DATED (SEE ITEM 13)

10A. MODIFICATION OF CONTRACT/ORDER NO.

9B. DATED (SEE ITEM 11)

9A. AMENDMENT OF SOLICITATION NO.

CODE

8. NAME AND ADDRESS OF CONTRACTOR (No., street, county, State and ZIP Code)

7. ADMINISTERED BY (If other than Item 6)CODE 6. ISSUED BY

PAGE OF PAGES

4. REQUISITION/PURCHASE REQ. NO.3. EFFECTIVE DATE2. AMENDMENT/MODIFICATION NO. 5. PROJECT NO. (If applicable)

1. CONTRACT ID CODE

AMENDMENT OF SOLICITATION/MODIFICATION OF CONTRACT

09/07/2021

CHECK ONE A. THIS CHANGE ORDER IS ISSUED PURSUANT TO: (Specify authority) THE CHANGES SET FORTH IN ITEM 14 ARE MADE IN THE CONTRACT

B. THE ABOVE NUMBERED CONTRACT/ORDER IS MODIFIED TO REFLECT THE ADMINISTRATIVE CHANGES (such as changes in paying office, C. THIS SUPPLEMENTAL AGREEMENT IS ENTERED INTO PURSUANT TO AUTHORITY OF:

D. OTHER (Specify type of modification and authority) appropriation data, etc.) SET FORTH IN ITEM 14, PURSUANT TO THE AUTHORITY OF FAR 43.103(b).

E. IMPORTANT: Contractor is not is required to sign this document and return __________________ copies to the issuing office.

ORDER NO. IN ITEM 10A.

14. DESCRIPTION OF AMENDMENT/MODIFICATION (Organized by UCF section headings, including solicitation/contract subject matter where feasible.)

Title VI, EEO, and DBE (TED) Re-compete under Contract Opportunities

The purpose of this amendment is to provide the government's responses to questions, received, and to provide revisions to some respective parts of the RFP/Solicitation. The updated RFP/Solicitation and attachments will be included with this amendment.

For questions regarding this amendment, contact Ms. Tennile Palmer at tennile.palmer.ctr@dot.gov

16A. NAME AND TITLE OF CONTRACTING OFFICER (Type or print)15A. NAME AND TITLE OF SIGNER (Type or print)

15C. DATE SIGNED 16B. UNITED STATES OF AMERICA 15B. CONTRACTOR/OFFEROR 16C. DATE SIGNED

(Signature of person authorized to sign) (Signature of Contracting Officer)

STEPHANIE COOKE-NWADIBIA

STANDARD FORM 30 (REV. 11/2016)

Prescribed by GSA FAR (48 CFR) 53.243

Previous edition unusable

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

RFP/SOLICITATION No. 69319521R000004

TED Compliance Reviews

SECTION B: SUPPLIES OR SERVICES AND PRICES

B.1 Supplies or Services

The United States (U.S.) Department of Transportation (DOT), Federal Transit Administration

(FTA), Office of Civil Rights (TCR) is seeking contract support services to conduct on-site compliance reviews to ensure transit services are provided in a nondiscriminatory manner in support of the Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 External Equal Employment Opportunity

Disadvantaged Business Enterprise program in accordance with the statement of work (SOW) in section C of this RFP/Solicitation.

This is a Small Business Set-Aside procurement for which we anticipate will result in awarding multiple Indefinite Delivery, Indefinite Quantity (IDIQ) base contract. The Period of

Performance (POP) will be a five-year term (one (1) year base period and four (4) one (1) year option periods).

MINIMUM QUANTITY: The minimum value specified herein, represents the total minimum amount of work effort (in terms of dollars) that the Government is required to order, and the contractor is obligated to furnish as ordered, over the entire term of the contract. The total minimum value of this contract is $TBD. The government reserves the right to withhold this minimum amount if the vendor demonstrates consistent lack of interest in competing for orders throughout the life of the contract.

MAXIMUM QUANTITY: The maximum value of the contract specified herein, represents the total maximum amount of work effect (in terms of dollars) that the Government may require, and the contractor is obligated to furnish if and as ordered, over the entire term of the contract. The total maximum value of this contract is $TBD.

B.2 Contract Definition – IDIQ Contract

The resulting contracts will be IDIQ in nature as defined at FAR 16.602 of the FAR and in Section

I, FAR Clause 52.216-1, Contract Type, herein. Services provided by the Contractor under this requirement shall be secured by the issuance of FFP or LH level of effort task orders against the respective base contract.

B.3 North American Industry Classification System (NAICS) Code and Small Business

Standard

The North American Industry Classification System (NAICS) Code for this acquisition is

541611, Administrative Management and General Management Consulting Services. The small business size standard is $16.5 Million for this NAICS code.

B.4 Contract Line Item Number (CLIN)

CONTRACT LINE ITEM NUMBERS

Number Brief Description

CLIN 0001 Planning, Coordination, and Reporting

CLIN 0002 Conduct of the Specialized Review

CLIN 0003 Tracking and Record-Keeping

CLIN 0004 Oversight Program Support and Special Assignments

CLIN 0005 Travel

*NOTE: For each respective year after the base year, the CLIN number will change respectively yet remain the same title etc. For example, in the option year, CLIN 0001 will become CLIN

0101.

B.5 Contract Period of Performance

The contract period of performance is from date of award through a five-year period including a one (1) year base and four (4) one-year option periods. The Federal Acquisition Regulation

(FAR) clause 52.217-8 “Option to Extend Services” NOV 1999, shall be incorporated into the resulting contracts, as referenced in Section I, in the event the Government requires continued performance of any services with the limits and at the rates specified in the contract beyond the five-year period of performance term.

B.6 Pricing/Labor Rates Table

Contract Year Labor Category Hours

Labor

Rate Price

Base Year

Project Manager 450

Subject Matter Expert - DBE 500

Subject Matter Expert - Title VI 500

Subject Matter Expert - EEO 500

Review Team Leader 1,200

Review Team Member 1,800

Technical Writer 1,500

Option Year 1

Project Manager 450

Subject Matter Expert - DBE 500

Subject Matter Expert - Title VI 500

Subject Matter Expert - EEO 500

Review Team Leader 1,200

Review Team Member 1,800

Technical Writer 1,500

Project Manager 450

Option Year 2 Subject Matter Expert - DBE 500

Subject Matter Expert - Title VI 500

Subject Matter Expert - EEO 500

Review Team Leader 1,200

Review Team Member 1,800

Technical Writer 1,500

Option Year 3

Project Manager 450

Subject Matter Expert - DBE 500

Subject Matter Expert - Title VI 500

Subject Matter Expert - EEO 500

Review Team Leader 1,200

Review Team Member 1,800

Technical Writer 1,500

Option Year 4

Project Manager 450

Subject Matter Expert - DBE 500

Subject Matter Expert - Title VI 500

Subject Matter Expert - EEO 500

Review Team Leader 1,200

Review Team Member 1,800

Technical Writer 1,500

*NOTE: The labor categories in the Pricing Template (Attachment J-1) shall be used for the total life of this contract. If the labor categories for this requirement change but within scope of the contract, a modification must be executed to clearly reflect this to ensure clarity concerning the labor categories authorized for use. This contract will be awarded to the contractor based within the pre-established labor rates as stated using the CLIN structure in the Pricing Template (Attachment J-1).

(END OF SECTION B)

SECTION C: DESCRIPTION/SPECIFICATION/STATEMENT OF WORK

C.1 Overview

The Federal Transit Administration (FTA) is one of 10 modal agencies within the United States

(U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT). FTA awards grants under several different formula and discretionary funding programs each year under Chapter 53 of Title 49 of the U.S. Code (49

U.S.C. Chapter 53). FTA provides financial assistance to local transit agencies, regional transportation authorities, state departments of transportation, and metropolitan planning organizations that are responsible for providing transportation services nationwide.

FTA uses contract support services to conduct specialized compliance reviews for Title VI, Equal Employment Opportunity (EEO), and Disadvantaged Business Enterprise (DBE), including DBE Unified Certification Programs, and to prepare in-depth corresponding reports detailing areas where the recipients have conformed or are noncompliant with DOT regulations and requirements. The compliance reviews involve reviewing and assessing elements of transit operations, policies, and practices.

C.2 Background

The Federal Transit Administration (FTA) is one of 10 modal agencies within the U.S.

Department of Transportation (DOT) with a mission of improving public transportation in

America’s communities. FTA awards grants under several formula and discretionary funding programs each year under 49 U.S.C. Chapter 53. FTA provides financial assistance to local transit agencies, regional transportation authorities, state departments of transportation, and metropolitan planning organizations that are responsible for providing transportation services nationwide.

The FTA Office of Civil Rights (TCR) is charged with ensuring FTA recipients comply with civil rights requirements as a condition to receiving federal funds. FTA promotes compliance within the transit industry through a variety of oversight and technical assistance activities. This contract support will be used to conduct specialized compliance reviews of recipients’ civil rights implementation as well as the associated tasks described below.

The scope of activities under this contract covers recipient requirements under three statutes and programs:

1. Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964. Title VI prohibits discrimination based on race, color, and national origin (including limited English proficiency) in programs and activities receiving federal financial assistance. FTA recipients must ensure that their policies and practices are nondiscriminatory; adopt Title VI notice, public input, and complaint procedures; and ensure service and fare changes do not have a disparate impact on minority and low-income communities. See 49 CFR Part 21 and FTA Circular

4702.1B.

2. Disadvantaged Business Enterprise (DBE). The DBE program seeks to ensure nondiscrimination in the award and administration of DOT-assisted contracts and to create a level playing field on which DBEs can compete fairly for contract opportunities.

To participate in the program, small businesses owned and controlled by socially and economically disadvantaged individuals must receive DBE certification through a state

Unified Certification Program (UCP). FTA conducts two types of DBE specialized reviews, one focusing on the recipient’s program implementation and the other on its certifying practices. See 49 CFR Part 26.

3. External Equal Employment Opportunity (EEO). The External EEO program sets requirements for recipients to develop, implement, and monitor an effective EEO program to avoid workplace discrimination against employees or applicants because of race, color, religion, sex, disability, age or national origin. Under the program, recipients must, for example, disseminate EEO policy statements and assess and report on employment practices. See Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, 49 U.S.C. 5332(b), and FTA Circular 4704.1A.

The Title VI regulations at 49 CFR 21.11, which also underpin the general DBE and EEO nondiscrimination provisions, specifically require FTA to conduct “periodic compliance reviews” that assess the practices of recipients to determine whether they are complying with civil rights requirements. FTA is also obligated under the regulations to seek “informal resolution” of civil rights deficiencies, frequently accomplished through technical assistance that occurs during and after these reviews.

C.2 Objectives

This contract support will be used to conduct on-site or virtual specialized reviews of recipients’ operations, policies, and practices to assess their compliance with Title VI, DBE, and external

EEO requirements; and to perform associated tasks to carry out individual reviews and TCR’s review program. The overall objective is to evaluate and document recipients’ compliance, promote the prompt correction of identified deficiencies, proactively assist recipients to avoid noncompliant practices, and advance the effectiveness and efficiency of the review program.

Together, these activities help ensure recipients remain eligible for FTA funds, transit customers receive equitable service, and DBEs have a fair opportunity to compete on FTA-funded contracts.

For each review, tasks will include pre-review planning, preparing information requests, conducting reviews, and drafting reports detailing review findings. Supporting tasks may include assisting with findings management, developing technical assistance approaches and material, creating and refining specialized review tools, and other related special assignments.

C.3. Statement of Work

Contract Line Item Number (CLIN) and Task Requirements

CLIN 0001 – Planning, Coordination, and Reporting

The contractor will coordinate with and report information to FTA throughout the performance period. Tasks may include but are not limited to the following:

Task 1: Annual HQ Kickoff and Program Review Meeting. Each year during the contract’s period of performance, the contractor will participate in an annual kickoff meeting held by the

Contracting Officer (CO) and the Contracting Officer’s Representative (COR). At this meeting, FTA will review the upcoming year’s work schedule and potential task orders; any changes to how the specialized reviews are to be conducted; any new or modified regulations, guidance, or priority focus areas that have been incorporated into the scope of the reviews or other task; and any other pertinent contractual, procedural, or administrative matters. Contractor attendance will be covered on a labor hour basis, with a maximum dollar amount to be estimated on the task order level.

Task 2: Task Order Kickoff Meeting. Once a task order has been issued, the contractor will prepare an agenda, schedule, and facilitate a virtual kickoff meeting with FTA to discuss and plan for the upcoming task. This meeting ensures the contractor has the information it needs to create the workplan. Prior to the kickoff, the contractor will send a draft agenda to FTA and solicit feedback and then send the final agenda, incorporating any FTA edits. FTA will provide the list of attendees to the contractor, which will vary depending on the task.

At the meeting, FTA will cover such topics as the objective of the task, the reason for the task

(e.g., the factors that led FTA to select a recipient for a specialized review), any recipient policies or practices for the contractor to scrutinize, updated tools and templates for the contractor to use, and timelines for deliverables. The contractor will cover its general approach to conducting the review, present any questions to FTA concerning the process or the rationale for the task, and generally discuss how it envisions the process moving forward. After the kickoff meeting, the contractor will submit a written summary of key discussion points and action items, either shortly before or concurrently with the draft workplan.

Task 3: Workplan and Schedule. The contractor will develop a workplan and schedule that details its overall approach and timeline for conducting a review or other task. FTA may also provide a template format to the contractor that it will use. The contractor will coordinate with the recipient, as appropriate, to identify review dates and include the dates in the workplan. The contractor will submit the workplan and schedule based on the delivery due dates specified upon issuance of the Statement of Work (SOW) for each task order award. For specialized reviews, the contractor will submit the final schedule to the recipient before the entrance conference.

Task 4: Workshops and Conferences. The contractor will participate in ad hoc oversight-related workshops or conferences at the direction of the COR, such as those hosted by TCR and

FTA’s Office of Safety and Oversight.

Task 5: Monthly Progress Reports. The contractor will email to the COR a monthly progress report (in Microsoft (MS) OfficeWord) summarizing the work performed during the previous month. The report will include, at the minimum, a summary of the project with the following details:

Government contract, task order number and title, and reporting period.

Summary of all tasks initiated and completed for the reporting period, to include estimated percentage of completion and scheduled or actual completion dates for each milestone related to the overall work statement.

Account for the number of hours spent on all tasks initiated and completed, separated by contractor team members and the billing rates associated with each team member.

A narrative of work planned for the next month. The description must include an accounting of the number of hours budgeted for each task, separated by each contractor team member and the billing rates associated with each team member.

Identification of significant problems encountered in meeting deadlines, including problems with respect to expenditures or potential cost overruns to the budget, and the overall allocation of resources, and planned corrective actions.

Account for the status of the task order’s budget; provide the cumulative totals for dollars expended by month; and provide number of dollars remaining in the contract.

Any open items requiring FTA action.

Any additional information specified in the individual task order.

CLIN 0002 – Conduct of the Specialized Review

A. Pre-Review Information Collection

For specialized reviews, the contractor will research and gather information on the recipient’s program and operations before engaging the recipient with information requests. Tasks may include but are not limited to the following:

Task 1: Preliminary Research. The contractor will perform background research on the recipient by reviewing publicly available information, including the recipient’s website and results from related Internet searches, along with FTA’s last triennial review report pertaining to the recipient, any specialized review report, FTA complaint records, and any other specific information the COR or the contractor requests from the recipient as part of the preliminary review process.

Task 2: Validation of Information Request and Review Approach. The contractor will schedule and facilitate a remote meeting with FTA to discuss key takeaways from the completed preliminary review and research of recipient information to validate conclusions with FTA and identify any needed tailoring of the notification letter with the information request and areas to scrutinize during the review. The contractor will invite the FTA stakeholders identified in the task order kickoff meeting. The discussion topics will include potential deficiencies and questions resulting from the review of recipient information; identification of any scope changes to the notification letter or review, and any other relevant topics in preparation for the conduct of the review.

Task 3: Notification Letter with Information Request. Following the current template provided by FTA, the contractor will prepare the draft notification letter with information request to the recipient. The contractor will incorporate any tailoring of the information request discussed previously with FTA (e.g., to address any open complaints) and email the draft to the

FTA point of contact. Based on FTA comments, the contractor will prepare a final version of the letter to be signed and issued by FTA. The recipient sends a response to the information request directly to the contractor, who upon receipt begins reviewing the information in preparation for the upcoming review.

B. Site Visit/Virtual Review

The contractor will perform the specialized review following the current assessment guide, tools, and templates provided by FTA. Tasks may include but are not limited to the following:

Task 1: Entrance Conference. The contractor will conduct an entrance conference with relevant recipient personnel, FTA personnel, and designated individuals participating on the project (on an as needed basis). The entrance meeting will cover the purpose, logistics, general review process, and any other information needed to conduct the review. The contractor will submit the final schedule to the recipient prior to the entrance conference.

Task 2: Site Visit/Virtual Review. The contractor will conduct an on-site or virtual specialized review adhering to all FTA-provided instructions, guides, tools, and templates. These reviews will involve but not be limited to interviews of transit personnel; review of the recipient’s files;

review of any relevant policies, procedures, and information that may have been revised since the information request; and observations of the recipient’s operations, typically over a 3- to 5-day period.

Task 3: Draft Summary of Observations. The contractor will email a preliminary summary of the findings (to be referred to as “observations”) to FTA prior to the exit conference. Upon

FTA’s approval, the contractor will provide the summary of observations to the recipient at the exit conference.

Task 4: Exit Conference. At the conclusion of the on-site or virtual review, the contractor will conduct a pre-exit conference with FTA to discuss the preliminary observations and determine what information will be presented at the official exit conference. The contractor will conduct an exit conference with relevant recipient personnel, FTA personnel, and designated individuals participating in the project (on an as needed basis) to present the agreed-upon preliminary conclusions, observations, and recommendations.

Task 5: Meeting Minutes. The contractor will prepare and submit to FTA the minutes of the entrance and exit conference.

C. Report Generation

The contractor will prepare draft and final reports following the current assessment guide, tools, and templates provided by FTA that summarize information collected during the specialized review process and outline the findings. This process begins once the on-site or virtual portion of the review is complete. FTA oversees several rounds of revision beginning first with a review of the contractor’s draft. Then, the relevant FTA regional office is given an opportunity to provide comments on the draft. Next, the recipient reviews the draft for any factual errors in the specialized review report.

Task 1: Prepare the Draft Report. The contractor will prepare a draft report of its findings for

FTA’s review according to FTA-supplied tools and templates. FTA will review and provide the contractor comments and edits on the draft report, any requests for additional information, and any necessary follow-up activities. FTA headquarters will solicit comments on the draft from the relevant FTA regional office and send to the recipient to review for factual accuracy. (The draft report will not be prepared or provided to the recipient during the on-site or virtual review.) The contractor will retain all notes and other documentation used to develop the draft report for examination by FTA as needed to support findings or lack of findings.

Task 2: Prepare the Final Report. The contractor will develop and submit to FTA the final report, which will incorporate FTA’s comments and revisions to the draft report and address those from the recipient that FTA deems appropriate. The final report must be approved by the

COR.

Task 3: Prepare Transmittal Letter to Accompany Final Report. The contractor will prepare a transmittal letter for the final report, which presents background on the review and outlines the corrective actions the recipient must take to resolve deficiencies and the deadline for submitting the corrective action material to FTA, according to the FTA-supplied template.

CLIN 0003 – Tracking and Record-Keeping

Task 1: FTA Oversight Tracking System. The COR will work with FTA’s program staff to provide the contractor access to FTA’s electronic Oversight Tracking System (OTrak) for entering the specialized review process stages and findings. The contractor will enter into OTrak details on all stages of the review from beginning to issuance of the final report and findings. The contractor will enter the findings from the final report into OTrak promptly after FTA’s transmittal of the final report to the recipient and upload the final report. Updates to OTrak must be promptly made after each relevant process step is completed.

Task 2: Retention of Collected Data. For all task orders, the contractor will be responsible for the collection of all notes, data, and associated documents necessary for the completion of all tasks outlined in the task order’s SOW, and for the entry of such data for purposes of completing the final report. The contractor will retain the data until FTA issues the final report to the recipient. The contractor will return all collected data and associated documents to the COR via an electronic media after the final report has been issued to the recipient. For special assignments, FTA will determine appropriate data retention requirements on a case-by-case basis.

CLIN 0004 – Oversight Program Support and Special Assignments

A. General

The contractor will provide program support and perform special assignments associated with

FTA’s oversight program, at the COR’s direction. Such tasks may include, but are not limited to, assessing the merits of a rider complaint in conjunction with a oversight review and preparing a supplemental investigation report; compiling, cross-walking, verifying, and inputting review program data; developing tools to support the effectiveness and efficiency of the review program; and conducting pilot or mock implementation of tools that are used to carry out the program.

B. Findings Management

The contractor will perform findings management related tasks, upon the COR’s direction. The contractor will review recipients’ correction action material submitted in response to review findings, assess its sufficiency, request additional information from the recipient as needed, and make a recommendation to FTA, with supporting explanation and documentation, as to whether a corrective action or finding can be closed.

C. Technical Assistance

The contractor will provide technical assistance related to FTA’s oversight program, upon the

COR’s direction. The contractor may be tasked with providing technical assistance directly to one or more entities. Such technical assistance is most often related to a recently performed specialized review but can also be used as a means for providing recipients, FTA staff, and the riding public for reasons unrelated to a specific review. This may include developing technical assistance materials that explain and simplify the most common civil rights topics that generate deficiencies across specialized reviews and other oversight reviews and drive many requests for technical assistance; developing checklists or other tools for use by recipients to support them in consistently meeting civil rights requirements; and for selected recipients, developing a crosswalk of their review findings, corrective actions, etc. to identify and present observations, trends, and a proposed technical assistance approach, followed up by developing and providing technical assistance.

CLIN 0005 – Travel

A not-to-exceed (NTE) amount will be given at the task order level for travel costs. The contractor will be responsible for monitoring its budgeted versus actual and planned travel expenses and alerting the COR immediately if planned and actual expenses might exceed the budget. The contractor will also include this information in its monthly progress reports.

Any travel must be conducted in conformance with the federal travel regulations prescribed by the General Services Administration. The contractor will: (1) use federal per diem rates and (2) make every effort to secure lodging at the federal government rate. The contractor will secure written permission from the COR prior to incurring lodging costs that exceed the government rate. Failure to do so may result in such lodging costs not being reimbursed. For air travel and car rental, economy is the only approved class of travel, unless otherwise approved in advance in writing by the COR. Payment will be made based on actual travel receipts presented in the contractor’s monthly invoice and only when those travel receipts are consistent with the scope and timing of review for each activity.

Deliverables and Schedule

The contractor will submit all deliverables via email to the COR and other personnel as specified by FTA. Related deliverable steps without prescribed due dates are included in the task descriptions above. This is a sample deliverables schedule; a final will be provided upon issuance of a request for quote (RFQ). For specialized reviews, the contractor will follow dates specified in TCR’s standard operating procedures (SOP) for steps associated with the special review program.

Sample

CLIN Deliverable Description Due

Date

CLIN

Planning, Coordination, and

Reporting

Task 2 Task Order Kickoff Meeting 14 days after task order award

Task 3 Workplan and Schedule 14 days after task order award

Task 5 Monthly Progress Reports 15th of each month

CLIN

Conduct of the Specialized Review

Task A.3 Notification Letter with Information

Request

To be negotiated after task order award

Task B.1 Entrance Conference To be negotiated after task order award

CLIN Deliverable Description Due

Date

Task C.1 Draft Report 45 days after the review exit conference

CLIN

Tracking and Record-Keeping

Task 1 Oversight Tracking System Entry 3 days after completion of review stage

CLIN

Oversight Program Support and

Special Assignments

To be negotiated after task order award

CLIN

Travel

C.4 Performance Standards

The contractor will perform at the highest level of professional and technical competence in carrying out the identified tasks outlined above to achieve FTA’s stated objective. The contractor will work closely with the COR to ensure all assigned tasks conform to the task descriptions.

Performance standards include the following:

• Level of quality of draft reports and other products as determined by FTA’s requirements

(three levels: above average, acceptable, not acceptable)

• Percentage of deliverables provided on time

• Adherence to FTA tools, templates, and instructions

The contractor will ensure all work products and deliverables are submitted in accordance with the following acceptance criteria:

• Accurate in content and reflective of comprehensive research, analytic analysis, and technical credibility consistent with current industry practices and standards

• Professionally and skillfully written in a clear, concise, and comprehensive format

• Grammatically and stylistically correct, in adherence to the TCR Style Guide, with minimal typographical errors

• Formatted professionally following commonly accepted text and graphics layout standards

• Any/all diagrams, tables and figures shall be correctly labeled, easy to understand, relevant to and conforming with the supporting narrative and be suitable for public dissemination.

• Address FTA edits and comments related to work product expectations, including FTA feedback on drafts

• Consistently applies feedback previously provided by FTA on previous drafts or products

C.5 Contract Type

The Government anticipates awarding more than one Indefinite Delivery, Indefinite Quantity

(IDIQ) contract. Task orders may be issued against the base IDIQ contracts as Firm-Fixed price

(FFP) and labor hour with cost reimbursable for travel.

(END OF SECTION C)

SECTION D: PACKAGING AND MARKING

All packing, packaging and mailing of reports or submittals shall be accomplished in the most economical and efficient manner and in accordance with the best commercial practices.

All information submitted to the Contracting Officer and the Contracting Officer's Representative shall be clearly marked with the legal name of the organization/contractor, the contract number, and/or modification number as appropriate and the identification of the submission. Additional packaging and marking requirements will be specified, as necessary, in the resulting contract.

(END OF SECTION D)

SECTION E: INSPECTION AND ACCEPTANCE

52.252-2 CLAUSES INCORPORATED BY REFERENCE (FEB 1998)

This contract incorporates one or more clauses by reference, with the same force and effect as if they were given in full text. Upon request, the Contracting Officer will make their full text available. Also, the full text of a clause may be accessed electronically at the following address:

http://www.acquisition.gov.

52.246-4 INSPECTION OF SERVICES- FIXED PRICE (AUG 1996)

52-246-6 INSPECTION-TIME-AND-MATERIAL AND LABOR-HOUR (MAY 2001)

E.1 Inspection/Acceptance

The Contracting Officer or the Contracting Officer's Representative (COR), at the U.S.

Department of Transportation, FTA Headquarters, Washington, DC, will perform final inspection and acceptance of all items and services called for in the resulting contract. The

Contracting Officer reserves the right to designate other Government agents as authorized representatives upon unilateral written notice to the Contractor, which may be accomplished in the form of a transmittal of a copy of the authorization.

E.2 Government Contract Quality Assurance

The Government intends to do quality assurance to monitor the quality of the contractor’s performance. The oversight provided for in the order and by the Government’s monitoring, will help to ensure that service levels reach and maintain the required levels throughout the contract term. Further, the Government’s quality assurance monitoring will provide the COR with a proactive way to avoid unacceptable or deficient performance and provides verifiable input for the required Past Performance Information Assessments. Thus, the contractor must ensure that deliverables meet the Government’s acceptance.

E.3 Standards of Work

Contractors are required to meet these standards/measures in the performance of their work:

• Adherence to Direction – Contractor shall follow all contract requirements and technical direction from the delegated COR.

• Customer Service – Contractor shall act with professionalism and be respectful and courteous at all times.

• Deadline Adherence – Time is of the essence in the performance of all grant accrual activities.

Contractor shall meet deadlines for all tasks and deliverables. As required, the necessary approvals or responses prior to submission of deliverable or completion of task shall be received and documented. If any party fails to respond to contractor in a timely manner, possibly affecting their adherence to deadline, the contractor shall elevate that failure to respond to the COR. The contractor shall request an adjustment of deadline for cause from the

COR, in advance of deadline.

• Written Deliverable Typographical Accuracy and Formatting – Written deliverables shall be:

spelled correctly, grammatically correct, free of typographical errors, formatted correctly and consistently, accurate in the use of professional salutations, and provided in a software type/version that meets the needs of the receiving office.

• Precision in Written Deliverables – Written deliverables shall be: thorough, accurate, clear, concise, professional, consistent, and thorough in their use of citations of relevant requirements or materials.

• Quality Assurance/Quality Control – Contractor shall employ adequate quality assurance / quality control methods to ensure all activities and deliverables meet the performance requirements.

(END OF SECTION E)

SECTION F: DELIVERIES OR PERFORMANCE

F.1 52.252-2 CLAUSES INCORPORATED BY REFERENCE (FEB 1998)

52.242-15 Stop-Work Order (AUG 1989)

F.2 Place of Performance

The place of performance shall be identified upon issuance of the task orders issued against the base contract.

F.3 Period of Performance

The period of performance is five years including (one 12-month base period and four one (1) year option periods, if exercised.)

F. 4 Interim and Post Award Evaluation Contractor Performance

1. Contractor Performance Evaluations

Interim and final evaluations of contractor performance will be prepared on this contract in accordance with FAR 42.15. The final performance evaluation will be prepared as soon as possible after completion of all required work.

Interim and final evaluations will be provided to the contractor as soon as practicable after completion of the evaluation. The contractor may elect to review evaluation and submit additional information or a rebuttal statement within thirty days. Any contractor response is voluntary.

Any disagreement between the parties regarding an evaluation will be referred to an individual one level above the Contracting Officer, whose decision is final.

Copies of the evaluations, contractor responses and review comments, if any, will be retained as part of the contract file, and may be used to support future award decisions.

2. b. Electronic Access to Contractor Performance Evaluations and the Contractor

Performance Assessment Reporting System (CPARS).

As of January 15, 2019, the Past Performance Information Retrieval System (PPIRS.gov) is officially retired to conclude its merger with the Contract Performance Assessment Reporting

System (CPARS.gov). After that date, the PPIRS name will only appear in the Federal

Acquisition Regulation.

Data from PPIRS has been merged into CPARS.gov, making CPARS the official system for past performance information. This merge simplifies functions such as creating and editing performance and integrity records, changes to administering users and running reports, generating performance records, and viewing/managing performance records.

Users will now have one location and one account to perform all functionality. Federal users with a Common Access Card (CAC) or a Personal Identity Verification (PIV) card or a contractor with a Public Key Infrastructure (PKI) certificate, will log in using the Accept/Login with PKI button. Federal users who don’t use PKI/PIV or a contractor who doesn’t have a PKI certificate will log in using their email address and a password. Upon using CPARS.gov for the first time, users are required to reset their password to securely log on to the merged system. To help prevent unauthorized access, a one-time access code is needed when using a password to log in.

(END OF SECTION F)

SECTION G: CONTRACT ADMINISTRATION DATA

The Government will establish regular periods for contract level program reviews. Conflict of

Interest shall be addressed by the COR and/or CO prior to the initial contract award. If potential conflicts of interest come up after contract award, the contractor must submit an Organizational

Conflict of Interest (OCI) Mitigation Plan to the Government for review and approval.

Senior Contracting Officer (CO)

Mrs. Stephanie Cooke-Nwadibia

U.S. Department of Transportation

Federal Transit Administration

Office of Acquisition Management

1200 New Jersey Ave. S.E.

4th Floor - East Building, Rm: E42-117

Washington, DC 20590

Phone number: 202-366-7072

Email address: stephanie.cooke-nwadibia@dot.gov

Contract Specialist (CS)

Ms. Tennile Palmer (Contractor)

U.S. Department of Transportation

Federal Transit Administration

Office of Acquisition Management

1200 New Jersey Ave. S.E.

4th Floor - East Building, Rm: E44-105A

Washington, DC 20590

Phone number: 202-366-1218

Email address: tennile.palmer.ctr@dot.gov

G.1 Contracting Officer’s Representative (COR)

T B D

The Contracting Officer (CO) holds the contractual authority for the resulting contracts. The CO alone, without delegation, is authorized to take actions on behalf of the Government to amend, modify or deviate from the contract terms, conditions, and requirements. The CO may delegate certain other responsibilities to the Contracting Officer’s Representative (COR). The CO is the only individual who can legally commit or obligate the Government or authorize any changes that affect the contract price, delivery schedule, period of performance or other terms and conditions.

In accordance with the Transportation Acquisition Regulation (TAR) 1252.242-73 (b)

Dissemination of Contract Information (See Section I), the Contracting Officer cannot authorize the COR or any other representative to sign documents (i.e., contracts, contract modifications, appointments, conflict resolutions, etc.) that require the signature of the Contracting Officer.

In accordance with TAR 1252.242-73 (See Section I), Contracting Officer’s Representative

TAR Clause (OCT 1994), (a) The Contracting Officer may designate Government personnel to act as the Contracting Officer's Representative (COR) to perform functions under the contract such as review and/or inspection and acceptance of supplies, services, including construction and other functions of a technical nature. The Contracting Officer will provide a written notice of such designation to the Contractor within five working days after contract award or for construction, not less than five working days prior to giving the contractor the notice to proceed.

The designation letter will set forth the authorities and limitations of the COR under the contract.

(b) The Contracting Officer cannot authorize the COR or any other representative to sign documents (i.e., contracts, contract modifications, etc.) that require the signature of the

Contracting Officer.”

G.2 COR Assignment

Upon contract award, the Contracting Officer’s Representative will be designated.

The COR has the authority to monitor the technical progress of the services that are required under the resulting contracts. This includes visits to the contractor’s place of performance, meetings, and telephone conversations with the contractor’s personnel, inspection, acceptance, or rejection of the contracted items and other duties that may be authorized by the contracting officer. The COR cannot authorize or order the cessation of contract work nor delete, change, or waive any of the technical requirements or other terms and conditions of the resulting contracts.

If a change (monetary or otherwise) to the contract is desired, the contractor must submit a written request to the contracting officer for consideration. If appropriate, the change will be effected by a contract modification, after discussions and/or negotiations.

Whenever a difference of opinion between the contractor and the COR occurs, the contracting officer or contract specialist should be contacted immediately for resolution. The contractor should also contact the contracting officer or contract specialist when the COR cannot be contacted on a technical matter and for assistance on all other matters pertaining to the resulting contracts.

G.3 Billing Instructions

ELECTRONIC SUBMISSION OF PAYMENT REQUESTS

(a) Definitions. As used in this clause—

(1) Contract financing payment has the meaning given in FAR 32.001.

(2) Payment request means a bill, voucher, invoice, or request for contract financing payment or invoice payment with associated supporting documentation. The payment request must comply with the requirements identified in FAR 32.905(b), “Content of Invoices,” this clause, and the applicable Payment clause included in this contract.

(3) Electronic form means an automated system transmitting information electronically according to the accepted electronic data transmission methods and formats identified in paragraph (c) of this clause. Facsimile, email, and scanned documents are not acceptable electronic forms for submission of payment requests.

(4) Invoice payment has the meaning given in FAR 32.001.

(b) Electronic payment requests. Except as provided in paragraph (e) of this clause, the contractor shall submit payment requests in electronic form. Purchases paid with a

Governmentwide commercial purchase card are considered to be an electronic transaction for purposes of this rule, and therefore no additional electronic invoice submission is required.

(c) The Department of Transportation utilizes the Delphi eInvoicing web-portal for processing invoices. For vendors submitting invoices, and certain grantees submitting payment requests, they will be required to submit invoices to the Federal Transit Administration (FTA) electronically via the Delphi eInvoicing web-portal which is accessed via https://einvoice.esc.gov, and is authenticated via www.login.gov. All persons accessing the

Delphi eInvoicing web-portal will be required to have their own unique user Delphi eInvoicing

ID and be credentialed through login.gov. See www.login.gov for instructions.

(d) In order to receive payment and in accordance with the Prompt Payment Act, all invoices submitted as attachments in the Delphi eInvoicing web-portal shall contain the following:

(1) Invoice number and invoice date.

(2) Period of performance covered by invoice.

(3) Contract number and title.

(4) Task/Delivery Order number and title (if applicable).

(5) Amount billed (by CLIN), current and cumulative.

(6) Total ($) of billing.

(7) Cumulative total billed for all contract work to date.

(8) Name, title, phone number, and mailing address of person to be contacted in the event of a defective invoice.

If the contract includes allowances for travel, all invoices which include charges pertaining to travel expenses will catalog a breakdown of reimbursable expenses with the appropriate receipts to substantiate the travel expenses.

(1) Electronic authentication. See www.login.gov for instructions. Click on the following link for instructions on establishing a login.gov account: https://login.gov/help/.

(2) To create a login.gov account, the user will need a valid email address and a working phone number. The user will create a password and then login.gov will reply with an email confirming the email address.

(3) Agency POC’s will be responsible for communicating with vendor POC’s to initiate the

Delphi eInvoicing account creation process. Vendor POC’s who will require access to the eInvoicing web-portal for invoice submission and payment tracking purposes will be required to provide their full name, valid email address, and current phone number to the agency POC to initiate the Delphi eInvoicing web-portal account. Vendor users and the agency POC will be notified via e-mail when the account is created. The vendor user will be provided detailed instructions for logging into their Delphi eInvoicing account.

http://www.login.gov/ https://login.gov/help/

(4) Training on Delphi. To facilitate use of DELPHI, comprehensive user information is available at http://einvoice.esc.gov

(5) Account Management. Vendors are responsible to contact the Delphi Help Desk when their firm’s points of contacts will no longer be submitting invoices, so they can be removed from the system. Instructions for contacting the Delphi Help Desk can be found at http://einvoice.esc.gov

FTA vendors shall submit invoices to FTA electronically via the Delphi eInvoicing web-portal.

To initiate this process, you are requested to provide FTA with information (company name, contract/task order number/purchase order (PO) number, and up to two Point of Contact (POC) full names and their email addresses) as shown on the table below.

Company

Name

Contract

No./ Task

Order

No.

Primary

POC First

Name

Primary

POC Last

Name

Primary

POC

email

Secondary

POC First

Name

Secondary

POC Last

Name

Secondary

POC email

Email the above information to the following email address: FTAeInvoicing@fta.gov. Please note that the POCs you provide are the individuals you authorize to submit invoices to FTA on behalf of your company. Your POCs will then receive a welcome letter from Delphi eInvoicing processing center with instructions on creating a Login.gov user account. This account can then be used to access the eInvoicing web-portal at http://einvoice.esc.gov.

G.3.1 General Instructions

FTA’S METHOD OF INVOICE TRANSMITTAL-eInvoicing

The Contractor shall submit the invoice through the Delphi eInvoicing System.

G.3.2 Delphi eInvoicing Access

Authorization for a vendor to gain access to the eInvoicing System is granted by a request from the FTA Project Manager/COR who must complete the required Delphi

User Access form, specific for external vendors, as is shown in the respective attachment to be provided. The vendor must provide the FTA project manager/COR, with the name of the authorized employee, within their organization, who will have the responsibility to request funds within the eInvoicing System. The FTA Project Manager or COR must obtain this person’s email address and make reference to their specific project number(s) as applicable where funds will be drawn down upon. The completed

User Access Forms are then forwarded to FTA eInvoicing at…