Draft SSN CISS PSU SOW.pdf

Title: CISS PSU Operations Center

SECTION C – DESCRIPTION/SPECIFICATIONS/STATEMENT OF WORK (DRAFT)

C.1 BACKGROUND

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) is responsible for reducing the personal injury and property losses resulting from motor vehicle crashes. NHTSA relies on many sources of internal information to adequately measure the characteristics and needs of the highway safety environment. Data derived NHTSA’s data collection systems are essential to reducing the human and economic cost of motor vehicle crashes. NHTSA’s various data systems are the only source of real-world crash data for conducting basic research, identifying problem areas, developing effective countermeasures, identifying program and rulemaking needs, developing, and evaluating programs, creating rules and standards, evaluating new technologies and providing information to accurately assess and allocate grants for reducing crashes.

In the late 1970s, NHTSA’s National Center for Statistics and Analysis (NCSA) devised a multidisciplinary approach to meet the data needs of its end users that utilized an efficient combination of census, sample-based and state-data files to provide nationally representative traffic crash data on a timely basis. NCSA operated data programs consisting of records-based systems (crash records recoded for uniformity) which included the Fatality Analysis Reporting System (FARS) and the National Automotive Sampling System General Estimates System (NASS-GES), and detailed crash investigation-based systems which included the National Automotive Sampling System Crashworthiness Data System (NASS- CDS) and the Special Crash Investigations (SCI) program.

The Fatality Analysis Reporting System (FARS) was established in 1975 and is a data collection system that provides a census of all fatal traffic crashes in the United States. FARS data provides support for most of the traffic and highway safety programs aimed at reducing the number of fatalities on the nation’s highways and are extensively cited in legislative, enforcement and educational programs. These data are collected on a purely voluntary basis through cooperative agreements between NHTSA and each of the fifty (50) States, the District of Columbia and Puerto Rico.

The National Automotive Sampling System (NASS) commenced in 1977 with ten (10) initial contract awards to Primary Sampling Units (PSU) research teams and two (2) quality control Zone Centers. The system grew to fifty (50) PSUs and four (4) Zone Centers in 1981. The program underwent a review by NHTSA and other organizations in 1986 to assess its usefulness, efficiency, and statistical precision. NHTSA determined from that review that modifications were needed in case selection, data set definition and PSU strata distribution. As a result, NASS was divided into two (2) systems in 1988: Crashworthiness Data System (NASS-CDS) and General Estimates System (NASS-GES). NASS-CDS focused on the crashworthiness of passenger cars, light trucks and vans involved in crashes and damaged enough to be towed.

NASS-GES collected limited data on other highway crashes to produce general estimates.

NASS-CDS was originally conceived to operate seventy-five (75) data collection sites; however, it was never fully funded to collect data from the originally planned seventy-five (75) sites, capping out at twenty-four (24) sites beginning in 1991. These twenty-four (24) data collection sites, known as PSUs, resided in seventeen (17) states, and were supported by two (2) quality control Zone Centers.

The NASS-CDS obtained PCRs that included passenger vehicles that were towed due to the severity of the damage and had a high potential for major injury. These crashes were systematically selected for a full investigation if certain conditions were met. Once selected for further investigation, the process included interviewing drivers and occupants, inspecting scenes and vehicles, reviewing official medical reports, and reconstructing crash dynamics.

NASS-GES consisted of thirty-six (36) PSUs located in nine (9) states. Each GES PSU collected certain information from PCRs, which were used to generate estimates of the nation's highway crash experience. The PCRs were the only source of information and certain variables were completed using data obtained from the PCR. The NASS-GES became the sole source of national estimates statistics on police-reported injuries other than fatalities.

To combine the strengths of the NASS system while addressing its limitations and the desires of the transportation community, NHTSA undertook a modernization effort to upgrade its data systems by improving the information technology infrastructure, updating the data collected and reexamining the geographical sampling sites (PSUs). The goal of this overall modernization effort was to develop a new crash data system that met the current and future data needs of all parties, while being flexible enough to adapt to the changing priorities of the agency and its partners going forward. NASS-CDS and GES were therefore phased out in 2015 and replaced by the Crash Investigation Sampling System (CISS) and Crash Report Sampling System (CRSS), respectively. The data collection sites (PSUs) for both were selected independently, meaning that the CISS PSU sites were not a subsample of the CRSS PSU sites or vice versa. By chance, it was possible that some of the new CISS sites and new CRSS sites were located at or near the same location. CISS and CRSS are collectively referred to as the Crash Data Acquisition Network

(CDAN).

CISS is comprised of up to seventy-three (73) CISS PSUs that are directly managed by a PSU Operations Center. Cases produced by the PSUs need a thorough quality control data review and this work is completed by a Quality Control Center (QCC). The injury data produced by PSUs receives specialized quality control reviews that is completed by an Injury Coding Center (ICC).

This solicitation applies only to the CISS-based PSU Operations Center.1 This procurement will provide for the day-to-day management and administration of personnel at the PSUOC and at the seventy-three (73) CISS PSUs listed in Table 1. PSU personnel consist of Crash Technicians who produce cases, Crash Technician Assistants who handle administrative tasks. Cases are the work product from PSUs that contain the data elements, images, and records collected during crash investigations. There are different types of crash investigations and include crashes involving passenger vehicles, large trucks, motorcycles, and nonmotorists. This procurement provides for the crash investigation, PCR collection, data coding, and all related work to produce CISS cases, according to established protocols and procedures, before they receive a quality control case review from the QCC.

1 NHTSA has separate procurements for the the Quality Control and Injury Coding Centers for CISS.

The procurement consists of thirteen (13) primary tasks which are outlined in Section C.4 – Requirements of the solicitation. Tasks one-to-ten (1 – 10) are the foundation of contract and will be exercised throughout the contract. Tasks eleven-to-twelve (11 – 12) may or may not be exercised depending upon the needs of the Agency. Task thirteen (13) relates to transition requirements after the contract is completed. Proposals should reflect these tasks overall and by individual task with the understanding that Tasks eleven-to-twelve (11 – 12) may or may not be exercised.

Note: The same Contractor (or subcontractor) cannot be awarded both the PSU Operations Center and Quality Control Center contracts.

Table 1 CISS Locations

(Locations and Staff Requirements)

PSU Site Number PSU Location

*Engineering Technician

IV - V

(Team

Leader/Crash Technician)

*Engineering Technician

III - IV

(Crash

Technician)

*Engineering Technician

II - III (Crash Technician Assistant)

1 Comal County, Texas 1 2 1

2 Henry and Rock Island Counties, Illinois

1 2 1

3 Carter County, Oklahoma 1 2 1

4 Monterey County, California 1 2 1

5 Berkshire County, Massachusetts 1 2 1

6 Atlantic County, New Jersey 1 2 1

7 Gallatin, Hardin, and White Counties, Illinois 1 2 1

Latah and Nez Perce Counties, Idaho Asotin and Whitman Counties, Washington

9 Butte County, California 1 2 1 10 Etowah County, Alabama 1 2 1

11 Chippewa and Eau Claire Counties, Wisconsin 1 2 1

12 Hamilton County, Ohio 1 2 1

13 Cameron, Potter, and Tioga Counties, Pennsylvania 1 2 1

14 Maricopa County, Arizona 1 2 1

15 Dallas County, Texas 1 2 1 16 Cumberland County, Maine 1 2 1

17 San Bernardino County, California 1 2 1

Bristol County, Massachusetts Newport County, Rhode Island

19 Delaware and Morrow Counties, Ohio 1 2 1

20 Nassau County, New York 1 2 1

21 Montgomery and Preble Counties, Ohio 1 2 1

22 Tarrant County, Texas 1 2 1

23 Sacramento County, California 1 2 1

Chesterfield County, Virginia Hopewell City, Virginia

25 Carbon and Yellowstone Counties, Montana 1 2 1

26 Delaware and Greene Counties, New York 1 2 1

27 Dade and Lawrence Counties, Missouri 1 2 1

28 Vermillion and Vigo Counties, Indiana 1 2 1

29 Box Elder County, Utah 1 2 1 30 Franklin County, Alabama 1 2 1

31 Piscataquis and Somerset Counties, Maine

Albemarle and Greene Counties, Virginia Charlottesville, Virginia

33 Passaic County, New Jersey 1 2 1 34 Mobile County, Alabama 1 2 1 35 Collin County, Texas 1 2 1 36 Fairfield County, Connecticut 1 2 1

37 Sebastian County, Arkansas 1 2 1 38 Spartanburg County, South

Carolina 1 2 1

39 Davidson County, Tennessee 1 2 1

40 Haralson and Polk Counties, Georgia 1 2 1

41 Wayne County, Michigan 1 2 1 42 Broward County, Florida 1 2 1 43 Storey and Washoe

Counties, Nevada 1 2 1

44 Cuyahoga County, Ohio 1 2 1 45 Harvey and Sedgwick

Counties, Kansas 1 2 1

46 Los Angeles County, California 1 2 1

47 Cook County, Illinois 1 2 1 48 Jefferson County, Alabama 1 2 1 49 Bernalillo County, New

Mexico 1 2 1

50 Tulsa County, Oklahoma 1 2 1 51 Dekalb County, Georgia 1 2 1 52 Hancock and Marion

Counties, Indiana 1 2 1

53 Queens County, New York 1 2 1 54 Blount County, Alabama 1 2 1 55 Middlesex County, Massachusetts 1 2 1

56 Contra Costa County, California 1 2 1

57 Island and Snohomish Counties, Washington 1 2 1

58 Harris County, Texas 1 2 1 59 Vernon County, Louisiana 1 2 1 60 Genesee and Orleans

Counties, New York 1 2 1

61 Jefferson and Leavenworth Counties, Kansas 1 2 1

62 Ramsey County, Minnesota 1 2 1 63 Clark County, Nevada 1 2 1 64 Allegany County, Maryland; Mineral County, West Virginia

65 Galveston County, Texas 1 2 1 66 Bibb and Chilton Counties, Alabama 1 2 1

67 Saint Charles County, Missouri 1 2 1

68 Christian and Macon Counties, Illinois 1 2 1

69 Clay, Lincoln, Turner, Union, and Yankton Counties, South Dakota

70 Jefferson and Wheeler Counties, Oregon 1 2 1

71 Lebanon County, Pennsylvania 1 2 1

72 Cowlitz and Lewis Counties, Washington 1 2 1

73 Blair County, Pennsylvania 1 2 1

Total Staff (32) 73 146

All CISS Staff is full-time unless otherwise noted.

*Labor categories are wage determinations under the Service Contract Act by direction of the U.S. Department of Labor. The wages for these positions cannot be less than the minimum rates under the Engineering Technician labor categories as established by the U.S.

Department of Labor as denoted above.

Glossary of Terms and Abbreviations Abbreviation Definition AAAM Advancement of Automotive Medicine ADAS Advanced Driver Assistance Systems AIS Abbreviated Injury Scale AUM Analytical User Manual CAP Contractor Acquired Property CDAN Crash Data Acquisition Network CDS Crash Data System CDR Crash Data Recorder CID Crash Investigation Division CISS Crash Investigation Sampling System CO Contracting Officer COR Contracting Officer’s Representative COTS Commercial off-the-shelf Software CRSS Crash Report Sampling System DMV Department of Motor Vehicles DOT Department of Transportation EMS Emergency Medical Service FAR Federal Acquisition Regulation FARS Fatality Analysis Reporting System GCS Glascow Coma Scale GES General Estimates System GFE Government Furnished Equipment LSV Low Speed Vehicle MDE Microcomputer-based Data Entry MY Model Year NASS-GES National Automotive Sampling System - General Estimates System

NASS-CDS National Automotive Sampling System - Crashworthiness Data System NCSA National Center for Statistics and Analysis NHTSA National Highway Traffic Safety Administration NTS Not-in-Traffic-Surveillance PCR Police Crash Report PSU Primary Sampling Unit PSUOC PSU Operations Center QCC Quality Control Center SCI Special Crash Investigation SMEs Subject Matter Expert SS Special Studies SUV Sport Utility Vehicle SWT System-Wide Training VIN Vehicle Identification Number WBT Web-Based Training

C.2 OBJECTIVES

The objective of this contract is to provide timely, efficient, and effective support for the PSU Operations Center (PSUOC) for NHTSA’s Crash Investigation Sampling System (CISS). The activities include the establishment and operational guidance of personnel at the seventy-three

(73) CISS PSUs, the administrative oversight, staffing, and management of work locations, and the standard data collection activities using CISS Data Systems. The seventy-three (73) CISS PSUs consist of sixty-five (65) that are already operational and eight (8) to be added in 2027.

C.3 PURPOSE

The purpose of this contract is to acquire services to operate the PSUs for the CISS to enhance and execute a cohesive program and quality evaluation support:

1. To collect data at all PSUs in a timely, accurate, consistent manner and to ensure the completeness in coding and data entry among all coding staff,

2. To establish and maintain proficiency in the use of data collection and retrieval tools, and

3. To ensure the standardization of processes and data across all PSUs.

C.4 SPECIFIC REQUIREMENTS

This section describes the performance that is required under this contract. There are thirteen (13) performance areas that are discussed in further detail:

1. PSU Operations Center and PSUs;

2. Establish PSU Staff;

3. Data Collection Coding Activities;

4. PSU Personnel Management and Replacement;

5. PSU Area Documentation;

6. PSU Local Cooperation;

7. In-House Quality Control;

8. Non-Sample Jurisdiction Counts;

9. Meeting and Workshops;

10. Reporting Requirements

11. Training Requirements;

12 Special Studies; and

13. Transition

C.4.1 PSU Operations Center and PSUs

The contractor must establish a PSU Operations Center (PSUOC) to manage the PSUs located throughout the country. The PSUOC must consist of a Program Manager, Field Operating Managers (FOM), Relief Technicians (RT), and a Field Operations Coordinator as outlined in Section G.5 – Key Personnel. Within six (6) weeks after contract award, the contractor must establish offices for each PSU that is centrally located within the boundaries of each specified CISS PSU geographic location. The contractor must be responsible for leasing and/or maintaining the existing leases at each PSU facility. The contractor must be responsible for acquiring new furniture and equipment or maintaining existing equipment at each CISS site.

Offices have already been established for PSU’s 1 – 65 listed in Table 1. During this contract the additional eight (8) PSUs in Table 1 must be established according to the following schedule:

PSUs 65 – 73 by April 30, 2027

The offices must be situated within a reasonable commuting distance from the major police agencies and hospitals. The CISS PSU office space must be sufficient to accommodate all staff members. Contractors can use innovative solutions to meet this requirement. The office space must be secure and include a climate-controlled area for computers and other environmentally sensitive hardware, which may be used in the future. A dedicated data line must be provided for computer communications. The contractor is responsible for installation of communication lines (if not already installed) to connect to the wide area network used for the electronic data collection system and high-speed internet and backup mobile connectivity as specified in Attachment J.7, CDAN System Security Training.

All computer equipment and software required for work under this contract (whether furnished by the government or purchased by the contractor using contract funds) will remain government-owned equipment. The contractor must be responsible for maintaining and accounting for all equipment acquired under this contract (either as (GFE) or Contractor Acquired Property (CAP)). Within six (6) months of contract award, the contractor must prepare a Form HS 324 and HS 145 listing all property valued over $500 acquired for use under this contract and submit that form to NHTSA.

The Contracting Officer’s Representative (COR) must be consulted before major equipment is acquired to ensure its suitability and best source for supplies. Prior to making any major equipment acquisitions (over $500), the contractor must request and receive approval from the COR.

The contractor must ensure CISS PSU personnel are provided with local transportation while working on CISS data collection. NHTSA will not provide vehicles or funds for direct vehicle purchase. NHTSA will, however, provide funding for vehicle leasing. Transportation charges will be reimbursed in accordance with the Federal Acquisition Regulation (FAR) 48 CFR Part

31. The contractor is not responsible, nor will the government reimburse, for transportation of CISS PSU personnel to and from homes and their respective CISS PSU work sites. The vehicles must be parked in a secure area overnight and when not in use.

Each PSU must be staffed as specified by NHTSA. The contractor staff must perform the principal functions of the PSU which include sampling, crash investigation, case preparation, and computer data entry. Crash investigations on a broad level require vehicle and scene inspections and measurements using digital instruments and tools, digital photography, and detailed documentation of the same, conducting interviews, obtaining medical records, and coalescing the data into a case data file.

C.4.2 – Establish PSU Staff

C.4.2.1 – Crash Technicians Within eight (8) weeks of contract award, the contractor must have qualified personnel in place to fill positions for the CISS PSUs as shown in Table 1. CISS PSUs must consist of Crash Technicians (CTs). CTs are fully trained investigators that are assigned cases on a weekly basis to investigate. The investigation involves inspections of vehicles (exterior, interior & safety systems) that have been involved in crashes, the scenes where the crash occurred, the interviewing of crash victims, and the collection of supporting materials to generate thorough reconstructions of the events. All crash technician positions are full-time.

The contractor must use its best effort to staff the PSUs with personnel already certified through training at the NHTSA training facility (C.4.11.1 – Basic Training) or others with commensurate experience and training that closely relates to CISS investigative work.

Commensurate experience for CISS investigative work would include police, criminal justice, or insurance investigation as well as automotive design, maintenance, or repair.

Experience in related fields such as civil or mechanical engineering, physical science, automotive technology, or one of the behavioral sciences is desirable as well. A bachelor’s or equivalent degree in one or more of these areas would also fulfill this need.

If an offeror submits a proposal that includes untrained and inexperienced PSU Crash Technicians, they must add an additional $125,000 for each untrained staff member to the Price Schedule (B.2), since these additional costs will be necessary to train these individuals. These costs can be omitted for any personnel that have already been through CISS Basic Training. The training of new technicians consists of a mixture of six (6) non-consecutive weeks of training both virtual and at the NHTSA Crash Investigation Training Academy in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma. These training weeks are intermixed with module learning and assignments prescribed by NHTSA. This process takes around six (6) months during which time trainees do not contribute to data collection. It is therefore NHTSA’s goal to optimize the resources already expended on past training to technicians who have completed this process and have a thorough understanding of CISS protocols in order to prevent lengthy interruptions in case selection. Furthermore, reduced turnover decreases data quality inadequacies and supports the agency’s mission to save lives, prevent injuries, and reduce vehicle-related crashes.

C.4.2.2 – Crash Technician Assistants The activities of the CISS PSU include numerous case assimilation, administrative and record keeping duties, which are the responsibility of the CTA or a designated crash technician. These contractor personnel are referred to as Crash Technician Assistants (CTAs). The CTAs may be responsible for sampling (C.4.3.2 – CISS Data Collection Activities - Sampling), data coding, maintaining inventories of supplies and equipment, acquiring hospital records, updating case status records, and other duties such as assisting the CTs in interviewing crash victims. The level of CTA assistance to CTs beyond to core responsibilities may vary by PSU. CTAs must also be or become proficient in the Crash Data Acquisition Network (CDAN) electronic data system. The CDAN system is the primary repository of data from all CISS-related programs and contains programs to list police crash reports and data from crash investigations. If clerical support staff is used during periods of high workload or personnel shortages to maintain full operations, then formal training must be required.

C.4.2.3 – Qualifying PSU Personnel and Policy Compliance All contractor personnel must be subject to a Department of Transportation (DOT) Federal Government Public Trust background investigation consistent with DOT Order 1630.2C, Personnel Security Management. All contractor personnel must obtain and maintain a government Personal Identity Verification (PIV) card. Any individual who fails to pass the DOT background investigation will be unable to perform any work under this Contract. The DOT Background investigations will be performed at no cost to the Contractor. PIV cards must be returned upon employee departure and/or the expiration of the contract.

All contractor staff must comply with Federal and DOT cybersecurity policy and training requirements. This includes completing Annual Security Awareness Training, completing the Rules of Behavior (ROB), adhering to the rules for use of government furnished equipment to enter data, and the proper securing of all personal identifiable information (PII).2 Personnel must also complete a separate annual security training for the CDAN system and complete a Rules of Behavior for this system to permit access. Personnel hired for this contract must pass a local Department of Motor Vehicles (DMV) driver record check as well as a Department of Transportation (DOT) background check because of access to sensitive data.

C.4.3 – Data Collection Activities

2 PII is information that can be used to distinguish or trace an individual’s identity, such as their name, Social Security number, biometric records, etc., alone, or when combined with other personal or identifying information which is linked or linkable to a specific individual, such as date and place of birth, mother’s maiden name, etc.

C.4.3.1 Data Collection Activities - Overview The primary activity of CISS crash technicians must be to collect data from motor vehicle crashes and enter that data into the CDAN system. The term motor vehicle crashes must include all crash types that are investigated by CISS related to this contract. CISS has historically focused on passenger vehicles other than motorcycles, buses, or medium and heavy trucks that are designed and used primarily for the transportation of no more than 10 persons, including the driver. The types of crashes CISS will investigate during this contract must include nonmotorist crashes involving (e.g., pedestrians, bicycles, other conveyances), and crashes involving motorcycles, buses, and medium and heavy trucks exceeding 10,000 pounds.

Further, CISS has historically investigated crashes after receiving the PCR resulting in a lag time between the crash and the investigation. Aspects of this contract may incorporate real-time, rapid response or on-scene investigations, in cooperation with police authorities, requiring CTs to respond shortly after crashes occur.

CISS provides detailed information concerning the performance of vehicles involved across a range of different crash types. The program within CDAN that stores the crash listing is CISSWeb. The crash listing is comprised of cases that are selected by a NHTSA-developed algorithm during weekly sampling activities, a process referred to as Sampling.

Sampling consists of CTs and CTAs either visiting NHTSA-specified, randomly selected police jurisdictions weekly, or receiving electronic file transfers and logging their PCRs according to a prescribed stratification schema (Attachments J.12 and J.13). Details on these crash reports are entered into the program for logging the crash reports – the Police Accident Report Sampling Engine (PARSE) – which contains the algorithm to randomly select cases. After cases are selected, CTs will code data collected from PCRs, interviews, medical records, scene inspections, and vehicle inspections into CISSWeb. Each CT is assigned one-to-two (1 - 2) cases per week.

All data collection activities must conform to the provisions set forth in the Agency Procedures for System Security, Risk Management, Rules of Behavior, Incidence Response, Asset Protection and Data Protection for Data Collected under the Crash Investigation Sampling System, U.S. Department of Transportation, National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, Washington, D.C., January 2021 (Attachment J.9), the Crash Data Acquisition Network (CDAN) Rules of Behavior (ROB) 2025 (Attachment J.8), CDAN Security Training 2025: Reporting CDAN Rules of Behavior Emergency Events (Attachment J.10), and any specific agreements between NHTSA, state, local, and contracting officials.

C.4.3.2 Data Collection Activities - Sampling The PSUs must review PCRs from selected police jurisdictions on a weekly basis. These reports are provided to the PSU by police jurisdictions electronically or in hardcopy form.

The PSU enters key data from the reports into PARSE which contains an embedded computerized sample algorithm that selects the crashes to be investigated each week.

During weekly sampling, the PSU staff reviews and interprets the crash report to apply the CISS coding requirements to the data. Each CT and CTA must maintain a sampling accuracy no lower than 95% for their respective PSU location and PCR coding schema.

CTs and CTAs will be tested by the QCC contractor and if a member of the contractor’s staff falls below 95% on a test, the staff member must stop PCR sampling under this contract and be retrained by the QCC. The contractor may not be reimbursed for labor costs from the time the individual falls below 95% until the time the individual is retrained and achieves a level of 95% or greater; however, NHTSA reserves the right to reimburse the contractor on a case-by-case basis. If a contractor fails to maintain a level of at least 95% after receiving remedial training, then that individual may be removed from the contract.

The contractor must be responsible for ensuring that the sampling process is not interrupted during the replacement of departing employees or training of new employees. In addition to individual sampling accuracy, the contractor must maintain a 95% or greater sampling accuracy systemwide. Remedial training will be provided, but if the contractor falls below 95% accuracy for two consecutive quarters, NHTSA may take corrective actions necessary to improve accuracy which may include removal of key personnel.

C.4.3.3 Data Collection Activities – Data Collection For each case selected, the crash technicians should attempt to locate and document the crash scene within four (4) days of selection date; measure and photograph the damaged vehicles within two (2) days of the selection date; interview involved drivers and occupants within six (6) days of the selection date; and obtain medical records for the sourcing of injuries when made available by medical facilities. Historical CISS data reveals that at least 80 percent of towed vehicles had complete vehicle inspections, 80-percent EDRs were successfully imaged, and 83-percent of medicals were obtained. Interviews are only required for vehicles with Advanced Driver Assistance Systems (ADAS) and vehicles containing an occupied child seat. Since not all crashes required interviews about 50-percent of CISS cases have successful interview data.

The PSU must conduct an in-house quality review (C.4.7 – In-House Quality Control) of the coded data via the CISSWeb system before release for a Quality Control Center review.

The electronic case must be released by the PSU to the QCC electronically through CDAN thirty-five (35) days after case selection. Falsification of data during collecting and coding processes will not be tolerated by NHTSA and is considered a breach of contract requirements. The QCC and NHTSA are responsible for reinvestigations and any falsification detected during their inquiries will be shared with the contractor by the COR.

C.4.3.4 Data Collection Activities – Protection of Privacy While collecting, reviewing, and processing data, contractor personnel will have access to sensitive information concerning people connected with the cases being investigated. It is essential that the privacy of this information be maintained. Only contractor personnel and individuals authorized by NHTSA must be permitted access to case information. PCRs, medical records, and other sensitive information must not be left out where they may be viewed by unauthorized personnel. Sensitive information must be stored in locked filing cabinets or a secure portion of the PSU facility when not in use. After receipt of a case has been confirmed by the QCC or other assigned designee, all PSU files or handwritten notes for that case must be destroyed within thirty (30) days. All requests for case information from outside the contractor must be referred to NHTSA.

C.4.3.5 Data Collection Activities – Monitor PSU Performance Crash Technician Performance: Performance goals for each PSU must be established annually in consultation with the PSU staff, QCC, and COR based on unique characteristics and, if available, historical data collection experience at the PSU site. PSU performance goals for data completion rates must not be below fifty (50) percent and the performance goal for data quality must not be below eighty (80) percent. NHTSA will use performance metrics to assess underperformance among crash technicians so that retraining or probationary procedures can be applied, and shortcomings corrected.

If CT performance is below minimum performance thresholds for two (2) consecutive calendar quarters, then probation may be warranted, and the contractor must provide a written plan for correction. The plan must be sent to the COR with a copy to the respective PSU. If a crash technician’s performance is below the minimum performance standard for third consecutive quarter, the contractor must make an assessment on whether the crash technician should be removed from the CISS program.

The contractor is responsible for monitoring the timeliness of all data transmitted by the teams. Contractor management must monitor the rates at which the sampling accuracy goals are being met in PARSE, that all cases are being listed, that data entered into CISSWeb is complete, and that any updates and special circumstances are being entered into the team’s folder on CDAN shared space. The Shared Space folders within CDAN provide each PSU a location to store sensitive materials privately in an electronic format.

The QCC contractor will monitor these rates concurrently and will send reminders to the PSUs as to which cases, reports, etc., are overdue as defined by the submission dates established each year by NHTSA.

Trainee Performance: Trainees are personnel that are not fully qualified to work as Crash Technicians. CISS Basic Training (C.4.11 – CISS Basic Training Requirements) is approximately six (6) months in duration and trainees have no caseload assigned to them during this time. Following Basic Training, each trainee is subject to a six-month probationary period. The QCC contractor is responsible for reviewing the performance of trainees during their probationary period following Basic Training. During the probationary period, each crash technician will perform sampling and fieldwork on a reduced caseload basis (one case per week) before they are qualified to assume a full caseload. The QCC contractor will work closely with them to assess and incrementally improve their skills and address any shortcomings. The QCC contractor will conduct site visits within a month of the end their formal training. In addition, the QCC will analyze each trainees’ aptitude of CISS protocols and concepts and evaluate their retention of crash investigation principles. Based on this analysis, the QCC will make recommendations to the contractor as to whether they should qualify the trainee to full CT status, offer remedial training, or recommend the contractor remove the trainee from the project. The QCC will provide the COR, the NHTSA Training Coordinator (C.4.11.1 – Basic Training), and the contractor with the results of its findings and justification behind their recommendations.

The COR and the NHTSA Training Coordinator will discuss the results with the contractor to determine the potential courses of action (e.g., qualify, retrain, or remove) to be taken.

Crash Technician Assistant Performance: CTA’s support the PSU primarily in sampling activities, various data coding assignments, and the timely acquisition of medical records.

They must meet the sampling accuracy goals outlined in C.4.3.2 (Data Collection Activities

– Sampling) and the medical record acquisition goals of the PSU, which are based on historical performance. Their activities may be PSU-specific and will vary based on The needs of the PSU. Their performance must be regularly monitored by the contractor and any performance issues addressed.

C.4.4 – PSU Personnel Management and Replacement

C.4.4.1 PSU Personnel Management The contractor must be responsible for the management and support of PSU personnel. The contractor must use best efforts to hire and retain the best-qualified individuals since PSU team stability is the cornerstone of data collection success. The contractor must provide continuous support to the PSUs.

C.4.4.2 PSU Personnel Replacement When it is necessary for the contractor to hire replacement personnel for a PSU, the contractor must hire replacements who must commence work no later than six (6) weeks before the next scheduled CISS Basic Training. Under certain circumstances, the contractor may select existing contractor staff who are experienced CTs to transfer and fill vacancies.

The COR may also waive all requirements to this clause under unusual circumstances.

When no experienced CTs are available as replacements, candidates may be hired consistent within the procedures in Section 4.2 above. If a PSU has no trained personnel for a time, the contractor must be responsible for maintaining the sampling requirements and a caseload of at least one (1) case per month.

Every trainee must be on probation until the successful completion of all Basic Training activities and post-training probationary field work of approximately six (6) months. The contractor is responsible for ensuring that all trainees complete the following:

(1) Completion of the NHTSA Basic Training modules along with pre-tests and post-tests at the contractor's PSU;

(2) Completion of six (6) separate one-week training courses either virtually or at a location specified by NHTSA;

(3) Other homework and field exercises as required;

(4) Successful completion of the CISS basic competency evaluation;

(5) Satisfactory completion of casework during probationary period; and

(6) Annual completion of Bloodborne Pathogens training and competency certification.

As appropriate, trainees may require concept familiarization courses. They must also review applicable manuals for the CISS programs and databases for which they will use.

Review of the NHTSA CISS Basic Training modules is also recommended for newly hired CTAs.

C.4.5 – PSU Area Documentation

During the first six (6) weeks of the contract, the contractor must document area characteristics or become familiar with existing characteristics of areas already operational with an emphasis on those police jurisdictions that have been selected for CISS sampling.

The required information must include, but is not limited to, the items listed in Attachment J.15 – Area Documentation. Detailed road maps or mapping applications and other supporting materials must be available at the Contractor and PSU office to assist.

Many police jurisdictions are concerned about permitting access to their crash reports and the potential for disruption of their normal police activities. Special emphasis should be placed on problems that are unique to each PSU. Problems related to collecting PCRs, collecting data, obtaining, and maintaining cooperation, the size and accessibility of the geographic area, the safety of team in high crime areas, and unique circumstances of local conditions must be documented in detail.

C.4.6 – PSU Local Cooperation

C.4.6.1 Maintain CISS Cooperation of Local Officials One of the most important responsibilities for the contractor is the establishment and maintenance of community cooperation. The contractor, on an on-going basis, must understand which area police agencies report traffic crashes; the tow yards, police impounds or private towing services and garages that are authorized to receive vehicles;

the hospitals and clinics that treat crash victims; and any boards or associations that may be helpful in fostering community support. The information must be maintained at the PSU and by the contractor with copies available to NHTSA through Shared Space on CDAN.

State and local statutes must also be maintained and regularly updated as highway safety and privacy issues evolve.

Within three (3) weeks after the award, the contractor must visit each PSU to advise and assist the CISS PSU staff in maintaining and improving on cooperation with local police agencies, hospitals, tow yards, and other pertinent officials. Examples of this include any PSU-specific historical information and privacy policies, methods of medical information acquisition, and templates that may have been used to obtain medical, or other data at certain locations. Historical information such as this is stored in each PSU’s team folder in CDAN Shared Space and should be updated regularly.

The contractor must be responsible for negotiating, documenting, and maintaining cooperation agreements with each police agency and relevant hospitals and tow yards.

Copies of these agreements must be kept on file on CDAN Shared Space. To properly operate within the PSU, the PSU staff must have permission to obtain electronic traffic crash reports, scan or copy crash reports and other selected reports for further investigation, paying a fee if necessary. The contractor must obtain all available medical records from medical providers and obtain autopsy reports from the Office of the Coroner or Medical Examiner, paying a fee if necessary. If possible, the contractor should make its best efforts to obtain medical records available without patient releases. Any changes to these formal agreements must be documented so that accurate records are always available describing the level of cooperation, contact personnel information, and the working agreement in effect. The contractor must inform the COR of any changes in medical or police jurisdiction conditions that may affect data collection. The contractor must document changes in local statutes that relate to highway safety, cooperation, or privacy issues.

Periodic modifications to sampling protocol by NHTSA might require substitutions in the specific agencies that are included in sampling. Any NHTSA changes in a primary sampling police jurisdiction require amendments to an existing agreement, the contractor must obtain a new or modified agreement within ninety (90) days after notice from the COR that changes are required.

C.4.6.2 Maintaining Community Cooperation Throughout the duration of the contract, the contractor must maintain cooperation with all local officials at each PSU. The contractor must expand upon and improve agreements using best efforts to achieve 100% cooperation. Local cooperation is the foundation of the CISS program, the contractor must use best efforts to gain or improve cooperation with the local communities to maintain and increase support.

The contractor must obtain a copy of all area documentation, pertinent maps, and state laws that may affect data collection activities. The contractor must be familiar with the local medical providers, police and tow yard operators, and local organizations such as hospital boards, trucking associations, and similar organizations that may be helpful. The contractor must notify the COR immediately of any problems that may affect cooperation.

C.4.7 – In-House CISS Quality Control

PSU personnel must perform quality review of all case materials after the initial completion of a case at a PSU site. The review must follow an “In-House Quality Control Procedure” plan. A draft “In-House Quality Control Procedure” plan must be submitted to the COR no later than four (4) weeks after award. Within two (2) weeks after submission, the COR will return the plan with edits and comments. Within two (2) weeks following the return of the draft plan, the contractor must submit the final plan to the COR for approval.

In general, the contractor’s “In-House Quality Control Procedure” must have the personnel at each PSU must review each other's cases. PSU’s containing only one technician due to vacancies will have their cases reviewed remotely via CDAN by personnel at another PSU or a trained PSU Operations staff member (e.g., Relief Technician, Field Operations Manager, etc.). Crash technicians must examine each case for completeness and accuracy.

All paper references to a case or an update to that case must be scanned/entered into the CISSWeb case and then destroyed as soon as the case has been officially approved by the QCC. When consistent errors, negative trends, missing data, or any other potential shortcomings are identified at the PSUs, the contractor, in coordination with the QCC, must analyze the root causes of shortcomings more closely and then be responsive to any corrective actions suggested by the QCC. This can result in additional training to correct deficiencies and closer analysis of cases until the issues are resolved. The contractor is required to make recommendations on potential work processes, data element collection and coding efforts, and field procedures that can be improved. These recommendations should generally be included in the Monthly Progress Report (C.4.10.1) and submitted to the respective PSU.

C.4.8 – Non-Sample Jurisdiction Counts

Many PSUs cover large geographic areas that will include numerous police jurisdictions.

It is not feasible to include every police jurisdiction in the weekly sampling activities because of the amount of time that would be devoted to reviewing and listing many crash reports and/or traveling long distances each week. To account for the crashes that are reported by police jurisdictions not regularly included in the weekly sample, and to ensure that each geographic location reflects a true sampling representation of the PSU geographic areas, “non-sample jurisdiction counts” are required. On a quarterly basis, or more frequent, if necessary, PSU staff members must visit all non-sample police jurisdictions (those that are not sampled weekly) within the geographic boundaries of each PSU and list every crash report which has occurred since the last visit using the same stratification schema as weekly sampling. NHTSA will use these listings to improve the accuracy of the estimates made from the automated data files for periodic updates of the jurisdiction sample. On an annual basis, NHTSA will provide the contractor with a schedule for non-sample counts.

C.4.9 – Meeting and Workshops

C.4.9.1 Project “Kick-Off” Meeting Within four (4) weeks after award, the contractor must meet with the COR, Contracting Officer, and other interested NHTSA personnel in person or virtually through a web-based video conferencing platform. The purpose of this meeting is to discuss the:

• administration of the contract;

• project’s objectives;

• planned course of action;

• milestones and deliverables, project schedule and time allocations for each task;

• responsibilities of subcontractors (if any) and individual staff members;

• anticipated resource allocations among the tasks;

• draft research, analysis, and risk plans;

• other matters the contractor or Government identifies.

The contractor must anticipate two (2) business days for this meeting. The contractor must have technical personnel present who can discuss the technical details of its management plan, program objectives, and quality control procedures to NHTSA personnel.

C.4.9.2 Field Crash Investigator Training The contractor must attend an annual Field Crash Investigator Training (FCIT). The contractor must have their entire staff attend the workshop and assist in the training of CTs during the fieldwork (actual hands-on training in the field) aspects of the training and conduct presentations on topics agreed upon in advance of the training when requested by NHTSA. The training will focus on new or changing data elements and requirements to enhance the data set, changes in field procedures, new and/or modified investigation techniques, case review topics, quality control enhancements, and improvements and any areas that have been deemed problematic. The contractor must submit topics for an agenda to the COR four (4) months prior to the workshop.

Field Crash Investigator Training (FCIT) training course must be conducted for up to five

(5) days at the end of each calendar year. All crash technicians must attend the update training when held, which is usually conducted at a specific location determined by NHTSA at least eight (8) weeks prior to the event. The contractor must be responsible for securing meeting rooms, hotel accommodations and all related supplies and equipment for this training when it is held at a location determined by NHTSA.

C.4.10 – Reporting Procedures

C.4.10.1 Monthly Progress Reports The contractor must submit a monthly progress report to the COR that describes performance, timeliness, and data quality for each PSU and each of the CTs. Data quality and completion rates for vehicle inspections, event data recorder (EDR) acquisition, occupant interviews, medical records, timeliness of submitted cases, and data quality constitute the components for performance standards must be itemized. Minimum performance standards for crash technicians and performance goals for each PSU must be established annually in consultation with the QCC and COR based on unique characteristics and, if available, historical data collection experience at the PSU site. This report should consist of metrics related the completion status of cases by each PSU, acquisition rates of vehicles and interviews in comparison of goals, and timeliness of submitted cases. The contractor must use the reports already automatically generated within CDAN as a starting point to avoid replication. The contractor must also report overall acquisition percentages for vehicle inspections, EDR, interviews and medical record acquisition.

The contractor must report the number of hours worked along with the associated cost of staff members to meet the goals of the contract. The hours worked must be itemized in the report for each month with a cumulative total for each staff member.

This information can be combined with the Monthly Business Progress Report outlined in F.5.1 – Monthly Business Progress Reports.

C.4.10.2 Mid-Year Performance Reports The contractor must submit a mid-year statistical report to the COR that summarizes the performance of the PSUOC. The report must cover key successes and shortcomings, the status of submissions, modifications, procedures, personnel status, and any other items deemed noteworthy. The contractor must support case statistics with enough narrative and graphics that allow the reader to assess the performance of each PSU. The contractor must use the reports already automatically generated within CDAN as a starting point to avoid replication.

C.4.10.3 Annual Performance Reports The contractor must submit a report that summarizes the performance of the PSUOC for the year. The report must provide detailed evaluations of each PSU and its operations. This includes a discussion of any positive and negative actions, improved performance metrics as well as an overall synopsis of activities for the year.

C.4.11 – CISS Training Requirements

C.4.11.1 CISS Basic Training Basic Training for new or replacement crash technicians will be provided by NHTSA both virtually and at the NHTSA Crash Investigation Training Academy located on the campus of the Transportation Safety Institute (TSI) in Oklahoma City, OK. The training process is overseen by the NHTSA and must consist of self-paced, computer-based lessons at the PSU followed by three (3) weeks of NHTSA-conducted virtual training and three (3) one (1) week classroom sessions at TSI. This is considered a full Basic Training cycle and lasts approximately six (6) months.