ATTACHMENT 3_DRAFT SOW Inbound Mail Ops - 1.29.2025.pdf

PROCUREMENT SENSITIVE INFORMATION:

This document contains non-public information intended for use on a need-to-know basis within FEMA only.

Please protect this document as procurement sensitive and handle accordingly.

Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA)

STATEMENT OF WORK

Inbound Mail Operations Support

January 23, 2025

1. BACKGROUND

The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), a component of the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, is authorized, pursuant to the Robert T. Stafford Disaster Relief and Emergency Assistance Act, as amended (42 U.S.C. Chapter 68), to assist individuals and households following Presidentially-declared disasters and emergencies. In cooperation with state governments, FEMA provides assistance to disaster victims in accordance with the Act.

These programs receive extensive visibility from the highest levels of federal, state, and local governments and are continually reported on in the public media.

Disaster declarations and resulting assistance applications create a need to process large quantities of inbound applicant correspondence in a short timeframe. Privacy, accuracy, and timely delivery of services are required to ensure that the needs of the disaster applicant are met through the most expedient means possible.

FEMA has determined that contractor support services are the most efficient way to manage the inbound mail operations.

2. PURPOSE

This contract supports FEMA’s Individuals and Households Program (IHP) by providing readiness and surge resources for disaster applicants’ correspondence. This contract seeks to establish contractor mail operations with an adequate infrastructure and qualified, trained staff.

The contractor operation shall be ready at the time of a declared disaster to begin accepting and processing inbound correspondence from disaster applicants in the designated geographical area(s) covered by each Presidential Declaration for Individual Assistance (IA) which is mailed to the FEMA facility in Hyattsville, Maryland. Whenever possible, FEMA will seek to provide the contractor with early notice of impending disaster declarations and projected volumes, but due to the nature of disaster activity this may not always be feasible. Therefore, the contractor shall make all necessary preparations and maintain adequate infrastructure to meet all requirements as they are received.

The processing of inbound mail includes mail pickup or receipt, document preparation, translation of non-English correspondence into English, scanning, tracking, filing, preparation of documents for National Archives and Records Administration (NARA) temporary storage of archive prepped documents, and, if needed, splitting of a fax/eCorrespondence document if more than one application is contained in a fax/eCorrespondence transmission.

3. SCOPE

The contractor shall provide all management, personnel, services, supplies, equipment (except for Government Furnished Equipment described below), and facilities necessary to operate a comprehensive, inbound mail processing operation including the scanning, digitization, translation, uploading of data to FEMA and preparation for archival of FEMA applicant mail and fax/eCorrespondence image review in accordance with the requirements of this SOW. Inbound applicant mail operations include pickup/receipt of all inbound mail from the United States Postal

Service (USPS), UPS, DHL, FedEx, or other commercially provided source. The contractor shall process all mail in accordance with the service levels identified in this SOW [see Section 7, Performance Standards-Timeliness (Service Levels)].

The contractor shall be responsible for meeting Service Levels as identified in this SOW. Based on disaster activity, the rate of document arrival and workload volume will vary greatly. Holidays and weekends are considered regular calendar production days as required in order to ensure that Service Levels are met.

The contractor shall perform phase-in activities that ensure their ability to assume full performance on or before the end of the phase-in period. The phase-in shall include actions to minimize disruption and start-up requirements. The phase-in actions shall consider recruiting, hiring, training, security requirements, and any other special considerations.

The contractor shall be fully operational, including facilities, equipment, information technology, training, personnel and requisite supplies within ninety (90) calendar days from date of contract award. All contractor facilities and employees dedicated to FEMA contract obligations must be located within the continental United States (CONUS). Inbound correspondence from disaster applicants in geographical area(s) covered by each Presidential Declaration is mailed to the FEMA facility in Hyattsville, Maryland for pickup by the contractor.

Note: Phase-in activities and/or transition period is not applicable to incumbent contractor.

4. TYPE OF CONTRACT

The contract will be a firm-fixed price IDIQ contract with task orders awarded for baseline work in the base year and any option year(s) FEMA chooses to award.

Surge workloads beyond baseline levels will be awarded as separate task orders and will be made on a per image basis CLIN.

5. PERIOD OF PERFORMANCE

Period of Performance: Base period of one year, consisting of a three-month transition period, and a nine-month full operations period, with four consecutive one-year option periods, exercised at FEMA’s discretion.

Note: Phase-in activities and/or transition period is not applicable to incumbent contractor.

6. CONTRACT REQUIREMENTS

The contractor shall:

Pickup/receive, at the Hyattsville, Maryland FEMA Recovery Service Center (RSC), formerly known as National Processing Service Center (NPSC), or the U.S Post Office identified by the COR, all inbound applicant mail from a variety of public and private sources, including but not limited to USPS, UPS, DHL, FedEx on a regular, recurring basis, Monday through Saturday (Sunday if required to meet Service Levels).

X-Ray all inbound letters, flats, parcels, and other material entering the mail operation system upon receipt at the facility using Computed Tomography (CT) X-ray detection equipment. The CT equipment shall presumptively classify scanned materials into a three-dimensional image for security assessment by the operators.

All inbound applicant mail documents are scanned except for those identified in Attachment A” Job Guideline for Inbound Mail Special Handling”. Correspondence containing cash, checks, money orders, etc., shall be separated & handled in accordance with Attachment A.

Open mail and stamp with date and time of receipt.

Translate non-English correspondence to English, regardless of language, and scan the English translation and associated correspondence as one document.

Associate a document separator/identifier with each document/batch.

Import scanned documents into FEMA’s database using an import application approved by Cyber Security.

Import fax/eCorrespondence documents into FEMA’s database using an import application approved by FEMA Cyber Security.

Ensure scanned documents and imported faxes/eCorrespondence contain complete information for only one applicant (faxes/eCorrespondence containing information for more than one applicant shall be split into separate documents).

Ensure translations are true, accurate and formatted in accordance with Attachment E: “Job Guide for Translations”.

Ensure translated mail, faxes, and eCorrespondence include a copy of the translation and the original document.

Faxes/eCorrespondence will be available to the contractor via FEMA’s system of record and will not be faxed directly to the contractor. Ensure imported fax/eCorrespondence and mail images are legible, and with proper page orientation.

Ensure imported fax/eCorrespondence contain no blank or duplicate pages.

Provide copies of original documents not yet sent to the National Archive Records Center at the request of the COR in accordance with Attachment B. Copies should be identified as “Certified True Copy of Original Document # (enter doc ID#)”.

Re-scan identified documents at the FEMA COR’s or designee’s request.

Sort and file scanned documents and FEMA Form 90-69 B (Privacy Act Statement/Declaration of Citizenship), in accordance with Attachment B, “Job Guideline for Document Sorting, Filing and Archiving”. At the direction of the COR, completed/filed work six months of age or older will be properly shredded and disposed of, or will be scheduled for transition to the National Archives Records Administration (NARA) in 3-month intervals by the COR or designee’s request.

Provide production reports as outlined in Section 9 of this SOW.

Maintain hours of operation sufficient for accomplishing all requirements of this SOW.

Disruptions or problems affecting the contractor’s ability to meet daily performance standards and any security issues including privacy breaches shall be reported by the contractor to the COR within 30 minutes of identification.

Maintain a capability to process a minimum monthly volume of 50,000 images of inbound mail. Surge conditions may require increased monthly production to process up to 1,250,000 images of inbound mail.

Maintain a capability to QC/review a minimum monthly volume of 100,000 fax/eCorrespondence images of inbound mail. Surge conditions may require increased monthly production of up to 6,000,000 inbound fax/eCorrespondence images.

Maintain a capability to process a minimum monthly translation volume of 400 inbound mail/fax/e-correspondence documents. Surge conditions may require increased monthly translation volume of up to 90,000 inbound mail/fax/eCorrespondence documents.

Process all mail that requires special handling. FEMA estimates the amount of mail requiring special handling to be approximately 1% of the inbound monthly mail documents.

Attachment A describes special handling procedures.

High Priority Processing – The contractor shall, from time to time, at the request of FEMA provide for high priority processing. High priority processing requires the contractor to accelerate the service level for prepping, scanning, importing documents and usage of a unique identifier for tracking purposes. FEMA will advise the contractor in writing, no less than one day (24 hrs) prior to the need, with the estimated number of documents and the expected timeframe that they will arrive for processing.

As appropriate and when directed by the COR, the contractor shall arrange for and ensure proper shredding and destruction of any documents no longer needed to be retained for

FEMA.

Additionally, the COVID-19 Funeral Project began in 2021 in order to provide special handling in the processing of inbound documents for individuals with funeral expenses incurred from COVID-19. At FEMA’s sole discretion this project may continue for an undetermined period of time, and if so, the inbound mail contractor shall perform the following tasks related to the COVID Funeral Project:

Processing COVID Funeral Assistance faxes received at the designated FEMA directory location.

Processing eCorrespondence documents received per FEMA eCorrespondence transmission requirements.

Pick up of Funeral Assistance mail shall be from the U.S. Post Office in Hyattsville.

Pick up all Funeral Assistance mail received at the Maryland FEMA Recovery Service Center that may include but not be limited to USPS, DHL, FedEx on a regular recurring basis, Monday through Saturday (Sunday if required to meet Service Levels).

X-Ray all inbound letters, flats, parcels, and other material entering the mail operation system upon receipt at the facility using Computed Tomography (CT) X-ray detection equipment. The CT equipment shall presumptively classify scanned materials into a three-dimensional image for security assessment by the operators.

Scan all inbound applicant mail documents except those identified in Attachment A” Job Guideline for Inbound Mail Special Handling” of the existing inbound mail ops IDIQ contract.

Correspondence containing cash, checks, money orders, etc., shall be separated & handled in accordance with Attachment A.

Stamp with date and time of receipt each envelope of documents received via mail.

Translate non-English correspondence to English, regardless of language, and scan the English translation and associated correspondence as one document.

FEMA plans to implement an automated process for all documents received under the COVID-19 Funeral Assistance Project including those that are uploaded via the Disaster Assistance Center/DAC and may require the vendor also to separate the uploaded documents; however, it is also possible that FEMA will successfully auto index all documents received under these specific disasters assigned to this project.

Contents of each document received shall be split based on each document content type and placed in import network folders that will be created specifically for multiple item types of documents that will be received under the Funeral Assistance project.

Death Certificate

• Document image of a death certificate shall be placed in this folder. Coroner’s Report, physician’s statement or images of documents received not listed above shall be placed here.

Funeral Receipt/Expenses Document

• Document images of funeral home receipts, cemetery receipts shall be placed in this folder, from funeral home Statement, marker/headstone receipt, cremation receipt, etc.

Burial Insurance Settlement

• Document images of Burial Insurance Settlement or denial statement shall be placed in this folder, along with life insurance documents.

Funeral Appeal Letter

• Document images of a Funeral Assistance Appeal letter/statement shall be placed in this folder, as well as letters from applicants requesting appeal.

COVID Identity

• Government issued photo ID of proof of identity, copy of passwords.

• Documents from the Social Security Administration (SSA), Medicare, or other federal entities (NOT including Internal Revenue Services (IRS) forms);

• Social Security card, if accompanied by a current state or federal ID;

• Current payroll check stub;

• Military ID;

• Documents showing proof of name change, such as marriage, civil union, or domestic partnership certificate or name change court order;

• United States passport booklet or card; OR

• In Puerto Rico, the photo Voter’s Registration card (when the applicant fails for

NAME ONLY).

Funeral – Other

• Document images that do not pertain to one of the above categories, and copies of envelopes.

Note: in the event that network folders and DMARTS auto indexing process is not functional, the inbound mail operations contractor shall split documents as indicated above and import images of correspondence received using the standard import folder that is used for all other FEMA correspondence.

Each document/separated document shall require a barcoded FEMA cover page

A copy of the received barcoded FEMA cover page shall be made and added to each document split.

FEMA will provide a barcoded FEMA cover page template that shall be manually added to each document type by the contractor.

The FEMA barcode cover page will also include indexing instructions in the event that manual indexing in DMARTS is necessary.

The Contractor shall sort each document. Selecting the correct document type, and entering the disaster Number and Registration ID.

If the document is missing either the Disaster # or the Registration ID; The contractor shall attempt to sort the document, indexing First Name, Last Name, and Address1, City, State and postal code if that information is present in the document.

The barcode cover sheet shall then be created and placed at the front of the separated document. Disaster # and Registration ID (if present) shall be placed on the document in Times New Roman font AND 3of9 barcode. If the name and/or address has been indexed on the document, then if any part of Disaster # and Registration ID is present, it shall be placed on the cover sheet as per “e” above. Then the name and address information shall be placed on the designated location in Times New Roman font. No bar code shall be added for name or address fields.

All Funeral Assistance images shall have a document priority preset to “Low” before placing in the FEMA network import folder unless indicated otherwise by the COR.

The source of each document (mail import, fax, upload) shall be recorded for reporting reasons.

Import scanned documents into FEMA’s database using an import application approved by Cyber Security.

Import fax/eCorrespondence documents into FEMA’s database using an import application approved by FEMA Cyber Security.

Where scanned documents and imported faxes/eCorrespondence contain more than a single item type, they shall be split into separate documents prior to uploading.

Faxes/eCorrespondence will be available to the contractor via FEMA’s system of record and will not be faxed directly to the contractor.

Ensure imported fax/eCorrespondence and mail images are legible, and with proper page orientation.

Re-scan identified documents at the FEMA COR’s or designee’s request.

At the direction of the COR, completed/filed work six months of age or older shall be properly shredded and disposed of, or shall be scheduled for transition to the National Archives Records Administration (NARA) in 3-month intervals by the COR or designee’s request.

Provide daily production reports to the COR by 9:00 EST Monday – Saturday unless otherwise approved in writing by the COR. Reporting content is as follows:

Inbound document count: US Mail, Faxes, Uploads

• Daily, Cumulative, Pending

• Returned Mail: All returned mail shall be handled with the rest of IA disaster returned mail and does not need to be separated.

Documents Scanned:

• Daily, Cumulative, Pending

Documents released for import to FEMA:

• Daily, Cumulative, Pending

Images Released for Import to FEMA

• Daily, Cumulative, Pending

Translated Document Count

• Daily, Cumulative, Pending

Returned to FEMA (Red Flag) original legal documents received via US Mail such as:

• Death certificates, identify cards, driver’s license, etc.

Disruptions or problems affecting the contractor’s ability to meet daily performance standards and any security issues including privacy breaches shall be reported by the contractor to the COR within 30 minutes of identification.

Process all mail that requires special handling. FEMA estimates the amount of mail requiring special handling to be approximately 1% of the inbound monthly mail documents. Attachment A of this IDIQ SOW describes special handling procedures.

The contractor shall provide a storage site that meets FEMA requirements, listed below, for temporary storage of federal records. When storing records temporarily, the contractor shall abide by the following guidelines:

• Ensure project records are stored separately from the rest of FEMA scanned records.

• Ensure the records are located away from known risks such as water, fire, mold, etc.

• Do not place boxes directly on the floor; place on pallets or shelves.

• Do not store records in direct sunlight.

• Storage areas should be well ventilated and insulated. Avoid storage areas that are too hot.

• Store records so that they can be identified, located, and retrieved easily.

Deliverables

The contractor shall provide a phase-in plan within 14 calendar days of award, detailing the schedule and necessary activities to begin contract performance in accordance with contract requirements.

The contractor shall provide a phase-out plan within 14 calendar days of request by the COR, detailing the schedule and necessary activities to meet all contract requirements through the end of the period of performance and end contract performance in a satisfactory manner.

The contractor shall provide a Continuity of Operations Plan (COOP) within 30 calendar days of award. This plan shall include procedures to ensure that operational support is available, without interruption, to support 50 percent of all capacity requirements. The plan shall also address the actions and timeframe required to regain 100 percent of the capacity requirements of the SOW. Finally, the plan shall include a complete description of the alternative mail operations site and, 1) a detailed breakdown of costs to maintain and operate the COOP site and, 2) a detailed breakdown of costs unexpended at the closed original facility. The COOP Plan must be approved by the COR.

Within 30 calendar days of award, the contractor shall submit two copies of the updated Quality Control Plan (QCP) to the COR (draft plan to be submitted with proposal). The QCP shall outline the contractor’s plan to ensure achievement of the performance standards of the SOW, as provided in Section 7 of this SOW. The QCP shall address identifying and correcting deficiencies, scheduled delivery of services, technical performance, and staff training. The COR will review and accept the QCP or return it for revision or implementation.

The contractor shall implement and maintain the COR-approved QCP.

The contractor shall establish and maintain an inspection system that ensures compliance with the contractor’s QCP and maintain a local file of all QCP inspections.

This file shall be available to the COR or designee at all times during the life of the contract.

Subsequent to award, any revisions to the QCP shall be submitted to the COR for review and approval.

7. PERFORMANCE STANDARDS

The contractor shall perform all requirements outlined in this SOW and achieve the performance standards for each function of the operation as described below:

Service Levels Pick up mail and stamp with date and time of receipt from designated location.

Correspondence (including returned mail) received Monday through Saturday (Sunday if required to meet Service Levels) is prepped, scanned and uploaded within 48 hours of contractor receipt.

Inbound fax/eCorrespondence are processed/uploaded within 48 hours of receipt by the contractor.

Requests for copies of original documents shall be processed within 24 hours of the time received by contractor.

Correspondence requiring special handling is sorted and processed within 48 hours of contractor receipt.

Correspondence requiring translation is translated, prepped, scanned and uploaded within 72 hours of contractor receipt. Date and time of contractor’s original receipt of correspondence (mail/fax/eCorrespondence) begins the Service Level requirement.

Documents requiring rework/rescanning at the request of the COR shall be processed within 24 hours of contractor receipt.

Any Service Level may be temporarily extended by up to 48 hours with prior written approval from the COR.

Holidays and weekends are considered regular calendar production days in relation to Service Levels.

Quality

Batched documents are accurately marked with bar codes/batch identifiers (or in accordance with Government provided software) and identified 100 percent of the time.

The security of personally identifiable information is of the utmost importance to FEMA. Thus scanned documents and imported faxes shall contain complete information for only one applicant, 100 percent of the time.

Translations are true and accurate 99 percent of the time (with a minimum score of 95%) in accordance with Attachment E.

Translated mail, fax/eCorrespondence include copies of translation and original document 99 percent of the time.

Imported fax/eCorrespondence and mail images are legible, and with proper page orientation 99 percent of the time.

Imported fax/eCorrespondence contain no blank or duplicate pages 99 percent of the time.

Documents prepared for archiving will be boxed in accordance with Attachment B 99 percent of the time.

8. CONTRACT REQUIREMENTS

8.1 Contractor Provided Resources

The contractor is required to furnish all facilities, equipment (except for GFE), personnel, supplies (including file boxes that comply with NARA requirements), computers, communications, and other resources to achieve the requirements of this SOW.

The contractor shall provide a storage site that meets FEMA requirements, listed below, for temporary storage of federal records. When storing records temporarily, the contractor must abide by the following guidelines:

Ensure the records are located away from known risks such as water, fire, mold, etc.

Do not place boxes directly on the floor; place on pallets or shelves.

Do not store records in direct sunlight.

Storage areas should be well ventilated and insulated. Avoid storage areas that are too hot.

Store records so that they can be identified, located and retrieved easily.

8.2 Staffing

The contractor shall perform all recruiting, screening, hiring, and monitoring of staff under this contract.

The contractor shall provide supervisory/management personnel and quality assurance personnel required for effective management of the work.

The contractor shall train employees on processes, procedures, and performance standards identified in this SOW and any attachments hereto.

The contractor shall ensure personnel have met HSPD- 12 and NIST Pub 201 requirements prior to the employees having any access to a DHS information system or FEMA applicant information. See Attachment G for details.

The contractor shall comply with applicable Department of Labor (DOL) wage determinations and provide FEMA CO with access to payroll records for required monitoring.

The contractor shall maintain an updated listing of all contractor personnel working under this contract and provide a copy to the COR upon staffing changes. This listing must include personnel information, including but not limited to the following: the person’s full legal name, Social Security number, home address, contact phone, date of hire, date(s) of training completion, dates and results of security clearance (s), date of separation, and reason for separation.

No later than two weeks prior to start of performance, the contractor shall provide to the COR a listing of all personnel who will require logistical access to FEMA's IT network for performance of work under this contract.

All contractor supervisors, managers, quality assurance personnel must speak, read, and write English fluently.

Contractor IT Personnel:

The contractor shall identify an on-site information technology (IT) system security officer responsible for ensuring client privacy and confidentiality.

The contractor shall identify a minimum of two contractor personnel as points of contact for FEMA IT. These personnel will be responsible for working with FEMA IT personnel to resolve technical issues causing service disruptions.

8.3 Hardware, Software, Supplies and Data Services

The contractor shall:

Provide and maintain all necessary facilities, equipment, supplies and services to support document preparation, scanning, archiving, fax/eCorrespondence services and any other requirements under this SOW; e.g. NARA-approved archival boxes, document coversheets, office supplies, scanners, etc. (with the exception of FEMA provided GFE).

Provide and maintain security X-ray document scanning equipment necessary to ensure the appropriate protection of personnel, equipment, and facilities. See Attachment F, “Suspicious Mail or Packages”.

Provide workstation access for on-site FEMA representatives with the ability to access the Mail Management software during site visits. The contractor should estimate that FEMA representatives will make a minimum of 4 visits per year. The contractor shall provide workspace and telephones at the contractor’s provided site. Provide access to facsimile machines with send-and-receive capability, equipment to perform copying and printing, access to shipping and receiving, and standard office supplies for government administration of the contract.

Contractor shall submit proposed Cisco VPN concentrator specifications to FEMA IT security for approval. Provide a dedicated data connection exclusively for the purposes of achieving the requirements of this SOW, with a 5MB minimum with 20MB burst capability, 100MB recommended connection (physical interface capability for scanned data transmission). The scanning and importing functions require sufficient memory and bandwidth.

Provide FEMA network account requests in a CSV (comma-separated values) or XLS (Microsoft Excel spreadsheet) file with the following information in the specified column order: legal last name, legal first name, Social Security number (SSN), facility location, and security clearance. All fields must be provided before an account will be created. Account creation requests should be submitted to COR or designated representative.

8.4 Compliance with Laws, Regulations and Manuals

The contractor shall be responsible for having a good working knowledge and technical understanding of the following laws, regulations and manuals pertaining to Official Mail and the DHS/FEMA Mail Management Program. Knowledge of laws, regulations and mail management procedures are necessary to operate a professional Mail Center for FEMA. Contractor personnel shall be trained in mail regulations and general mail management information.

Title 39, U.S.C., Sections 3202-3209 Title 18, U.S.C., Section 1719, "Franking Privilege" Title 41 Code of Federal Regulations (CFR), Chapter 102, Part 102-192 Title 39 CFR, United States Postal Service, Chapter I, Sub-chapter E - Restrictions on

Private Carriage of Letters, Part 310 and 320 GSA Bulletin, FPMR B-65, Archives and Records, "Mail Preparation and Economy" USPS Domestic Mail Manual USPS International Mail Manual Annual USPS letter, "Payment of Official Mail"

DHS MD 4300A

Upon request, the contractor shall provide to the COR copies of mail management manuals and Standard Operating Procedures (SOP) demonstrating the contractor’s adherence and understanding of the above guidance in performing the requirements and functions of this SOW.

The contractor shall maintain a clean and safe working environment in full compliance with applicable Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) standards.

Section 504 Requirements The Contractor/Provider shall comply fully with Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973, as amended, which prohibits discrimination against qualified individuals with disabilities. No otherwise qualified individual with a disability shall, solely by reason of his or her disability, be excluded from participation in, be denied the benefits of, or subjected to discrimination under any program or activity for which the Contractor/Provider is awarded a contract and/or receives federal financial assistance from the Federal Emergency Management Agency. This includes, but is not limited to, providing reasonable accommodations and modifications to ensure effective communication access, physical access, and program access to all participants, including persons with disabilities. The Contractor/Provider shall incorporate this language in any subcontracts related to the provision of the FEMA public-facing program or activity.

Section 508 Requirements Section 508 of the Rehabilitation Act, as amended by the Workforce Investment Act of 1998 (P.L. 105-220) (codified at 29 U.S.C. § 794d) requires that when Federal agencies develop, procure, maintain, or use information and communications technology (ICT), it shall be accessible to people with disabilities. Federal employees and members of the public with disabilities must be afforded access to and use of information and data comparable to that of Federal employees and members of the public without disabilities.

1. All products, platforms and services delivered as part of this work statement that, by definition, are deemed ICT or that contain ICT shall conform to the revised regulatory implementation of Section 508 Standards, which are located at 36 C.F.R. § 1194.1 & Apps. A, C & D, and available at https://www.gpo.gov/fdsys/pkg/CFR-2017-title36-vol3/pdf/CFR-2017-title36-vol3-part1194.pdf. In the revised regulation, ICT replaced the term electronic and information technology (EIT) used in the original 508 standards.

2. When developing or modifying ICT for the government, the contractor shall ensure the ICT fully conforms to the applicable Section 508 Standards. When modifying a commercially available or government-owned ICT, the contractor shall not reduce the original ICT Item’s level of Section 508 conformance.

3. When developing or modifying ICT that are delivered in an electronic Microsoft Office or Adobe PDF format, the contractor shall demonstrate conformance by providing Section 508 test results based on the Accessible Electronic Documents – Community of Practice (AED COP) Harmonized Testing Guidance at https://www.dhs.gov/508-testing.

4. When developing or modifying software that generates electronic content (e.g., an authoring tool that is used to create html pages, reports, surveys, charts, dashboards, etc.), the contractor shall ensure software can be used to create electronic content that conforms to the Section 508 standards.

5. Contractor personnel shall possess the knowledge, skills and abilities necessary to address the applicable revised Section 508 Standards for each ICT.

6. Exceptions for this work statement have been determined by DHS and only the exceptions described herein may be applied. Any request for additional exceptions shall be sent to the Contracting Officer and a determination will be made according to DHS Directive 139-05, Office of Accessible Systems and Technology, dated November 12, 2018 and DHS Instruction 139-05-001, Managing the Accessible Systems and Technology Program, dated November 20, 2018.

Instructions to Contractor

1. For each ICT Item that will be developed, modified, installed, configured, integrated, maintained, or hosted by the contractor pursuant to this contract, the contractor shall provide an acknowledgement of the Section 508 requirements and a detailed explanation of the Contractors plan to ensure conformance with the requirements. The Contractor shall also describe the evaluation methods that will be used to validate for conformance to the Section 508 Standards.

https://www.gpo.gov/fdsys/pkg/CFR-2017-title36-vol3/pdf/CFR-2017-title36-vol3-part1194.pdf https://www.gpo.gov/fdsys/pkg/CFR-2017-title36-vol3/pdf/CFR-2017-title36-vol3-part1194.pdf https://www.dhs.gov/508-testing

Acceptance Criteria

1. Before accepting items that contain Information and Communications Technology (ICT) that are developed, modified, or configured according to this contract, the government reserves the right to require the contractor to provide the following:

o Accessibility test results based on the required test methods.

o Documentation of features provided to help achieve accessibility and usability for people with disabilities.

o Documentation of core functions that cannot be accessed by persons with disabilities.

o Documentation on how to configure and install the ICT Item to support accessibility.

o Demonstration of the ICT Item’s conformance to the applicable Section 508

Standards, (including the ability of the ICT Item to create electronic content – where applicable).

2. Before accepting ICT required under the contract, the government reserves the right to perform testing on required ICT items to validate the Contractor’s Section 508 conformance claims. If the government determines that Section 508 conformance claims provided by the Contractor represent a higher level of conformance than what is actually provided to the agency, the government shall, at its option, require the Contractor to remediate the item to align with the Contractor’s original Section 508 conformance claims prior to acceptance.

9. REPORTING REQUIREMENTS

9.1 Daily reports

Daily reports are due to the COR by 9:00 a.m. EST Monday - Saturday unless otherwise approved in writing by the COR. Reporting content is as follows:

Inbound document (mail) count (including UPS, DHL, and other carrier package counts)

USPS

Priority/Certified Returned Mail Cumulative

Documents scanned Daily Cumulative Balance of inbound documents to be scanned

Images scanned Daily Cumulative

Documents released for import to FEMA Daily

Cumulative Balance to be released to FEMA

Translated document count Daily Cumulative Documents to be translated

Number of fax/eCorrespondence images reviewed/removed/printed Daily Cumulative Balance left to be reviewed

Number of document copy requests processed Daily Cumulative Balance left to be processed

Mail received containing cash and amount thereof Daily Cumulative

Mail received containing original legal documents

Images released for import to FEMA

Documents received for translation

Documents sent to other locations (i.e. SBA, Finance, etc.)

Cumulative

Number of archived boxes prepped for NARA

Sample Daily Report

Date Total Incoming

Mail Images

Scanned Documents

Scanned

Docs Remaining to be scanned

(MTD)

9069 B Processed for NARA

Total Documents Processed

Scanned Images Imported

Scanned Documents Imported

Documents Remaining to be Imported

Incoming Documents to be Translated

Translated Documents Validated

Documents Remaining to be Translated

Number of Fax Documents Reviewed

Number of Fax Images Reviewed

Number of Faxed Images Deleted

Faxed Images Removed for Translation

Number of eDocs Reviewed

Number of eDoc Images Reviewed

Number of eDoc Images Deleted eDoc Images Removed for Translation

0 371 371 Friday, May 01, 2020 Saturday, May 02, 2020 Sunday, May 03, 2020 Monday, May 04, 2020 Tuesday, May 05, 2020 Wednesday, May 06, 2020 Thursday, May 07, 2020 Friday, May 08, 2020 Saturday, May 09, 2020 Sunday, May 10, 2020 Monday, May 11, 2020 Tuesday, May 12, 2020 Wednesday, May 13, 2020 Thursday, May 14, 2020 Friday, May 15, 2020 Saturday, May 16, 2020 Sunday, May 17, 2020 Monday, May 18, 2020 Tuesday, May 19, 2020 Wednesday, May 20, 2020 Thursday, May 21, 2020 Friday, May 22, 2020 Saturday, May 23, 2020 Sunday, May 24, 2020 Monday, May 25, 2020 Tuesday, May 26, 2020 Wednesday, May 27, 2020 Thursday, May 28, 2020 Friday, May 29, 2020 Saturday, May 30, 2020 Sunday, May 31, 2020

MTD Total 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0

INCOMING MAIL

Documents Processed Document Validation Translation Fax Split eDocuments

Date

USPS

Priority/ Certified

Return Mail IU

Non- USPS Translations

Special Handling

9069Bs for scanning

Total Incoming

Mail

Friday, May 01, 2020 Saturday, May 02, 2020 Sunday, May 03, 2020 Monday, May 04, 2020 Tuesday, May 05, 2020 Wednesday, May 06, 2020 Thursday, May 07, 2020 Friday, May 08, 2020 Saturday, May 09, 2020 Sunday, May 10, 2020 Monday, May 11, 2020 Tuesday, May 12, 2020 Wednesday, May 13, 2020 Thursday, May 14, 2020 Friday, May 15, 2020 Saturday, May 16, 2020 Sunday, May 17, 2020 Monday, May 18, 2020 Tuesday, May 19, 2020 Wednesday, May 20, 2020 Thursday, May 21, 2020 Friday, May 22, 2020 Saturday, May 23, 2020 Sunday, May 24, 2020 Monday, May 25, 2020 Tuesday, May 26, 2020 Wednesday, May 27, 2020 Thursday, May 28, 2020 Friday, May 29, 2020 Saturday, May 30, 2020 Sunday, May 31, 2020 MTD Total 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0

Incoming Mail Scanning

Boxes Prepped for

NARA

Date Monetary Value

Original Legal Pieces

Pieces sent to Other locations

Total Special

Handling Pieces

Requests Received

Requests processed

Requests left to be processed

Archive Boxes Prepped for

NARA Booklets Rec.

Booklets Returned

Booklets On-hand

- - 0 Friday, May 01, 2020 Saturday, May 02, 2020 Sunday, May 03, 2020 Monday, May 04, 2020 Tuesday, May 05, 2020 Wednesday, May 06, 2020 Thursday, May 07, 2020 Friday, May 08, 2020 Saturday, May 09, 2020 Sunday, May 10, 2020 Monday, May 11, 2020 Tuesday, May 12, 2020 Wednesday, May 13, 2020 Thursday, May 14, 2020 Friday, May 15, 2020 Saturday, May 16, 2020 Sunday, May 17, 2020 Monday, May 18, 2020 Tuesday, May 19, 2020 Wednesday, May 20, 2020 Thursday, May 21, 2020 Friday, May 22, 2020 Saturday, May 23, 2020 Sunday, May 24, 2020 Monday, May 25, 2020 Tuesday, May 26, 2020 Wednesday, May 27, 2020 Thursday, May 28, 2020 Friday, May 29, 2020 Saturday, May 30, 2020 Sunday, May 31, 2020 MTD Total 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0

SPECIAL PROCESSING

Special Handling Documents Document Copy Requests Applicant Guide Booklets

9.2 Weekly reports

Weekly reports shall contain all data in the daily reports and also include any quality control variances and issues.

9.3 Monthly Reports

The reporting period is the entire calendar month. Contractor monthly reports are due to the COR on the 1st day of the following month by noon ET, unless otherwise approved in writing by the COR. Report content is as follows:

Production Report Include all categories required in the daily reports, and, FEMA Form 9069-B/D documents received from inspectors (by disaster)

9.4 Ad Hoc reports

The contractor shall provide ad hoc reports (not more than 10 per month) at the request of the COR to track contractor and program performance.

Date Regular Mail Fax Split eDocs Hyattsville Total Fax Docs Downloaded

Fax Images Downloaded

Docs Remaining to be Reviewed eDocs Downloaded eDoc Images Downloaded

Docs Remaining to be Reviewed

0 0 Friday, May 01, 2020 - Saturday, May 02, 2020 - Sunday, May 03, 2020 - Monday, May 04, 2020 - Tuesday, May 05, 2020 - Wednesday, May 06, 2020 - Thursday, May 07, 2020 - Friday, May 08, 2020 - Saturday, May 09, 2020 - Sunday, May 10, 2020 - Monday, May 11, 2020 - Tuesday, May 12, 2020 - Wednesday, May 13, 2020 - Thursday, May 14, 2020 - Friday, May 15, 2020 - Saturday, May 16, 2020 - Sunday, May 17, 2020 - Monday, May 18, 2020 - Tuesday, May 19, 2020 - Wednesday, May 20, 2020 - Thursday, May 21, 2020 - Friday, May 22, 2020 - Saturday, May 23, 2020 - Sunday, May 24, 2020 - Monday, May 25, 2020 - Tuesday, May 26, 2020 - Wednesday, May 27, 2020 - Thursday, May 28, 2020 - Friday, May 29, 2020 - Saturday, May 30, 2020 - Sunday, May 31, 2020 - MTD Total 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0

Translation Source Fax Split eDocs

TRANSLATION - FAX Split

10. FEMA’S RESPONSIBILITIES

FEMA’s designated COR will establish weekly meetings or conference calls with the contractor and/or its representatives to monitor performance and ensure specific work requirements are accomplished.

FEMA will perform periodic on-site quality/quantity checks with no prior notice to contractor.

These site visits will consist of personnel, physical and cyber security site surveys to ensure that the contractor is adhering to DHS/FEMA security requirements for handling and protecting sensitive information as well as programmatic service and quality reviews.

FEMA will monitor contractor operations to ensure physical access to FEMA servers and applicant information are restricted to authorized contractor personnel only.

FEMA will provide remote and onsite IT support, as required.

FEMA will provide a maximum of two subject matter experts to train contractor’s staff on use of FEMA’s software and special handling instructions for a period of up to three days. After this, the contractor shall be responsible for training mail center staff at its own expense.

11. GOVERNMENT-FURNISHED SUPPLIES AND EQUIPMENT

FEMA will provide IT security awareness training to the contractor.

FEMA will furnish the following equipment, systems, and provisions:

Computers for connectivity to FEMA networks until the contractor’s proposed and supplied hardware is approved by FEMA Cyber Security, Certification and Accreditation.

Data connections to the FEMA Wide Area Network – through the use of FEMA-approved

VPN client installed on GFE.

Mail management software to load on scanner workstations until the contractor’s supplied software is approved by FEMA Cyber Security.

Any equipment provided for FEMA’s contract will be used exclusively by the contractor at the location(s) proposed for contract performance.

12. DEFINITIONS

90-69B – Privacy Act Statement/Declaration of Citizenship: Single-page government signature form used by FEMA to collect disaster applicants’ acknowledgment of the Privacy Act and their declaration of citizenship status. A sample of this form is provided in Attachment A

Ad Hoc Reports: Reports required when the situation makes it necessary or desirable, rather than being arranged in advance or being part of a general plan. Ad hoc does not mean correcting / clarifying data presented in routine reports.

Applicant Guide/brochure – Help After a Disaster: Guide to the Individuals and Households Program: A program guide providing information to help the readers understand FEMA’s Individuals and Households Program.

Archiving: The process of filing and storing hard-copy documents submitted by disaster victims and field inspectors

COOP- Contingency of Operations Plan: A plan involving suitable backups, immediate actions and longer-term measures for resuming production and responding to emergencies such as attacks, accidents, widespread employee illness in the workplace, or natural disasters.

Contingency plans are part of business resumption planning.

Document: A unique communication to include any supporting or amplifying information pertaining to a single applicant. May consist of one or more images.

Document Preparation: A prescribed process for preparing documents for subsequent mail handling; includes opening, sorting, and otherwise readying for subsequent handling within the mail operation.

Fax/eCorrespondence QC/Split: Quality check of inbound fax/eCorrespondence to ensure completeness and clarity of images as well as ensuring that only one applicant’s information is contained in a single file.

IHP – Individuals and Households Program: Program through which FEMA provides disaster assistance to individuals and households affected by a federally declared disaster. FEMA, under the authority of Section 408 of the Robert T. Stafford Disaster Relief and Emergency Assistance Act, 42 U.S.C. §5174, and Title 44 of the Code of Federal Regulations, may provide financial assistance and, if necessary, direct services to eligible individuals and households who, as a direct result of a major disaster, have necessary expenses and serious needs and are unable to meet such expenses or needs through other means.

Image: One printed side of one page of paper.

NARA – National Archives and Records Administration: The government agency responsible for defining and administering the federal government’s records retention and management responsibilities.

NEMIS - National Emergency Management Information System: This FEMA-wide system of hardware, software, telecommunications, and applications provides the technology base for the collection and processing of information filed by individuals applying for federal disaster assistance.

RSC – Recovery Service Center: Formerly known as National Processing Service Center (NPSC); FEMA currently has three RSCs located in Virginia, Maryland, and Texas. The RSC is a centralized office established to consolidate the processing of disaster applications. Each RSC represents a combination of caller services, casework processing, and administrative functions.

SBA – Small Business Administration: A federal agency that assists homeowners, renters, and businesses with disaster loan assistance.

Special Handling: Refers to documents that must be separated from the inbound mail processing operation. The documents listed below all require unique processing described in Attachment A. The contractor must maintain an accountability log identifying counts and actions taken on each document type.

• Correspondence containing checks, money or valuables

• SBA loan packets

• Treasury questionnaires

• Forms 90-69 B (sent in by FEMA inspection contractors)

• Correspondence containing original legal documents, photos, videos, or other non-correspondence materials

• Non-English correspondence

• Priority Mail

• Returned Mail

• Cover Page providing specific Indexing instructions

Surge Operations: Occurs whenever the baseline operations’ quantities are exceeded.

13. ATTACHMENTS

A. Job Guideline for Inbound Mail Special Handling B. Job Guideline for Document Sorting, Filing & Archiving C. QC/Fax Split Instructions D. Mail Process Flow E. Job Guide for Translations F. Suspicious Package Handling G. Contractor Personnel Security Requirements H. Physical Security Requirements I. Cyber Security Requirements

Attachment A

Job Guideline for Inbound Mail Special Handling

Contents

1. Introduction

2. Instructional Guidance – Special Handling

A. Correspondence containing monetary value B. SBA loan packets C. Treasury questionnaires D. Form 90-69 B (Privacy Act Statement/Declaration of Citizenship) E. Correspondence containing original legal documents, photos, videos, and non-correspondence materials F. Non-English Correspondence G. Priority Mail H. Returned Mail I. Cover Page providing specific Indexing instructions

3. Forms

A-1 Disaster Business Loan Application A-2 Disaster Home Loan Application A-3 Treasury Questionnaire A-4 Form 90-69 B A-5 Sample Letter (returning Original Documents – see 2.E)

1. Introduction

Disaster declarations create a need to process large quantities of inbound applicant correspondence in a short timeframe. Privacy, accuracy, and timely delivery of service are all required to ensure the needs of the disaster applicant are met through the most expedient means possible.

Processing of inbound mail includes, but is not limited to, receipt of USPS, UPS, DHL, FedEx, or other commercially provided correspondence; testing of inbound correspondence for security purposes;

prepping documents for scanning; translating non-English documents into English; scanning; preparing documents for archive at the National Records Center; and reviewing inbound faxes in a timely and quality manner.

The timeliness standard requires that mail be stamped with the date and time of receipt and exported to a FEMA specified location within 48 hours of receipt.

This document identifies expectations and provides guidance for processing of inbound USPS, UPS, DHL, FedEx, or other commercially delivered or provided correspondence.

2. Instructional Guidance – Special Handling

Once the mail has been x-rayed, it is ready to be opened, prepped, and sorted. Certain documents require special handling and are to be separated from the main-stream operation. The contractor is expected to maintain an accountability log identifying counts and actions taken, including if they were scanned or not scanned, for the document types identified below;…