91003118R0022_0003.pdf

NSN 7540-01-152-8070 STANDARD FORM 30. (Rev. 10-83) Previous Edition unusable Prescribed by GSA FAR (48 CFR) 53.243

Page of Pages AMENDMENT OF SOLICITATION/MODIFICATION OF CONTRACT 1. Contract ID Code

2. AMENDMENT MODIFICATION NO. 3. EFFECTIVE DATE 4. REQUISITION/PURCHASE REQ. NO. 5. PROJECT NO. (if applicable)

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

(x) 9A. AMENDMENT OF SOLICITATION NO.

9B. DATED (SEE ITEM 11)

10A. MODIFICATION OF CONTRACT/ORDER NO.

8. NAME AND ADDRESS OF CONTRACTOR (NO., Street, Country, State and ZIP Code)

CODE FACILITY CODE

10B. DATED (SEE ITEM 13)

11. THIS ITEM ONLY APPLIES TO AMENDMENTS OF SOLICITATIONS

The above numbered solicitation is amended as set forth in item 14. The hour and date specified for receipt of offers is extended, is not extended.

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

(a) By completing items 8 and 15, and returning ______ copies of amendment; (b) By acknowledging receipt of this amendment on each copy of the offer submitted;

or (c) By separate letter or telegram which includes a reference to the solicitation and amendment numbers. FAILURE OF YOUR ACKNOWLEDGMENT TO BE RECEIVED AT THE PLACE DESIGNATED FOR THE RECEIPT OR OFFERS PRIOR TO THE HOUR AND DATE SPECIFIED MAY RESULT IN REJECTION OF YOUR OFFER. If by virtue of this amendment your desire to change an offer already submitted, such change may be made by telegram or letter, provided each telegram or letter makes reference to the solicitation and this amendment, and is received prior to the opening hour and date specified.

12. ACCOUNTING AND APPROPRIATION DATA (If required)

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

Check One

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

CONTRACT ORDER NO. IN ITEM 10A.

B. THE ABOVE NUMBERED CONTRACT/ORDER IS MODIFIED TO REFLECT THE ADMINISTRATIVE CHANGES (such as changes in paying office, appropriation date, etc) SET FORTH IN ITEM 14, PURSUANT TO THE AUTHORITY OF FAR 43.103(b).

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

D. OTHER (Specify type of modification and authority)

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

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

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

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

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

15B. CONTRACTOR/OFFEROR 16B. UNITED STATES OF AMERICA

(Signature of person authorized to sign)

15C. DATE SIGNED

(Signature of Contracting Officer)

16C. DATE SIGNED

Attachment Page

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The purpose of this amendment is to update the following:

1. Section C to revise section C.3.3 – Operating Elements and Related Requirements

2. Section H to add clause FSA 04-2 – Records Management Requirements (Nov 2018)

3. Section J to add a revised Attachment 16 – Responses to Questions

4. Section J to add new Attachment 17 – FSA 04-2 Universal Electronic Records Management Requirements

5. Section L-2.2.5 to revise the submission due date and time.

Additions to sections C, J and L are in bold and underlined. All other terms and conditions remain unchanged.

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SECTION C, DESCRIPTION/SPECIFICATIONS/STATEMENT OF WORK

C.3.3 Operating Elements and Related Requirements:

a. Customer accounts conversion: Solution will convert historical and current customer loan and grant accounts from existing servicers. See the “01 - As is Updated” attachment for further details on loan breakdown across current servicers and across loan types.

─ Solution shall ensure the conversions are completed a schedule, aligned with Milestones 1 and 2 (Section 2.4), that maximizes operational and cost efficiency while minimizing customer disruption.

─ Solution shall ensure that the migration successfully converts and maintains complete and accurate (error free) customer data, including, but not limited to, borrower’s historical record of balances and transactions, loan consolidation origination records, auto-pay preferences, prior loan transfer imaged records, customer service data (e.g., call center audio files or transcripts).

─ Solution shall tag all accounts with a unique FSA account number (FAN) identifier, which will be used to retrieve and share customer/partner data with other solutions enterprise-wide.

─ Solution shall support the development and execution of customer communications about the conversion of their accounts before, during and after the conversion, working effectively with the Customer Outreach and Communications solution.

─ Solution shall also demonstrate the capability to eventually effectively and efficiently migrate customer accounts to the Future State Core Platform solution, if FSA so determines.

b. Transitional Core Processing and Related Support Activities/ student aid servicing: Solution will execute consolidation origination, and servicing functions, including for specialty programs (e.g., PSLF, TPD, TEACH grants), and specialty claims (e.g., discharge, forgiveness), in addition to relevant reconciliation, reporting, and audit support functions for all of FSA’s current portfolio, ensuring accuracy, timeliness, and cost-effectiveness.

─ Solution shall relevant functions across the full FSA student aid portfolio which includes, but is not limited to varying:

□ Loan statuses (e.g., In school, In grace, In delinquency, In default, In forbearance, In deferment);

□ Customer segments (e.g., military customers);

□ Traditional repayment plans (e.g., Standard, Graduated, and Extended);

□ Income-driven repayment plans (e.g., Income-Contingent, Income-Based, Pay-As-You-Earn, and Revised-Pay-As-You-Earn);

□ Grant programs (e.g., TEACH); and

□ Loan forgiveness and discharge programs (e.g., PSLF, TPD).

─ Solution shall execute student aid servicing functions, including, but not limited to:

□ Payment processing and applications to accounts;

□ Loan status tracking;

□ Eligibility requirement assessment and annual recertification, and payment recalculation for income-driven plans tied to a customer’s income, family situation, and other characteristics that may fluctuate;

□ Loan consolidation origination, including application, pay off, booking new loans, maintaining account histories, performing all reconciliation and financial reporting, among other activities;

□ Switching between repayment plans; and

□ Retroactive processing, (e.g., retroactive application of deferments, forbearances, payments).

─ Solution shall perform financial-related functions, including, but not limited to:

□ Payment processing and applications to accounts;

□ Financial reconciliation and variance research;

□ As needed support of audits (e.g., annual audit reports such as the Service Organization Controls Type II Statements on Standards for Attestation Engagements (SSAE18));

□ Research and resolution of treasury issues;

□ Comprehensive cash management;

□ Dynamic loan portfolio management; and

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□ Effective internal financial controls.

– Solution(s) shall conduct error and dispute resolution investigation and processing, including, but not limited to:

□ Account maintenance, including manual correction of errors identified through data integrity scans and in response to FSA change requests; and,

□ Payment processing, including researching lost or misapplied payments and payment reapplication at the request of customers or FSA.

─ Solution shall automate all possible servicing and other functions to minimize manual processing. Solution may only rely on streamlined manual processing by the separate Business Process Operations provider(s) in the cases where automation is not feasible; however, Solution shall provide personnel to do manual processing related to financial functions and error/dispute investigation and processing to be performed at the portfolio level (refer to prior two bullets for those functions and tasks).

─ Solution shall maintain a robust data history, including retroactive processing (e.g., “as-was” vs “as-is”), and tracing loans through consolidation transactions. This data shall be available and shared with other components and systems as directed by FSA.

─ Solution shall work with the Command Center on common knowledge resources, contact scripts, agent desktop guides, and other training materials. The Command Center is responsible for coordinating the development, improvement, maintenance, and distribution of knowledge and training for Business Process Operations personnel. The Transitional Core Processing and Related Support Activities must support this to ensure customer-facing instructions and resolution steps as well as back-office processing procedures are accurate in relation to student aid servicing functions.

c. Imaging, printing, and mailing: Solution will receive, image, and route servicing-related physical mail to the appropriate destination and will also be responsible for all printing and outbound mail needs. Solution will also provide tracking of and reporting on outbound mail items. Solution will identify cost efficiency opportunities and work with FSA to implement changes to processes and practices (e.g., statement or envelope design).

─ Solution shall enable the Customer Communications and Outreach and Contact Center Support solutions to submit and track outbound print and mail requests.

─ Solution shall image and index inbound mail, including physical checks, and provide access or visibility to the images and metadata to other components.

d. Transitional digital engagement layer: Solution will provide the temporary (transitional) digital engagement solution for customers to be able to interact with FSA and complete tasks currently provided by existing servicers (e.g., view statements, make payments). Solution will remain in place until the future state digital platform solution is fully implemented or as otherwise determined by FSA. In proposing enhancements, solution must take into consideration customer pain points (see “07 – Top Customer Pain Points” attachment), customer and partner tasks (see “05 – Customer Tasks,” “06 – Partner Tasks” attachments).

─ Solution shall ensure a seamless transition of customers to transitional digital engagement layer (e.g., customer payment and communication channel preferences).

─ Solution shall present to customers solely under the FSA brand, adhering to FSA’s brand guidelines. Current brand guidelines are detailed in attachment “08 - FSA Brand Guidelines” – these may change over time at FSA’s discretion, requiring updates to be made to the Transitional Digital Engagement Layer.

─ Solution shall implement and use FSA’s chosen identity and access management (IAM) solutions for authorization, authentication, single-sign-on (SSO) via standards-based federation, self-services, and identity management of customer online profiles.

□ Vendor shall not utilize FSA’s IAM solutions for non-FSA approved purposes (e.g., authentication for private/commercial products).

□ Further details are included in the “10 – FSA Identity & Access Management Solution Overview” attachment. FSA’s IAM solutions include:

‒ FSA ID/Person Authentication Service (PAS);

‒ Access and Identity Management System (AIMS);

‒ Two-Factor Authentication (TFA); and

‒ Privileged Access Management (PAM/CyberArk/ezPIV).

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e. Transitional business process operations: Solution will provide transitional business process solutions until the future state business process operations (responsible for contact center support, student aid back-office processing) are fully implemented or as otherwise determined by FSA.

─ Solution shall provide transitional contact center support to respond and resolve inbound servicing customer inquiries across multiple channels.

o Solution shall continue using its own technical infrastructure to enable the contact center, including the contact center technical backbone, CRM, agency desktop solution, etc.

─ Solution shall care for outbound communications currently handled by existing servicers or as determined by FSA.

─ Solution shall efficiently execute transitional student aid back-office processing activities that cannot be automated. These tasks will include, but are not limited to, the review, validation, and processing associated with enrollment, applications, and requests for various borrower programs and loan status adjustments.

─ Solution shall assist with financial reporting, reconciliation, and audit functions.

─ Solution shall conduct error and dispute resolution investigation and processing.

SECTION H, SPECIAL CONTRACT REQUIREMENTS

FSA 04-2 Records Management Requirements (Nov 2018)

This clause applies to all contractors and subcontractors whose employees create, receive, access, or use Federal records, as defined in Title 36 Chapter XII Subchapter B - RECORDS MANAGEMENT (Parts 1220 - 1240), regardless of the medium in which the record exists.

1.1 Definitions

"Federal record" as defined in 44 U.S.C. § 3301, includes all recorded information, regardless of form or characteristics, made or received by a Federal agency under Federal law or in connection with the transaction of public business and preserved or appropriate for preservation by that agency or its legitimate successor as evidence of the organization, functions, policies, decisions, procedures, operations, or other activities of the United States Government or because of the informational value of data in them.

The term Federal record:

1. Includes Federal Student Aid, Department of Education records.

2. Does not include personal materials.

3. Applies to records created, received, or maintained by Contractors pursuant to their Federal Student Aid contract.

4. May include deliverables and documentation associated with deliverables.

1.2 Requirements

1. Contractor shall comply with all applicable records management laws and regulations, as well as National Archives and Records Administration (NARA) records policies, including but not limited to the Federal Records Act (44 U.S.C.

chapters. 21, 29, 31, 33), NARA regulations at 36 CFR Chapter XII Subchapter B, and those policies associated with the safeguarding of records covered by the Privacy Act of 1974 (5 U.S.C. 552a). These policies include the preservation of all records, regardless of form or characteristics, mode of transmission, or state of completion.

2. In accordance with 36 CFR 1222.32, all data created for Government use and delivered to, or falling under the legal control of, the Government are Federal records subject to the provisions of 44 U.S.C. chapters 21, 29, 31, and 33, the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) (5 U.S.C. 552), as amended, and the Privacy Act of 1974 (5 U.S.C. 552a), as amended and must be managed and scheduled for disposition only as permitted by statute or regulation.

3. In accordance with 36 CFR 1222.32, Contractor shall maintain all records created for Government use or created in the course of performing the contract and/or delivered to, or under the legal control of the Government and must be managed in accordance with Federal law. Electronic records and associated metadata must be accompanied by sufficient technical documentation to permit understanding and use of the records and data.

4. Federal Student Aid and its contractors are responsible for preventing the alienation or unauthorized destruction of records, including all forms of mutilation. Records may not be removed from the legal custody of Federal Student Aid or destroyed except for in accordance with the provisions of the agency records schedules and with the written concurrence of the Head of the Contracting Activity. Willful and unlawful destruction, damage or alienation of Federal records is subject to the fines and penalties imposed by 18 U.S.C. 2701. In the event of any unlawful or accidental

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removal, defacing, alteration, or destruction of records, Contractor must report to Federal Student Aid. The agency must report promptly to NARA in accordance with 36 CFR 1230.

5. The Contractor shall immediately notify the appropriate Contracting Officer upon discovery of any inadvertent or unauthorized disclosures of information, data, documentary materials, records or equipment. Disclosure of non-public information is limited to authorized personnel with a need-to-know as described in the contract. The Contractor shall ensure that the appropriate personnel, administrative, technical, and physical safeguards are established to ensure the security and confidentiality of this information, data, documentary material, records and/or equipment is properly protected. The Contractor shall not remove material from Government facilities or systems, or facilities or systems operated or maintained on the Government's behalf, without the express written permission of the Head of the Contracting Activity. When information, data, documentary material, records and/or equipment is no longer required, it shall be returned to Federal Student Aid control or the Contractor must hold it until otherwise directed. Items returned to the Government shall be hand-carried, mailed, emailed, or securely electronically transmitted to the Contracting Officer or address prescribed in the contract. Destruction of records is EXPRESSLY PROHIBITED unless in accordance with Paragraph (4).

6. The Contractor is required to obtain the Contracting Officer's approval prior to engaging in any contractual relationship (sub-contractor) in support of this contract requiring the disclosure to the subcontractor of information, documentary material and/or records generated under, or relating to, the performance of this contract. The Contractor (and any sub-contractor) is required to abide by Government and Federal Student Aid guidance for protecting sensitive, proprietary information, classified, and controlled unclassified information.

7. The Contractor shall only use Government IT equipment for purposes specifically tied to or authorized by the contract and in accordance with Federal Student Aid policy.

8. The Contractor shall not create or maintain any records containing any non-public Federal Student Aid information that are not specifically tied to or authorized by the contract.

9. The Contractor shall not retain, use, sell, or disseminate copies of any deliverable that contains information covered by the Privacy Act of 1974 or that which is generally protected from public disclosure by an exemption to the Freedom of Information Act.

10. The Federal Student Aid possesses the rights to all data and records produced and delivered as part of this contract in accordance with the contract’s data rights clauses and related agreements incorporated into the contract.

11. Contracts for system design and development on behalf of FSA, contracts to maintain systems on behalf of FSA or vendors using propriety systems to store federal records created on behalf of FSA must meet the requirements of 36 CFR Part 1236, Subpart B and Subpart C (1236.10§ 1236.12, 1236.14, 1236.22, 1236.24, 1236.26, and 1236.28 for the storage of federal records in electronic format). (Detailed requirements are attached if this contract requires system design and development.) The creation and use of electronic records in Vendor managed systems must be according to Federal regulations and FSA processes to ensure that recordkeeping functionality is developed for information systems managing electronic records including an approved federal record schedule and adherence to the schedule. New systems must determine retention periods at initiation, validate these during use changes, and implement authorized disposition instructions for system data and documentation. Contractors must adhere to the approved record schedule, with confirmed approval from FSA to destroy records per the schedule in a NARA compliant manner. Until a schedule is approved, all records must be retained indefinitely.

12. All Contractor employees assigned to this contract who create, work with or otherwise handle records are required to take Federal Student Aid, Department of Education provided records management training. The Contractor is responsible for confirming training has been completed by applicable individuals as follows;

a. All contractor personnel with Education email accounts or access to Education IT networks or networks with Education data must complete records management training within 60 days of employment and must complete annual refresher training.

b. All contractor personnel that create, receive, access, or use Federal records on behalf of the agency, regardless of whether those individuals have Education email accounts or IT network access.

c. Annual training must be completed within 60 days of receiving the training materials.

d. Attestation that all applicable staff have completed training may be sent by email to the COR with a cc: to the contracting officer, from an official authorized to communicate on behalf of the legal entity

1.3 Flow down of requirements to subcontractors

1. The Contractor shall incorporate the substance of this clause, its terms, and requirements including this paragraph, in all subcontracts for which permission is granted under paragraph 1.2.6 above.

2. The Contractor is responsible for compliance by the Subcontractor.

(End of Clause)

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SECTION J – LIST OF ATTACHMENTS

Attachment Title

01 As-is Updated

02 Security Technical Requirements

03 Finance Technical Requirements (and Financial Requirements Attachments)

04 Additional Current State Technical Constraints (and Additional Current State Technical Constraints Attachments)

05 Customer Tasks

06 Partner Tasks

07 Top Customer Pain Points

08 FSA Brand Guidelines

09 Hosting Environments with Approved Agency ATOs

10 FSA Identity & Access Management Solution Overview

11 Information Resources Program Elements (IRPE) Supplement

12 Past Work Experience Cover Memo

13 Pricing Template

14 FSA 39-5 Monthly Vendor Reporting Deliverable Template (Aug 2018)

15 Life of Loan Servicing Intended State: Continuous, frequent, and tailored customer engagement

16 Responses to Questions (Updated – Amendment 03)

17 FSA 04-2 Universal Electronic Records Management Requirements

SECTION L – INSTRUCTIONS, CONDITIONS, AND NOTICES TO OFFERORS OR RESPONDENTS

L-2.2.5 Submission Due Dates. The Past Performance volume must be received by November 2, 2018. All remaining volumes must be received on November 16 21, 2018 no later than 12:00 pm Eastern. The Government POC will provide a receipt showing the time and date of delivery.

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Federal Student Aid, Department of Education

Attachment 16 - Responses to Questions

Solicitation 91003118R0022 - Transitional Core Processing and Related Support Activities

Response to questions submitted that were relevant to responding to the solicitation have been provided below.

Updated in Amendment 03: Questions 42 through 52 have been added.

Q ID Question Response

Q1 Will FSA work with existing solution providers to establish a common format to receive the historical data that needs to be converted off of the systems? (i.e., data that is not currently part of the EA27 or EA80 process)?

FSA will establish a common protocol for customer account data to be converted for existing servicers and Awardee.

Q2 Long term, who (a specific BPO or the TCP&RA provider) will perform servicing activities that are at a portfolio level (i.e. financial reconciliation) or where a borrower is not able to be systematically identified and would require research (i.e. unidentified payments, exception processing, etc..)?

Transitional Core Processing and Related Support Activities will perform portfolio-level activities, such as, but not limited to, financial reconciliation, borrower research for unidentified payments, or exception processing. Offerors are highly encouraged to include in their proposals opportunities to automate manual tasks and processes.

Q3 FSA 37-2 Continuation of Mission Critical Contractor Services (d) on page 16 of the solicitation requires offerors to provide a written preliminary plan describing how it will continue to perform the contractor services listed in Section C. Will this preliminary plan need to be attached to a specific proposal volume? Please specify the volume to which it will be attached. Please indicate whether or not this preliminary plan will count toward volume page limits.

The written preliminary plan shall be attached to the Volume 2: Technical Approach. It does not count towards the Volume 2 page limit.

Q4 Section K provides Representations, Certifications, and Other Statements of Offerors. To which volume will the Representations and Certifications be attached?

Please indicate if the Representations and Certifications are included in the page count of the assigned volume or are outside the page count of the assigned volume.

This can be included in Volume 5: Small Business Subcontracting Plan and Other Solicitation Requirements. See Amendment 02.

Q5 EDAR 3452.209-71 Conflict of Interest requires disclosure of actual or potential conflict. If supplied, will this disclosure need to be attached to a proposal volume? Please specify the volume to which this disclosure should be attached. If supplied, will this disclosure need to be included within the page count of the assigned volume or will this disclosure be outside the page count of the assigned volume?

This can be included in Volume 5: Small Business Subcontracting Plan and Other Solicitation Requirements. See Amendment 02.

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Q6 FSA 39-2 Electronic and Information Technology (d) requires the offeror to supply a completed Voluntary Product Accessibility Template. Will the completed template need to be attached to a specific proposal volume? Please specify the volume. Please indicate whether or not this attached material will count toward volume page limits.

This can be included in Volume 5: Small Business Subcontracting Plan and Other Solicitation Requirements. See Amendment 02.

Q7 Will a signed copy of Standard Form 33 (SF-33) and all Standard Form 30 (SF-30) documents need to be supplied with the offer? If yes, please specify where in the submission these should reside. Please indicate whether or not these will count toward volume page limits.

Yes. This can be included in Volume 5: Small Business Subcontracting Plan and Other Solicitation Requirements. See Amendment 02.

Q8 Please confirm a company may include a teammate past performance as long as the teammate will provide meaningful support upon contract award.

Yes.

Q9 Please confirm a company may include an affiliate/subsidiary past performance as long as the employees of the affiliate/subsidiary company will provide meaningful support upon contract award.

Yes.

Q10 The pricing template includes multiple line items that are pricing on a “per unit” basis (e.g. loan conversion, printing, etc.). However, each template also includes a calculation of “Total Price Proposed”. As the template includes a mix of annual fixed prices and unit prices this cannot just be a summation of the pricing presented on the table. How does FSA want vendors to calculate the “Total Price Proposed”?

Offeror shall compute and provide the Total Price Proposed as the sum of flat prices and calculated sub-total prices based on unit prices and relevant volume assumptions.

Q11 The “Pricing Tier Proposals” tab allows contractors to provide volume based pricing for individual line items in each scenario. Are offerors also required to provide this same volume based pricing on the pricing tabs (with and without implementation) or to just insert a reference to the Pricing Tier Proposal tab?

Offeror shall provide prices on the "Proposal with Implementation" and "Proposal Combining Implementation" tab as per the instructions and column C (pricing model), based on Offeror's volume assumptions. Volume assumptions and proposed pricing tiers shall be detailed in the respective tabs provided.

Q12 Will "Component G" be released as an individual component or is all previously stated "Component G" functionality included in Components C and D? If yes, when will it be released?

The Transitional Core Processing & Related Support Activities (formerly Component D) and Future State Core Platform (formerly Component C) will provide for their individual operational data needs. Component G remains a separate component and will provide over-arching data architecture and analytics solutions for FSA enterprise-wide.

Q13 Does the 42 million customers count include existing FFEL customers whose loans are owned and serviced by Commercial entities (not FSA)? If yes, does FSA expect these customers to be converted to the Transitional Core Platform?

No.

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Q14 How long should the offeror plan to provide a Transitional Business Operations solution?

Awardee shall provide the Transitional Business Process Operations solution until the future state business process operations are fully implemented, or as otherwise determined by FSA. Offeror shall detail assumptions in this regard upon which its technical approach and pricing is based, and how solutions and pricing would change if FSA's ultimate needs are later determined to be different.

Q15 How long should the offeror plan to provide a Transitional Digital Engagement Layer solution?

Awardee shall provide the Transitional Digital Engagement Layer solution until the future state digital platform solution is fully implemented or as otherwise determined by FSA. Offeror shall detail assumptions in this regard upon which its technical approach and pricing is based, and how solutions and pricing would change if FSA's ultimate needs are later determined to be different.

Q16 The requirement for Software licenses to be licensed to the Government, is this upon purchase of the license or is the requirement for licenses to be assignable at the end of the contract?

Software licenses shall be assigned in the name of the Government at purchase.

Q17 The FY 2018 Omnibus Spending Bill includes a provision to award contracts to multiple servicers.

Should the offeror assume that FSA will sign contracts directly with each servicer included in the Transitional Business Operations portion of a submission?

FSA intends to make one award for the Transitional Core Processing and Related Support Activities (formerly Component D), and will comply with the FY 2018 Omnibus Spending Bill with regard to Business Process Operations (formerly Components E and F).

Q18 Will "Component I" be released as an individual component or is all previously stated "Component I" functionality included in Components C and D? If yes, when will it be released?

All NextGen solutions, including Transitional Core Processing & Related Support Activities, shall include cybersecurity capabilities to ensure solutions FSA's cybersecurity requirements. Refer to section C.3.2.e and Attachment 2 (Security Technical Requirements).

Component I remains a separate component and will provide over-arching cybersecurity solutions (e.g., architecture, monitoring, technical reviews, advisory services) for FSA enterprise-wide.

Q19 Is it possible that FSA will use the Transitional platform for less than the stated contract period before transitioning to the Future State platform? If so what timing should be designed into our pricing methodology?

FSA has requested pricing for a 5-year base period of performance and 5 option years.

Q20 Is it possible that FSA will maintain the use of the Transitional platform for all loans throughout the term of the contract?

FSA has requested pricing for a 5-year base period of performance and 5 option years.

Q21 Will FSA make volume commitment to the winner of the award?

No.

Q22 How do you envision the timing of volume migration for vendor investment level for the platform?

Refer to Milestones 1, 2, and 3 outlined in section C.3.5.

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Q23 Is it possible that FSA will maintain the use of the Transitional platform for all servicing of loans throughout the term of the contract?

FSA has requested pricing for a 5-year base period of performance and 5 option years.

Q24 Because the solution is required to rapidly migrate loans from current servicers, what loan transfer standards or mechanisms does FSA mandate be used?

FSA will establish a common protocol for the customer account conversion data for existing servicers and Awardee.

Q25 Is there a comprehensive list of "Federal rules, laws, regulations, agency guidelines or court mandates applicable to the FSA operating environment" that the solution must meet or exceed? If so, please share.

No, FSA expects Offeror to be familiar and in compliance with applicable laws, regulations, and other legal mandates applicable to the FSA operating environment.

Q26 On page 6 there is statement that "Prior to award, FSA will determine the level of FISMA and/or FedRAMP compliance required." What date does FSA expect this requirement to be finalized, and will that occur prior to 11/16/2018 (pricing proposals due date)?

Offerors shall use the FIPS-199 criteria to determine the appropriate FISMA and/or FedRAMP compliance level appropriate to their solution(s) and then price accordingly. The determined level shall be stated as an assumption for the technical approach and pricing.

Q27 Given that the Future State Core Platform is largely yet to be defined what level of detail does FSA expect related to demonstrating the capability to migrate customer accounts from the Transitional Core to the Future State Core?

Offeror shall propose a solution/approach aligned with NextGen's vision and goals in addition to pertinent requirements as outlined in the solicitation. Offeror shall detail assumptions in this regard upon which its technical approach and pricing is based, and how solutions and pricing would change if FSA's ultimate needs are later determined to be different.

Q28 How do you envision the timing of implementation for vendor investment level for the platform?

Refer to Milestones 1, 2, and 3 outlined in section C.3.5.

Q29 Are we to presume that all existing standard communications are to continue to be provided by the servicer? If not, when will detailed requirements be made available?

Offeror shall propose the set of standard communications (for the transitional period) aligned with NextGen's vision and goals in addition to pertinent requirements as outlined in the Solicitation. Another provider will provide the future state communications development and execution solutions, excluding imaging, printing, and mailing.

Q30 Do accessibility requirements apply to Spanish translations of the web and electronic correspondence?

Accessibility requirements apply regardless of language.

Q31 Spanish Translation- Does web chat session have to support Spanish?

Offerors shall propose a Transitional Digital Engagement Layer solution in alignment with NextGen's vision and goals and the requirements outlined in the Solicitation, and that recognizes FSA's diverse customer base.

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Q32 Can FSA provide the current list of browsers and operating systems that are expected to be supported/tested, the current device size standards for development of responsive web applications, applicable Brand Style Guide, Web Developer Guide, and Writing Style Guide, and the current list of web forms that need to be made available?

Offerors shall propose a solution in alignment with NextGen's vision and goals and the requirements outlined in the Solicitation. Solutions must care for a reasonably broad range of browsers, operating systems, and devices that may be used by FSA’s diverse customer base, staff, designated third-parties.

Q33 Will print data be provided as print-ready images (PostScript or PDF), or will data be provided as raw data (if so, how many templates will be required to be developed)?

Offeror shall propose the printing solution deemed in alignment with NextGen's vision and goals in addition to pertinent requirements as outlined in the Solicitation.

Q34 Will there be any non-standard print requirements (color print, return envelopes, flyers, color paper, checks, etc.)?

Offeror shall propose the printing solution deemed in alignment with NextGen's vision and goals in addition to pertinent requirements as outlined in the Solicitation.

Q35 What are the image scanning requirements (color, non-standard size, flat-bed)?

Offeror shall propose the imaging solution deemed in alignment with NextGen's vision and goals in addition to pertinent requirements as outlined in the Solicitation.

Q36 Under Transitional Business Process Operations there is a list of Student Aid Back Office Processing tasks that require pricing, one of those items is All Other Back Office Processing tasks. Can the template be adjusted to include more specific back office processing tasks (such as credit disputes, deferment, forbearance processing, etc.) and related pricing for those tasks, or do all of these other back office processing tasks need to be combined into one price per task?

The pricing template will not be adjusted in this regard. In addition to the specific back-office tasks outlines, Offeror shall propose one annual price for all other tasks and shall outline any deemed assumptions in the pricing template and supplemental price narrative.

Q37 There is a requirement under Cybersecurity to comply with IRS Publication 1075; however, Attachment 02 Security Technical Requirements checklist does not address this requirement. Where do we put our response related to this requirement?

Offeror shall include the response regarding IRS Publication 1075 in Volume 2: Technical Approach.

Q38 Please clarify the statement, "FSA anticipates the near-term need for multiple loan processing solutions while moving towards the future-state of a single platform operating environment." More specifically, is "multiple loan processing solutions" referring to the fact that FSA may extend the existing loan servicing contracts until such time that all historical and current customer loan and grant accounts can be converted to the solution as described in Component D?

FSA anticipates the conversion of existing customer accounts to the Transitional Core Processing solution as outlined in Milestones 1, 2, and 3 (refer to section C.3.5). Ultimately, FSA anticipates migrating accounts to the Future State Core Platform solution.

Q39 Please confirm whether FSA has/will consider issuing more than one award for Component D.

FSA intends to make one award for the Transitional Core Processing and Related Support Activities (formerly Component D).

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Q40 Instructions state, "Propose acceptance criteria for all deliverables identified in section C.3.4.1. Offerors may also propose additional deliverables. This shall be on a separate spreadsheet and will not be counted in the page limits for this volume." Please confirm that the page limits for this volume excludes the Offeror's proposed acceptance criteria as well as any additional proposed deliverables.

Confirmed.

Q41 Should we submit a Phase-In Plan as part of our proposal in response to Solicitation 91003118R0022 and if so, in which Volume of the proposal?

No.

Q42 Requirement 1061.000 specifies physical segregation of ED/FSA data from all non-ED/FSA data within existing infrastructure. Should offeror assume that FSA wants a new, fully isolated infrastructure environment for

TCPRSA?

Per Security Technical Requirement 1061.000, there needs to be logical/physical data segregation. The architecture and design considerations will be dependent upon the Offeror’s proprosed solution.

Specifically, for FedRAMP clouds, the FedRAMP requirements describe how the solution will transmit and manage some aspects of the data in their multi-user environments.

Q43 Can we assume FSA will provide the hard and soft tokens?

Per Security Technical Requirement 1050.0200, the Offeror has the option to provide corporate tokens in lieu of FSA provided two factor authentication solutions.

Should Offeror choose to provide tokens, then Offeror will need to identify their process for token registration, and 1051.0300 requirement would not apply.

Q44 Are "routine maintenance" such as operating system updates and firmware updates included in the scope of changes that require 5 days advanced notice?

Yes.

Q45 What are the servicing volume and 3 year forecasted volumes for TEACH (presumably volumes may relate to staffing which will drive cost)?

Approximately 34,000 TEACH awards have been made annually, based on an average from the 2015-16 school year to the present school year. This figure is provided for informational purposes only and is not a guarantee of work volume in the future.

Q46 What are the servicing volume and 3 year forecasted volumes for PSLF (presumably volumes may relate to staffing which will drive cost)?

Approximately 35,000 to 40,000 Employment Certification Forms (ECFs) and PSLF applications are processed annually. This figure is provided for informational purposes only and is not a guarantee of work volume in the future.

Q47 What are the servicing volume and 3 year forecasted volumes for TPD (presumably volumes may relate to staffing which will drive cost)?

Approximately 174,000 TPD applications are received annually. This figure is provided for informational purposes only and is not a guarantee of work volume in the future.

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Q48 We request FSA to clarify on the total subcontracting percentage. Is it 47% (Addition of Small Businesses 31%, Women Owned Small Businesses 5%, Small Disadvantaged Businesses: 5%, Service Disabled Veteran Owned Small Businesses 3%, Historically Underutilized Business Zones (HUB Zones) 3%) or 31% (Inclusive of Small Businesses 31%, Women Owned Small Businesses 5%, Small Disadvantaged Businesses: 5%, Service Disabled Veteran Owned Small Businesses 3%, Historically Underutilized Business Zones (HUB Zones) 3%)?

Subcontracting must meet a minimum of 31% in total.

Q49 Should all existing customers be considered “active customers” for pricing the Transitional Digital Engagement Layer?

For the Transitional Digital Engagement Layer, "active" customers will be those who are migrated to or create a digital profile, and use that profile, on the Offeror's solution. Thus, not all existing customers whose accounts would be converted from existing servicers will qualify as "active." Offeror shall specify the proposed period and basis upon which a customer's active status would be determined.

Q50 Do all existing FSA customers need to be migrated to the Transitional Core Processing solution?

All existing customers, regardless of status (including, but not limited to, loan status, customer segment, repayment plan, etc.), that are not already on the Awardee's solution must be migrated.

Q51 Must vendors address all items in Attachment 04:

Additional Current State Technical Constraints in proposals? If so, can FSA provide additional details?

Attachment 04 ("Additional Current State Technical Constraints") provides a non-exhaustive list of exemplary current state constraints. Post award, FSA and Awardee will define a comprehensive set of requirements. Offerors may propose solution-relevant alternative, more efficient, accurate, or customer-centered approaches and processes to accomplish FSA's outcomes.

Q52 Please clarify which business process operations are expected to be provided in Component D as compared to those that are expected to be provided in Components E/F. Please confirm if Component D should include the resources needed to perform all back-office functions in addition to a servicing platform.

The Transitional Core Processing solution shall provide for portfolio-level functions including financial reporting, reconciliation, audit, and error/dispute investigation and resolution. The Transitional Business Process Operations shall provide contact center support and all other back-office processing needs. (Refer to amendment 03 for further details)