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U.S. Department of Education Office of Federal Student Aid Next Generation Financial Services Environment
Business Process Operations Attachment 23 – Responses to Questions Responses to questions submitted that were relevant to responding to the solicitation have been provided below. Similar questions have been combined.
Updated June 13, 2019: Questions 9, 12, and 21 have been revised; question 22 has been removed. Responses to questions 23 through 209 have been added below.
Updated July 11, 2019: Questions 1, 4, 7, 9, 21, 23, 30, 45 53 and 107 have been revised. Responses to questions 210 through 299 have been added below.
Updated July 18, 2019: Question 9 has been revised. Response to question 300 has been added below.
| 1 |
| To the extent that the submission for Volume 2 past |
performance permits submission of at least 3 but no more than 5 past work experiences for Contact Center Support and Back Office Processing, please advise whether this range of 3‐5 recommendations applies to Contact Center Support and Back Office Processing separately or as a combined submission.
See Amendment 04. Offerors shall provide a combined total of at least 3 past performance references (i.e., not 3 for contact center and 3 back office).
| 2 |
| If we wish to use FSA as a Past Work Experience reference, do we need to have FSA complete Attachment 15 – Past Performance Reference Questionnaire? If so, to whom at FSA should we send the questionnaire? |
| Yes, offerors shall send the questionnaire to an individual in FSA who is familiar with the offeror's performance. |
| 3 |
| How should we respond to the past performance metrics if |
the entity specializes in one of the defined metric areas ‐ and all the metric categories would not be applicable (contact center, back office processing and life of loan servicing)?
Vendors shall respond to all metric areas to the greatest extent possible. In the event one or more metric categories are not applicable, please state "N/A" and describe why the metric is not applicable.
| 4 |
| For past performance experience narrative and reference, |
how many teaming partner's past work experiences and references can a BPO primary solution use?
There is no limitation on how many of the total of no more than three (3) past work experiences an Offeror may elect to include from a teaming partner or subcontractor.
| 5 |
| For Attachment 15 – Past Work Experience Reference |
Questionnaire, if a question is not applicable to the contract, should the reference leave it blank, use N/A, or some other indicator?
If the question is not applicable to the contract, the reference should mark that question "N/A."
| 6 |
| For Attachment 15 – Past Work Experience Reference |
Questionnaire, in situations where a bidder's teaming partner's reference is used as a part of the past performance submission, does the teaming partner's reference have to submit this form twice to cover both the teaming partner and the bidder?
If a company is submitting past performance questionnaire as a prime, as well as a subcontractor or teaming member for another prime, then the questionnaire will need to be submitted for each prime. Attachment 15 ‐ Past Work Experience Reference Questionnaire will be updated via a future amendment to include a field to indicate the name of the prime contractor.
| 7 |
| If the BPO Provider submits more than 3 past performance |
work examples and references, can the additional past performance work examples have less than 3 years of SLA metrics without negatively affecting the evaluation?
Yes. However, see Amendment 04. Offerors shall provide details of no more than 3 past work experiences.
| 8 |
| For Attachment 16 ‐ Past Work Experience SLA Track Record Template, should there be a 'life of loan servicing' option in pull‐down menu on column B? |
| No, offerors shall select from the provided drop down menu. |
| 9 |
| Currently there are 25 lines provided which does not |
accommodate all of the information requested. Should we complete an Attachment 16 spreadsheet for each past performance example we submit?
Per L‐2.4.2, Offeror shall complete one copy of Attachment 16 ‐ Past Work Experience SLA Track Record Template. Offeror shall provide threefive‐year historical performance for three key SLA metrics (offeror’s choice), for contact center support, back‐office processing, and life of loan servicing. Three key SLA metrics for three to five experiences will result in filling out 9 to 15 rows (i.e., not 3 for contact center, 3 for back office, and 3 for life of loan servicing). See Amendment 05 for an updated Attachment 16 – Past Work Experience SLA Track Record Template.
| 10 |
| Can a prime bidder use a teaming partner's past work |
performance and reference if the teaming partner is also a prime bidder on the same component?
Yes.
| 11 |
| Is the ‘supplemental narrative’ something different from, and in addition to, an overall description of the past work |
experience? Or, is the ‘supplemental narrative’ the bulk of, or the entirety of, the three‐page work experience description?
Per L‐2.2, offerors shall submit a Supplemental Past Work Experience Narrative of 3 pages per experience. Per L‐2.4.2.c, the supplemental narrative should include the description for the past work experience.
| 12 |
| Can a reference decline to answer questions on the "15 ‐ Past Performance Reference Questionnaire Template" if the information is sensitive or confidential? |
| Yes; however, omissions of information may negatively impact the usefulness of the reference material. |
| 13 |
| For Past Performance responses, can more than one |
reference be provided per past performance experience if any individual reference does not have a complete three years of knowledge of the contract?
No.
| 14 |
| Can we provide one overall Volume 2 Past Performance |
section introduction that will precede subsections with prescribed Cover Memo (2 pages each) followed by each Past Work Experience narrative (3 pages each)? If so, shall it be page‐limited or page‐unlimited section introduction? If page limited, please specify the page limit for an overall section introduction.
Offerors may not add additional cover memos to the Past Performance volume.
| 15 |
| For the Past Work Experience SLA Track Record Template, |
may we provide more than 3 metrics per experience?
No.
| 16 |
| Can FSA confirm our understanding that the 3‐page limit on |
the Past Work Experience Narrative does not include the 2‐ page limit for the Past Work Experience Cover Memo (attachment 14) in the Past Performance Volume?
FSA confirms.
| 17 |
| Ref L‐2.4.2.f: FSA requests a listing of all litigation against a |
vendor as a measure of consumer protection compliance. This type of broad request can be prejudicial to large firms operating multiple businesses in multiple jurisdictions, where various lawsuits and other actions may arise in the normal course of business. Would FSA amend its request to require a listing only of those lawsuits and other actions alleging a violation of federal consumer protection laws that have resulted in a final judgment against the offeror?
No.
| 18 |
| Reg L.2.4.2 – Offerors are required to provide references for past performance experiences. In a case where the offeror itself is providing life‐of‐loan customer service and back‐office support for their own loan portfolio, can the offeror use their own experience as a reference? |
| No. |
| 19 |
| Ref L.2.4.2 Past Performance ‐‐ If an offeror currently has a |
contract for ED Servicing and a separate contract for ED Collections, would they count as separate “past work experiences” since they have different work requirements, contracting officers, contract terms/requirements, etc, or would they have to be submitted as a single “past work experience” since both contracts are ultimately with ED?
The two experiences could be submitted as separate past work experiences.
| 20 |
| Ref L.2.4.2 Past Performance ‐‐ Will offerors be disqualified or rated unfavorably if they submit an SLA metric that is not available for each quarter during the three‐year period as long as they explain the unpopulated area on the Template? For example, if an offeror’s performance was rated in the Contractor Performance Assessment Reporting System (CPARS), data would not be available for each quarter as the assessments are typically filed on an annual basis. |
| Offerors shall provide metrics that are available on a quarterly basis to the greatest extent possible. In the event that quarterly metrics are not available, offerors shall provide an explanation within the template. |
| 21 |
| Ref M.1.1 Evaluation Factors ‐‐ Will offerors be rated |
unfavorably or have relevance deemed insufficient if a past performance project includes data reflecting performance outside of the most recent three‐year period? For example, offerors performing default collection services for FSA as part of the “Unrestricted” pool (comprised of other‐than‐small agencies) have not received formal rankings in the form of Competitive Performance and Continuous Surveillance (CPCS) results since 2015, though many agencies have continued performing work for FSA through the current date.
Per L‐2.4.2.e, Offerors shall provide five‐year historical performance for three key SLA metrics. See Amendment 03 for a revised section L-2.4.2.e and a revised Attachment 16 – Past Work Experience SLA Track Record Template.
| 22 |
| Could FSA confirm that it’s FSA’s intent for the EPS vendor to continue providing services related to BPO after the separate EPS vendors are fully operational? |
| The Enhanced Processing Solution will cease providing |
transitional Business Process Operations no more than 12 months after the separate Business Process Operations vendors are fully operational. This change will be incorporated via an amendment to the Enhanced Processing Solution solicitation.
| 23 |
| Section L-2.4.1.2(f) requires offerors to submit a performance work statement that, among other things, must substantiate “[a]architecture diagram(s) and corresponding narrative that demonstrates the Offeror’s technical solution and approach for call center security, network, telecommunications, data, desktops, and equipment configuration.” How are offerors able to provide a substantive response to this requirement when FSA has not established its NextGen solution and, further, Section C.3.2(b) of the Solicitation states that the awardee’s “solutions shall only utilize the tools provided by other NextGen solutions…or existing FSA solutions, as approved by FSA”? |
| Offerors shall provide information regarding the environment that the Offeror has control over (e.g. phones, desktops, etc). See Amendment 04; this is now included in section L-2.4.1.1. |
| 24 |
| Will the BPO Service Contract be a multiple vendor award? |
| Yes, in accordance with C.1.2, FSA intends to make multiple awards for Business Process Operations. |
| 25 |
| May we use 10-point font for Tables and alternative, but readable, fonts in Diagrams? |
| In accordance with L-2.2.2, print shall be of a minimum 12-point font size (Times New Roman or equivalent). Bolding, underlining, and italics may be used to identify topic demarcations or points of emphasis. Graphic presentations, including tables, while not subject to the same font size and spacing requirements, shall have spacing and text that is easily readable. |
| 26 |
| C.3.2.H -- Who will ultimately determine appropriate actions to stay compliant with applicable laws and regulations? |
| BPO providers, in conjunction with FSA and other applicable vendors, are responsible for taking actions necessary to stay in compliance with applicable laws and regulations. |
| 27 |
| Would you please elaborate on the second sentence in this paragraph: ‘Note that the contractor shall only furnish deliverables related to call center security, network, telecommunications, data, desktops, and equipment configuration.’? Does this describe a required element of a proposal in response to this solicitation? |
| Offerors shall submit all deliverables as defined in the solicitation after award in accordance with the specified timeframes. See Amendment 03 for an updated Section C.3.4.2, Deliverables. |
| 28 |
| Will FSA provide a framework for Project Management Plans, Requirements Management Plans and other deliverables from section C.3.4 to enable common deliverables from the selected BPO contractors? |
| Templates are all part of the LMM process. Offerors should review the IRPE and links provided within the solicitation to get the copies of the templates for each of the deliverables in this section. |
| 29 |
| From Section C.3.4.2 regarding Deliverables, “Note that the Contractor shall only furnish deliverables related to call center security, network, telecommunications, date, desktop and equipment configuration”, can FSA confirm our understanding that these deliverables are not related to any services or work to be performed by the BPO Contractor? |
| See Amendment 03 for an updated Section C.3.4.2, Deliverables. |
| 30 |
| Will award(s) be made based on a best value tradeoff? If not, on what basis will award(s) be made under the Solicitation? |
| See Amendment 04 for a revised Section M – Evaluation Factors For Award. |
| 31 |
| Though Box 27a is not checked, SF 1449 appears to incorporate FAR 52.212-1, FAR 52.212-3, FAR 52.212-4, and FAR 52.212-5. Is this accurate? |
| Yes. |
| 32 |
| FAR 52.212-4(h) requires the contractor to indemnify the Government for patent infringement. Is the government willing to change the indemnification requirement to accommodate the needs of a contractor which is itself a governmental entity constitutionally precluded from promising indemnification? Like the Government itself in similar situations, the governmental-entity contractor remains willing to be responsible for its actions under any contract to the full extent legally required, and believes there are a number of ways to ensure this responsibility without using the tool of indemnification. For example, the indemnification language could be altered to indicate the governmental-entity contractor will agree to pay for any adjudicated or negotiated loss, liability or expense which arises out of or relates to its acts or omissions with respect to its obligations under the contract. |
| No. |
| 33 |
| Please clarify the apparent conflicts between FSA 27-1, Labeling of Documents (p. 15), which prohibits labeling data with restrictions, and FAR 52.227-14(c), which permits the addition of a Restricted Rights Notice on Vendor-copyrighted software (including software first produced in the performance of the contract), and FAR 52.227-14(g)(4), which indicates that the Vendor shall have the right to withhold restricted computer software, or, if the Government demands the delivery of restricted computer software, may affix a “Restricted Rights Notice” to the restricted computer software. |
| See Amendment 03 for a revised clause FSA 27-1 Labeling of Documents. |
| 34 |
| Does FSA have page limitations on the Schedule (L-2.4.2.4) and Traceability Matrix (L-2.4.2.5) in the Technical Approach Volume proposal? |
| No. |
| 35 |
| In the Proposal Volume Chart at L-2.2 under Past Performance, “17-Consumer Protection Template” is not named. Can FSA confirm this template is required in the Past Performance and advise if there is a page limitation? |
| Yes, offerors shall complete the template as requested, and there is no page limit. See Amendment 03. |
| 36 |
| Ref L-2.4.2.f: The past performance instructions in the solicitation direct offerors to provide data on applicable legal proceedings that have reached a final disposition (any court, over the past 5 years) by completing Attachment 17 (Consumer Protection Compliance Template). However, the instructions in Attachment 17 direct offerors to provide such data for a 7-year period. Can FSA confirm that the expectation is for offerors to provide 5 years of data (and not 7 years of data)? In the Attachment 16 Excel template, column B “Relevant Operating Element” has a drop-down box that says <Select from dropdown list>. There are only 2 options listed under the drop-down arrow - contact center support and back-office processing. “Life of loan servicing” is not an option and users can’t freeform type it in so it seems the spreadsheet is flawed. |
| FSA confirms the expectation for Offerors to provide 5 years of data in Attachment 17-Consumer Protection Template. See Amendment 03. Offerors shall complete Attachment 16-Performance Management as instructed; "life of loan servicing" will not be added to the template. |
| 37 |
| Will the Department accept 2nd tier subcontractors as outlined in 13 CFR Section 125.3 to be applied toward the small business goals outlined in the request for proposal? |
| In accordance with FAR 52.219(d)(1)(ii), the only second tier subcontractors that may be applied towards Subcontracting Plan Small business goals are for Alaska Native Corporations (ANCs). |
| 38 |
| Teaming/subcontracting is anticipated to be determined based on the type/volume/timing of Business Process Operations work being assigned. Without having this information available, is it required to list a specific vendor name in the "13 - Teaming Arrangements and Subcontracting Template" or is it acceptable to notate that "Team members/subcontractors will be sought based on type/volume/timing of Business Process Operation work to be determined after award"? If this is stated, will this meet the evaluation factor for the proposal? |
| Offerors shall complete Attachment 13 – “Teaming Arrangements and Subcontracting Template” in accordance with the instructions. |
| 39 |
| Will offerors be rated more favorably in their Small Business Subcontracting Plan if they subcontract with an AbilityOne organization, or another organization that employs disabled and severely disabled individuals? |
| See Amendment 03, which includes the Small Business Participation evaluation factor. |
| 40 |
| Will offerors be rated more favorably in their Small Business Subcontracting Plan if they commit to small-business targets that are greater than FSA’s stated goal of 32%? |
| See Amendment 03, which includes the Small Business Participation evaluation factor. |
| 41 |
| FAR 52.219 requires that subcontracting goals are “expressed in terms of total dollars subcontracted, and as a percentage of total planned subcontracting dollars” (FAR 52.219-9(d)(1). Please confirm the small business goal of 32% as stated in L-2.4.5 is based on the percentage of planned subcontracting dollars. |
| The subcontracting goal is 32% of the total contract value. |
| 42 |
| Please confirm there are no small business goals or set asides |
| While there are no small business set asides, there are small business participation goals identified in the solicitation. |
| 43 |
| Must a written teaming arrangement exist between the Team members before a subcontractor can be listed on the "13 - Teaming Arrangements and Subcontracting Template"? |
| No. |
| 44 |
| Are there any restrictions relating to services subcontracting with additional companies to perform functions like collections? |
| No, Offerors may propose subcontracting to meet the objectives of the solicitation, subject to applicable laws and regulations. |
| 45 |
| The paragraph Additional current state technical constraints contains the sentence “Vendors may propose solution-relevant alternative, more efficient, accurate, or customer-centered approaches and processes (vs. those detailed in the current state technical constraints) to accomplish FSA’s outcomes.” Please explain how, when, and to whom the vendor should propose alternative solutions. Are there formal submission requirements? |
| See Amendment 04; this has been removed. |
| 46 |
| Please describe the rationale and purpose for prohibiting offerors from executing exclusivity agreements for potential subcontractors. If a potential subcontractor discovers an offeror who is seeking to put an exclusivity agreement in place, what procedure should we follow to inform ED? |
| Offeror shall contact MDSETeam@ed.gov in the event that this activity occurs. |
| 47 |
| In regards to Section L-2.2., Volume 2 is not listed in the table provided. Is this a simple numbering mistake or is there a separate Volume 2 not listed in the table? |
| See Amendment 03 for updated numbering. |
| 48 |
| Can we submit a narrative with the attachment 19-Performance Measurement Template? |
| No. |
| 49 |
| Section F, paragraphs (c), (d), and (e) indicate that offerors must submit a preliminary Continuation of Mission Critical Services Plan with its offer. However, Section L-2.2 makes no reference of this plan in the required outline for proposals. Could the Government please confirm whether or not this draft plan should be submitted with offers, and if so, in which proposal volume should it be presented? |
| This shall be submitted as part of Volume 5, Small Business Subcontracting Plan and Other Solicitation Requirements. |
| 50 |
| The requirement states that each volume in the proposal shall include a copy of the cover letter (letter of transmittal), title page, and table of contents. Does this mean each cover letter for each volume must be an exact copy of the cover letter referenced in RFP L-2.2, page 56 or the cover letter for each volume will only include the enclosures for that volume? |
| The cover letter for each volume shall be an exact copy of the cover letter referenced in L-2.2. |
| 51 |
| Regarding "pages shall be numbered consecutively." Does this mean within each Volume or by section within each volume (from after cover page to end of section?) - Assume by section to correspond with page count requirements. |
| Within each volume. |
| 52 |
| Can FSA confirm our understanding that all Representations, Certifications and Other Statements of Offeror are listed in Section K and are due with the Small Business Subcontracting Plan and Other Requirements Volume Proposal? |
| Confirmed. |
| 53 |
| Section L - 2.4.2.f is requiring on-going Federal legal proceedings and other ongoing proceeding be supplied for the past performance volume. The solicitation states this information is not for evaluation purposes but rather only informational. If the information is not going to be evaluated, we do not understand the purpose of supplying the information. Such information could provide an unintentional skewed result in the overall evaluation, depending if there were more or less ongoing proceeding and how that weighs on the perception of the evaluators. Will the FSA consider removing this burdensome requirement or explain what informational value this data will provide if it will not be used in the evaluation? |
| See Amendment 04 for an updated section L-2.4.2 Volume 2: Past Performance. Ongoing proceedings will be considered in the Government’s evaluation. |
| 54 |
| Please clarify - does “final disposition” include dismissal of a case? |
| Yes. |
| 55 |
| The definition of lifecycle changed between Business Process Operations, section C.3.1 and Attachment One As Is Updated, slide 3. Which is correct? |
| Both referenced documents define a lifecycle as spanning from application to recovery (i.e., recovery and associated activities). |
| 56 |
| How many separate prime contracts for Business Process Operations will FSA award? |
| Consistent with the FY2019 Department of Defense and Labor, Health and Human Services, and Education Appropriations Act, FSA intends to make multiple awards for Business Process Operations. |
| 57 |
| Adherence to and monitoring for changes in laws and regulations -- Are the activities and tasks in this series’ requirements of the BPO contractor or is it information for system developers? |
| The BPO vendors are required to adhere to and monitor for changes in laws and regulations in accordance with C.3.2.h. |
| 58 |
| The pricing template does not have a line item for deferments and forbearances. Where does FSA want deferments and forbearances unit and volume price included in the pricing template? |
| See Amendment 03 for an updated pricing template. |
| 59 |
| For the pricing template, please confirm that FSA is requesting price per unit (e.g., price per call, price per task) for each activity. |
| Offerors shall price based on the "pricing model" column instruction in Attachment 18 - Pricing template. In some categories, this would be price per call, price per task, etc. |
| 60 |
| The pricing template, volume assumptions tab, reflects that the annual email volume is 547,200,000 (cell E64). However, on page 14 of the solicitation the annual email volume is presented as 575,000,000; there is a 27,800,000 difference. Which is the more accurate total to use? |
| For purposes of consistency in the evaluation, Offerors shall use the email volume provided in the pricing template. These estimates are for informational purposes only. |
| 61 |
| Given that some of the pricing categories are very broad -- such as "Calls - Servicing" under Contact Center support and "Other servicing tasks" under Back-office processing -- and might themselves contain many sub-activities that vary significantly in cost, is it appropriate to offer pricing at a more detailed level, such as on the Proposal Alternative Methodology" tab? |
| See Amendment 03 for a revised pricing template. Calls are listed as Inbound or Outbound only. For back-office processing, Offerors may use the "Proposal Alternate Methodology" tab to offer pricing at a more detailed level. |
| 62 |
| Based on the solicitations, FSA expects multiple implementations over time for the implementation of both the Enhanced and Optimal systems. And based on the structure of the pricing template, it appears that BPO vendors will be allowed to project and submit various implementation costs as a result of the subsequent activities. Please confirm. |
| FSA confirms. |
| 63 |
| Where are outbound calls captured and where do they fit in the pricing template? |
| See Amendment 03 for a revised pricing template. |
| 64 |
| Within the pricing template, are technical calls defined as those only occurring between a school and the BPO vendor, or will they also include customer technical calls? |
| See Amendment 03 for a revised pricing template. |
| 65 |
| For 'Solutions shall support the Processing Solution vendors to ensure the compliance and accuracy of financial transactions and reporting...' can FSA provide additional guidance on these types of tasks, and in which billable category these tasks fall within the pricing template? |
| Attachment 03 outlines Finance Technical Requirements and supporting tasks. These tasks are within the scope the NextGen EPS Solution (solicitation 91003119R0005). BPO vendors will be expected to support the Processing Solution in its efforts to ensure accurate financial reporting and compliance. This is a general operating condition and not a billable, per-unit processing task. |
| 66 |
| Will the change management / change request process activities be billable as they are in the servicer contracts today, or do all of those activities have to be assumed and incorporated into defined tasks and implementations within the pricing template? Examples include user acceptance testing, new training guidelines, new processes/procedures, etc. |
| BPO vendors will be responsible for supporting the creation of knowledge material, procedures, or systems functionality being prepared by other NextGen solutions. BPO vendors will continually utilize the systems and knowledge material provided by other NextGen solutions. Requirements will be defined post award, and if there are any changes to those requirements, FSA intends to use the change management process. |
| 67 |
| C.3.3.b – If the Enhanced / Optimal Processing Solution automates existing work that is completed by BPOs, will FSA reduce compensation to the BPOs? |
| FSA will establish fair and reasonable common pricing across all Business Process Operations contracts. This pricing will be on a per-unit basis. |
| 68 |
| Regarding “optional tier” in Column C, does that mean offerors can either submit one flat price, or a sliding scale with more volume? |
| Yes. |
| 69 |
| In an effort to provide appropriate pricing under Business Operations, will the Department provide specific information regarding the capabilities regarding the Omni-Channel engagement layer so that the solutions requested by the Business Operations Servicer can be properly assessed to determine any functional and/or technical gaps the Business Process servicer must full within its own solutions? |
| Not at this time. BPO vendors will be provided access to data and solutions as necessary to execute designated functions. |
| 70 |
| How does FSA envision an email exchange to be defined for billing purposes, (for example, email received and 1 reply is one unit, or email received is one unit singularly and the reply is another unit) is each exchange a billable unit? |
| BPO providers shall be paid per exchange (i.e., receipt and reply is one exchange) not paid per receipt and paid per reply. |
| 71 |
| The solicitation document (91003119R0008), page 14, references 309 million outbound calls initiated annually, of which 282 million are collections. Does the 282 million include both delinquent and defaulted account outbound calls and if it does, can an estimate of the split between delinquent and defaulted be provided? |
| The 282 million number includes accounts held in non-default status and those that are delinquent. This does not include default calls. |
| 72 |
| Deferment and forbearance processing/application are a significant servicing back-office activity. Can FSA provide volume information to support the pricing template? |
| See Amendment 03 for a revised pricing template. |
| 73 |
| Please define a call. Based on the Volume Assumption Tab, a call offered to the IVR and handled by the IVR is included in the pricing. Do calls include those handled by an agent, those placed by an auto dialer, and those placed by an auto-dialer and routed to an agent? |
| Calls in the context of BPO refers to those in which a live agent participates. |
| 74 |
| What proportion of the 31.3 million inbound calls are assumed to be handled by the contact center agents vs. those handled solely by an IVR? |
| 31.3 million inbound calls are in the current state; FSA anticipates that this volume will change based on the implementation of NextGen, which includes a new IVR solution. See Amendment 03 for updated volume assumptions. Amendment 03 includes 48 million inbound calls, which includes those deflected by IVR in the current state. |
| 75 |
| On the Volume assumptions tab, an average handle time (AHT) of 420 seconds is presented. Is this the average agent handle time (talk time, hold time, wrap up time) for inbound calls or is it time in the IVR plus agent time? |
| The time provided is the average agent handle time. |
| 76 |
| Section k states that Specialty programs (e.g., PSLF, TEACH, TPD, Perkins, Pell) and specialty claims (e.g., discharge, forgiveness) require special handling as well as specific and unique processing rules that impact the Solution, along with other existing and future solutions, and often relate to multiple constraints. |
Question: Could you share processing Volumes of Specialty Programs (e.g. Perkins, Pell) and specialty claims (e.g., discharge, forgiveness) for 2018?
See Attachment 18 - Pricing Template, "Volume Assumptions" tab for available volumes to be used for purposes of consistency in the evaluation.
| 77 |
| Section C.3.5.1, Milestone 1, states that vendors shall “begin scaling operations in parallel with the state of existing customer accounts migration once the Enhanced Processing Solution is fully operational and ready to start migrating (no later than six months of award).” Will the Business Process Operations awardee(s) be receiving accounts at the same time as the Enhanced Processing Solution awardee(s)? If not, how does FSA anticipate a Business Process Operations awardee may “scale” its operations with no accounts? |
| Yes, FSA anticipates BPO awardees will be receiving accounts at the same time that the Enhanced Processing Solution awardee has begun migrating and providing student financing support for customer accounts. |
| 78 |
| If any existing servicer is awarded a Business Process Operation contract, will they maintain the customer accounts currently assigned to them under the new Business Process Operation contract? |
| All customer accounts will be migrated onto the EPS solution. For activities within the scope of the BPO solicitation, BPO providers that were TIVAS or NFPs may provide support for some of their currently allocated customers. However, the Government does not guarantee this will occur as allocations of initial volume will be done equitably across all BPO vendors. |
| 79 |
| If a customer does not authenticate in the phone system (fails authentication/opts out to customer service), which Business Process Operations vendor will handle the caller to identify which vendor they are assigned to? Will the Business Process Operations vendors after identifying the assigned Business Process Operation then transfer the customer for service? |
| General customer inquiries and/or back-office processing tasks will be randomly distributed to any one of the Business Process Operations (BPO) vendors. |
| 80 |
| For partners such as schools - if they are calling about several customer accounts for assistance and these customer are assigned to differing Business Process Operations vendors, how will this call be handled? |
| Partner inquiries and/or back-office processing tasks will be randomly distributed to any one of the Business Process Operations (BPO) vendors in this scenario. |
| 81 |
| Will allocation to Business Process Operations vendors be refreshed to maintain a steady distribution as the existing customer assignment are paid off? |
| Allocation of accounts will be in accordance with the "Performance Management" section of the solicitation. See Amendment 03. |
| 82 |
| Can FSA expand on its expectations on allocating borrowers to specific servicers for life of loan servicing, or will FSA allocate transaction requests (such as calls, chat, entitlement exceptions, etc.) based on BPO vendor pricing? |
| Solution shall provide tailored customer assistance throughout the life of the loan. FSA will establish fair and reasonable common pricing across all Business Process Operations contracts. Allocation will follow the procedures as detailed in the "Performance Management" section of the solicitation. |
| 83 |
| How much lead time will BPOs be given for increased allocation to ramp up staffing? |
| FSA intends to provide annual forecasts and monthly results of performance measures. FSA will work with BPO vendors to provide adequate lead time. |
| 84 |
| How will the initial allocation of assigned customer accounts for the separate Business Process Operations vendors be determined? |
| Initial assignment of BPO accounts will be equitably distributed. |
| 85 |
| Will the random distribution of calls routed from customers that have not yet received student financial aid or inquiries from partners (e.g., schools) be prioritized and equitable to Business Process Operations vendors? |
| Prior to disbursement, customer inquiries and/or back-office processing tasks will be randomly distributed to any one of the Business Process Operations (BPO) vendors. |
| 86 |
| Can FSA please confirm that BPO Vendors will be assigned customers to be serviced rather than just assigned tasks once the new loan has been disbursed? |
| BPO providers shall perform the functions detailed in the solicitation for assigned customer accounts. |
| 87 |
| Will customers be randomly assigned to specific servicers or will certain servicers specialize in specific loan types and statuses? |
| Solutions shall be equipped to provide efficient and effective customer and partner experience in responding and resolving inbound customer inquiries across multiple channels (e.g., phone, email, chat, social media, SMS/text, fax) across the entire financing lifecycle for FSA’s entire financing portfolio, and executing outbound outreach as directed for various loan and grant types. Accounts will be assigned based on the Performance Management metrics outlined in Amendment 03. |
| 88 |
| C.3.3.b – Will BPO’s be assigned specific schools to manage for origination and disbursement related activities? |
| No, BPO providers will not be assigned specific schools. General inquiry calls, including for origination and disbursement, will be randomly distributed to any one of the BPO vendors. BPO vendors need to be prepared to handle contact center work and/or back-office processing for any general inquiries. |
| 89 |
| Will all complaints be entered into the existing FSA complaint portal and distributed to each separate Business Process Operations vendor for their assigned customers? Who will initiate these complaints (i.e. separate Business Process Operations vendors, FSA)? |
| BPO vendors will be expected to operate within existing or newly provided NextGen boundaries (e.g. consolidated website). Feedback related inquiries shall be randomly assigned, as described in the solicitation. BPO vendors will perform contact center functions across the full lifecycle of federal student financial services to include those performed by the Federal Student Aid Feedback Center. |
| 90 |
| What is the anticipated date for the separate Business Process Operations vendors to begin work for non-existing customer accounts? i.e. Support for school and trading partners i.e. EdExpress, Participation Management, SAIG enrollment etc. and for those as required by the Optimal Processing Solution, aid applications, eligibility applications for DOD, DOJ, DHS, SSA, Incarcerated, resolve student identity conflicts and technical help desk support to Schools for Origination and Disbursement Processing for the Direct Loans, Title IV Grant Programs (i.e. Pell, TEACH etc.), including but not limited to, origination and disbursement data submittal issues, Program funding issues, Program funds to disbursement reconciliations, Subsidized Usage Limit (SULA) escalations, Grant overpayment processing, and borrower credit appeals. |
| BPO awardees shall be prepared to begin work for the full lifecycle of student financing on the date that they are authorized to begin operations. |
When will the 10 month portfolio conversion period for EPS begin?
The conversion period will not begin until both EPS and a sufficient number of multiple BPO providers are in place and authorized to support FSA's customer base.
| 92 |
| Back Office tasks reflect Eligibility, Origination and Servicing tasks. There is no task identified as Default Borrower or Default Management tasks. Where does FSA want Default Management tasks to be presented? If these tasks are included in Servicing tasks the servicing unit price will be greater to accommodate the default tasks. |
| Offerors shall consider all aspects of the student financing lifecycle, including tasks for borrowers in recovery, for the back office tasks listed in the pricing template. |
| 93 |
| C.3.3.b – Will processing steps that either fail to update systemically or are new processing activities be assigned to the BPOs or will the Enhanced / Optimal Processing Solution provider be responsible to complete? |
| BPO providers are responsible for all manual back office processing activities for their assigned accounts. |
| 94 |
| If manual fallout occurs from retroactive adjustments, will these tasks be routed to the separate Business Process Operations for processing and quality assurance? |
| BPO providers are responsible for processing retroactive adjustments for their assigned portfolio and providing applicable quality assurance. |
| 95 |
| C.3.3.b – A large majority of credit bureau disputes are received from customers that have defaulted. These loans may or may not have a servicer. How should the BPO’s plan this work to be distributed? |
| Each borrower account will be assigned to a BPO provider. Offerors shall propose solutions that provide efficient and effective support for all customers, including those in recovery. BPOs must perform the work for all accounts assigned to them, including borrowers in recovery once the loans are transferred to the EPS system. See Amendment 03 for an updated Performance Management section. |
| 96 |
| FSA indicates that the support for back office processing that cannot be automated also supports student applicants – are there processing activities that are required for the FSA Application process that are not defined in the operating requirements? In section C.3.3. b – it appears to only be servicing and DMCS processing activities. |
| Solutions shall efficiently execute back-office activities across the full life cycle of student financing, as assigned, especially those that cannot be automated within other relevant solutions. This includes application, origination and disbursement, and other pre-servicing activities. In accordance with C.3.3.b, see the section titled “Solution shall efficiently execute eligibility determination and support other back-office, exception and manual activities, as assigned by FSA, especially those that cannot be automated within other relevant solutions,” which provides additional detail. |
| 97 |
| Would you give an example of a ‘back-office tasking’ (top of page 8) that may be assigned to a vendor? Will the vendor use a workflow application provided by FSA, or is the vendor expected to use its own workflow system? |
| Offerors will be assigned workflows through a solution provided by the DCC. Examples of back office tasks that are not automated in the current state include, but are not limited to, IBR processing and processing a deferment. |
| 98 |
| Transformation: Will the back-office resources be expected to refer to scanned images or handwritten documents? |
| BPO providers shall be expected to refer to data provided to them, regardless of the medium, which may include scanned images or handwritten documents. |
| 99 |
| Can a listing of back-office processing activities that cannot be automated be provided? |
| Not at this time. This will be dependent on the EPS and OPS solutions. |
| 100 |
| Can FSA confirm that back-office processing does not include payment processing? |
| Yes, the EPS provider shall be responsible for payment processing. |
| 101 |
| C.3.3.b – Who will be responsible to update “Do Not Call” files? |
| BPO providers shall be responsible for entering data from customers who request to not be called. |
| 102 |
| Back office Operations: A general clarification is required whether the Back-Office advisors are expected to place outbound calls the customers or is this task generally handed off to the contact center agents? |
| BPO vendors will be expected to make outbound calls at the direction of FSA and based on contact center and/or back-office workflows that require outbound contact. |
| 103 |
| Will NSLDS reporting errors be routed to the designated Business Process Operations vendor for their designated/assigned unique customer account for the error to be resolved? |
| Depending on the nature of the reporting error (e.g. account-related or system-related) a BPO vendor will be assigned a unique customer account for error corrections related to NSLDS reporting or other loan related-reporting/issues. |
| 104 |
| Will the BPO contractors receive any hard copy-loan servicing documents directly from schools, borrowers or any other outside partners? |
| No. |
| 105 |
| (b.) How will the BPO contractor provide support documentation or proof of work/resolutions that is necessary for a borrower's history and imaging? Will a workflow be utilized? |
| All documentation will be received by a non-BPO vendor and routed to BPO vendors through established workflows. Documentation supporting BPO vendors' work will be available on the system. |
| 106 |
| FSA indicates that the solution shall efficiently execute eligibility determination and support other back office…. However in the first sub bullet – it indicates that processing capabilities are required by the Optimal Processing Solution, and it does not have that qualifier on any other sub bullet – will those sub bullets be required on the Enhanced Processing Solution or not until the Optimal Processing Solution is ready? |
| The processing capabilities refer to back-office processing that can not be handled through automated processing within the Optimal Processing Solution. The support identified may be required regardless of whether OPS is in place or not, so BPO vendors shall be prepared to support all back office processing needs. |
| 107 |
| Will existing customer accounts in which the entire balance is $0 migrate to the Enhanced Processing Solution and will they be assigned to the separate Business Process Operations vendors in case manual work is necessary? |
| BPO providers shall provide services for the accounts that are assigned to them, regardless of the account balance. |
| 108 |
| Will physical return mail be directed to Enhanced Processing Solution and then routed based on customer account assignment for each separate Business Process Operations vendor for processing and to begin skiptracing efforts if applicable? |
| Physical return mail will be routed to the imaging, printing, and mailing vendor, which may be the EPS vendor if the option is exercised. |
| 109 |
| If prior servicer issues are identified post-migration, will the Enhanced Processing Solution complete this work at a portfolio level or will the work be assigned to the separate Business Process Operations for completion? |
| This will depend on the root cause and/or nature of the error. BPO providers should expect to execute functions across the full life cycle of student financing. This will include but is not limited to, conducting account maintenance, including the manual correction of errors identified through data integrity scans. |
| 110 |
| Please define borrower credit appeals. Does this only include appeals related to originations or does it include default and servicing appeals/corrections? |
| Borrower credit appeals include appeals for the "life of the loan". Offerors can review studentloans.gov, "Document Extenuating Circumstances (Appeal)" for an explanation of borrower credit appeals. |
| 111 |
| Several requirements listed in the Additional Current State Technical Constraints are not required in the current environment. Can these be defined more clearly as Current State vs. New Requirements? Will the comprehensive set of binding requirements to be defined and delivered post award be the same for all solutions (Enhanced Processing Solution, Business Process Operations, Optimal Processing Solution)? If not, how will they differ? |
| Where applicable, binding requirements and constraints will be provided post award. The scope of work performed by each NextGen Solution is not the same and therefore the requirements will differ based on the solution's purpose and scope of work. |
| 112 |
| Can FSA clarify the meaning of support in section C.3.2-j that reads BPO solution “shall support the Processing Solution vendors to ensure the compliance and accuracy of financial transactions and reporting? |
| BPO vendors will be expected to support efforts to ensure the accuracy of financial transactions and reporting to include reviewing and responding to information provided by other NextGen solutions and/or FSA and updating account information as necessary. |
| 113 |
| Solution Objectives – The first sentence references “origination and disbursement.” (p. 6) – Please provide more detailed requirements around the origination and disbursement function, on par with the detailed requirements provided for the servicing functions? |
| BPO providers will receive training on the detailed requirements for origination and disbursement in order to ensure they can successfully provide contact center and back office processing support. |
| 114 |
| What repayment options are available for defaulted borrowers (e.g., rehabilitations, loan consolidations, garnishment, etc.)? |
| Information on repayment plans is publicly available. |
| 115 |
| In regards to Section C.3.1, will all awardees work under an FSA brand and use FSA’s name and likeness in their communications with consumers? |
| Yes. |
| 116 |
| C.3.2.I – Who will be considered the Servicer: FSA; Command Center; BPO provider; system provider? |
| Differentiations between FSA, servicers, and PCAs are indicative of the current state, not the NextGen Financial Services operating environment. |
| 117 |
| Do you anticipate every awarded BPO to have a technical help desk as described in C.3.3.b or will FSA consider assigning this function to a limited number of or single BPO? |
| Offerors shall propose technical help desk support as specified in Amendment 03. |
| 118 |
| Will call queues follow a similar structure to those identified in attachment 10? |
| No, attachment 10 is illustrative of the current state. |
| 119 |
| What tools will be provided to track and monitor agent performance? |
| The DCC vendor will provide tools to track and monitor agent performance. However, BPO vendors will be required to perform Quality Control in accordance with section C.3.2.f of the solicitation. |
| 120 |
| Will scorecards be provided at the agent level based on their performance? |
| Solutions shall include performance management and quality control mechanisms that would enable improved and ongoing achievement of metrics. |
| 121 |
| The solicitation calls for a single-point of contact for borrowers on their Direct Loans. Does this solicitation anticipate including service to borrowers with outstanding FFEL loans, who may or may not, also have outstanding Direct loans? |
| BPO providers shall support customers with all their federally-held loans, including FFEL or other Title IV loans held by the Department. |
| 122 |
| Will the separate Business Process Operations vendors be required to provide additional support groups i.e. 2nd tier to assist the contact center with questions and escalations specifically for the customers assigned? |
| Yes, BPO vendors shall provide all levels of support to their assigned customers. |
| 123 |
| If there is an additional support group (2nd tier of support), will there be "customer satisfaction scores" for borrowers who reached this phase of support? If so, where will those scores be derived from? |
| Yes, customer satisfaction scores will be derived from post-contact surveys. |
| 124 |
| Will separate Business Process Operations vendors have the flexibility to develop and provide custom communications to customers as part of the escalation resolution process? |
| No. The BPO providers are required to identify opportunities for improvements with FSA’s communications. |
| 125 |
| Can FSA clarify that requirements for contact center operations at C.3.3 are for contactors to establish and maintain all channels of contacts (phone, email, chat, SMS/text, social media, fax) 24-hours a day, 7-days a week and 365-days a year? |
| Solutions shall establish and maintain operations 24 hours/day, 7 days/week, and 365 days/year, which includes all channels of contact as defined in the solicitation. However, per Amendment 03, vendor shall provide multiple pricing inputs based on specified hours in Attachment 18 - Pricing Template. |
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