SF30 Amendment 1 MSIX HD.pdf

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

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

AMENDMENT OF SOLICITATION/MODIFICATION OF CONTRACT 1. CONTRACT ID CODE

2. AMENDMENT/MODIFICATION NUMBER 3. EFFECTIVE DATE 4. REQUISITION/PURCHASE REQUISITION NUMBER 5. PROJECT NUMBER (If applicable)

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

STANDARD FORM 30 (REV. 11/2016)

Prescribed by GSA FAR (48 CFR) 53.243

FACILITY CODE

9A. AMENDMENT OF SOLICITATION NUMBER

9B. DATED (SEE ITEM 11)

10A. MODIFICATION OF CONTRACT/ORDER NUMBER

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.

12. ACCOUNTING AND APPROPRIATION DATA (If required) copies of the amendment; (b) By acknowledging receipt of this amendment on each copy of the offer submitted;

13. THIS ITEM APPLIES ONLY TO MODIFICATIONS OF CONTRACTS/ORDERS. IT MODIFIES THE CONTRACT/ORDER NUMBER 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 NUMBER

IN ITEM 10A.

B. THE ABOVE NUMBERED CONTRACT/ORDER IS MODIFIED TO REFLECT THE ADMINISTRATIVE CHANGES (such as changes in paying office, appropriation data, 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)

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.

15C. DATE SIGNED

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

16C. DATE SIGNED

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

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

PAGE OF PAGES

6. ISSUED BY CODE

8. NAME AND ADDRESS OF CONTRACTOR (Number, street, county, State and ZIP Code) (X)

CODE

15B. CONTRACTOR/OFFEROR

(Signature of person authorized to sign)

16B. UNITED STATES OF AMERICA

(Signature of Contracting Officer)

Previous edition unusable

The purpose of Amendment 0001 is to provide a response to vendor questions, update the wording in the Instructions to Offerors, update Section

3.3 Resource Development of the Performance Work Statement (PWS), and update the wording in 3452.204-71 Deviation (JUN 2021) Notice to Offerors of Department Contractor ...See Continuation Page

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91990023Q0003

NOV 01, 2022

See Schedule

Continuation Page

Continued from Block 14...

Security Vetting Requirement.

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Table of Contents

3452.204-71 DEVIATION (JUN 2021)Notice to Offerors of Department Contractor Security Vetting Requirements

(DEVIATION) (JUN 2021)

Instructions to Offerors and Evaluation Criteria

PWS for MSIX Help Desk

Responses to Vendor Questions

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CLAUSES

3452.204-71 DEVIATION (JUN 2021) Notice to Offerors of Department Contractor Security Vetting Requirements (DEVIATION) (JUN 2021)

(a) The successful offeror shall comply with Department of Education personnel, cyber, privacy, security policy requirements as set forth in Contractor Security Vetting Requirements at http:// www.ed.gov/fund/contract/about/bsp.html.

(b) Contractor employees who will have access to proprietary or sensitive ED information including Controlled Unclassified Information as defined in 32 CFR Part 2002.4(h), ED IT systems, contractor systems operated with ED data or interfacing with ED systems, ED facilities or space, and/or perform duties in a school or in a location where children are present, must undergo a personnel security screening and a receive favorable determination and are subject to reinvestigation as described in the Contractor Vetting Security Requirements. Compliance with the Contractor Vetting Security Requirements, as amended, is required.

(c) The type of security investigation required to commence work on an ED contract is dictated by the position designation determination assigned by ED. All ED contractor positions are designated commensurate with their position risk/sensitivity, in accordance with Title 5 Code of Federal Regulations (5 CFR 731.106) and OPMs Position Designation Tool (PDT) located at: https:// pdt.nbis.mil/. The position designation determines the risk level and the corresponding level of background investigations required.

(d) The contractor shall comply with all contractor position designations established by ED.

(e) The following are the contractor employee positions required under this contract and their designated risk levels:

High Risk (HR): [ ] Moderate Risk (MR): [Personnel with Program/Project Management responsibilities;

ED.gov email address needed. ] Low Risk (LR): [Personnel with access to grants management related information and grantee performance data. ]

(f) For performance-based contracts where ED has not identified required labor categories for contractor positions, ED considers the risk sensitivity of the services to be performed and the access to ED facilities and systems that will be required during performance, to determine the uniform contractor position risk level designation for all contractor employees who will be providing services under the contract. The uniform contractor position risk level designation applicable to this performance-based contract is:

[Moderate ]

(g) Only U.S. citizens will be eligible for employment on contracts requiring a Moderate Risk/Public Trust, High Risk/Public Trust, or a National Security designation.

(h) Permanent resident aliens may be eligible for employment on contracts requiring Low Risk/ Public Trust access.

(i) An approved waiver, in accordance with Contractor Vetting Security Requirements is required for any exception to the requirements of paragraphs (g) and (h) above.

(j) The Contractor shall-

(1) Comply with the Principal Office (PO) processing requirements for personnel security screening,

(2) Ensure that no contractor employee is placed in a higher risk position than for which he or she is approved,

(3) Ensure contractor employees submit required security forms for reinvestigation in accordance with the timeframes set forth in the Contractor Vetting Security Requirements,

(4) Report to the COR any information (i.e., personal conduct, criminal conduct, financial difficulties, etc.) that would raise a concern about the suitability of a contractor or whether a contractor employees continued employment would promote the efficiency of the service or violate the public trust,

(5) Protect sensitive and Privacy Act-protected, including Controlled Unclassified Information as defined in 32 CFR Part 2002.4(h), from unauthorized access, use or misuse by its contractor employees, prevent unauthorized access by others, and report any instances of unauthorized access, use or misuse to the COR,

(6) Report to the COR within two business days any removal of a contractor employee from a contract;

or within one business day if removed for cause, PAGE 4 OF 172 91990023Q00030001

(7) Upon the occurrence of any of the events listed under paragraph (b) of FAR Clause 52.204-9, Personal Identity Verification of Contractor Personnel, return a PIV ID to the COR within seven business days of the contractor employees departure; and

(8) Report to the COR any change to job activities that could result in a change in the contractor employees position or the need for increased security access.

(k) Failure to comply with any of the personnel security requirements, set forth in Contractor Security Vetting Requirements at http://www.ed.gov/fund/contract/about/bsp.html, may result in a termination of the contract for default or cause.

(End of provision)

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Instructions to Offerors and Evaluation Criteria

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Migrant Student Information Exchange (MSIX) Help Desk

Instructions to Offerors and Evaluation Criteria

Acquisition Requirements and Strategy

The Department will award a contract resulting from this solicitation to the responsible offeror whose offer conforming to the solicitation will be most advantageous to the Government, price and other factors considered using a trade‐off approach. Although price is an important factor, technical merit is significantly more important than price. For that reason, the Government reserves the right to not consider for award, and not evaluate the business proposal of any offeror whose technical proposal is rated “MARGINAL” or lower on Factors 1 ‐ 4 below. As technical merit becomes more equal, price/cost will become a more significant factor.

The competitive range will include all offerors with a rating of “excellent” or “satisfactory” on each technical evaluation factor.

Best Value Methodology

A tradeoff methodology will be employed during the evaluation to identify the best value. Cost will be an important factor; however, cost will be significantly less important than technical merit. There are four technical evaluation factors that will be assessed before cost is evaluated. Note that Factors 1 and

2 are of equal importance to one another and are more important than Factors 3 and 4.

The Department will use the following factors to evaluate technical merit of offers. The factors are listed in descending order of importance.

Factor 1 ‐ Quality and Credibility of the Technical Approach

Factor 2 ‐ Soundness of the Management Plan and Timelines

Factor 3 – Personnel Factor 4 – Experience and Past Performance Note that the TEP will consider risk as it relates to each individual evaluation factor. The reviewers will assign one of the following ratings to each of the evaluation factors outlined below.

Factor 1: Quality and Credibility of the Technical Approach

The extent to which the vendor demonstrates an understanding of the purpose and context of the contract, the major issues and objectives, potential challenges, and comprehensive knowledge of laws and regulations related to providing Help Desk efforts to support the Migrant Student Information Exchange (MSIX) of Title I, Part C, Migrant Education Programs (MEP).

The extent to which the vendor proposes an approach for accomplishing each objective and the full set of tasks in the proposed PWS is complete and feasible within the proposed time frames. The timeline adequately accounts for the review process.

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The extent to which the vendor demonstrates a clear understanding of the needs of

OESE and OME stakeholders and proposes a reasonable and well‐thought‐out solution about how best to serve those needs.

The extent to which the proposal demonstrates a clear and comprehensive knowledge of the skills, resources, and strategies needed to complete the work.

The extent to which the proposal demonstrates research capabilities to address complex business and technical problems.

The extent to which the vendor proposed plan is clearly written, coherent, well organized, and demonstrates a commitment to detail and high-quality work.

Factor 2: Soundness of the Management Plan and Timelines

The extent to which the vendor proposes a sound and feasible approach to assuring the quality of contract work and products.

The extent to which the vendor proposes a contract team that demonstrates an efficient use of staff with clearly defined lines of authority and responsibilities, and staff assignments match their expertise.

The extent to which the vendor demonstrates effective control of tasks and resource allocations that will ensure the timely completion of tasks/deliverables within the proposed budget.

The extent to which the vendor provides a clear explanation of how problems will be solved and how the contractor will work to remedy them.

The extent to which the vendor provides evidence of strong corporate commitment to managerial oversight as evidenced by a clear and effective approach to problem identification and resolution, and/or a clear corporate structure for contract oversight.

The extent to which the offeror demonstrates a plan for managing subcontractors that is low risk and likely to result in successful contract performance.

The extent to which the offeror’s proposed key personnel are available and are not committed to other projects.

The extent to which the vendor proposes a strong system for monitoring contract budgets and expenditures.

The extent to which the vendor describes a clear and convincing quality control plan that will ensure that deliverables are timely, complete, free of errors, and demonstrate the level of effort (time allocations) needed to successfully complete the task.

Factor 3: Personnel

The extent to which the vendor demonstrates the depth of the expertise, technical skills, level of training and amount of experience of the proposed personnel viewed in relationship to their proposed work.

The extent to which the vendor demonstrates Key Personnel have competencies and experience in performing work of similar size and scope

The extent to which staff are available to work on these tasks immediately upon award of the contract and the adequacy of the time commitment of staff to all tasks defined in the proposed PWS.

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Factor 4: Experience and Past Performance

The extent to which the offeror has knowledge of and experience with a range of federal programs related to this procurement.

The extent to which the offeror demonstrates successful past and current experience in conducting projects of a similar or comparable nature as well as its experience with different federal programs.

The extent to which the offeror has a reputation for effective management of federal contracts, including quality assurance, problem resolution, cost control, timeliness, business relations, and customer service.

Price Evaluation

Although price/cost is an evaluation factor, it will not be evaluated based upon a predetermined evaluation rating scale. Rather, cost/price will be analyzed in order to ensure that the proposed cost/price is fair and reasonable, as required by the SSA/CO.

Evaluation of the business proposal shall be conducted under the guidance of the assigned Contract

Specialist and Contracting Officer. The business proposal will be evaluated using one or more price analysis techniques. Evaluation of options shall not obligate the Government to exercise the option(s).

An assessment of whether the submitted Conflict of Interest Plan is thorough, complete, and effective.

The Government will evaluate the vendor for award purposes by adding the total price for all options to the total price for the basic requirement. The Government may determine that a proposal is unacceptable if the option prices are significantly unbalanced.

As part of the price evaluation, the Government will evaluate its option to extend services by adding six

(6) months of the offeror’s final option period price to the offeror’s total price. The offeror is required only to price the base and option periods. The offeror shall not submit a price for the potential six‐ month extension of services period. The Government may choose to exercise the Extension of Services at the end of any performance period (base or option periods), utilizing the rates of that performance period.

Rating Scales

EVALUATION SCALE

EXCELLENT

The vendor’s proposed solution exceeds specified performance or capability in a beneficial way to the Department. The solution does not contain inconsistencies or incompatibilities. The response to this criterion has multiple strengths in meeting the requirements and does not contain any weaknesses.

SATISFACTORY The vendor’s proposed solution meets the performance or capability standards. The solution contains minor or insignificant inconsistencies or

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incompatibilities. The response to this criterion has strengths and may or may not have weaknesses, but the strengths outweigh the weaknesses.

MARGINAL

The vendor’s proposed solution fails to meet some of the performance or capability standards. The solution contains inconsistencies. The response to this criterion may have strengths, but these strengths are offset by weaknesses.

UNSATISFACTORY

The vendor’s proposed solution fails to meet the minimum performance requirements. The solution contains numerous inconsistencies and weaknesses.

The response to this criterion may contain strengths; however, any strengths are outweighed by the weaknesses. The response to this criterion requires extensive revision that amounts to a rewrite of the criterion in order to be satisfactory or excellent.

The following elements will be considered when evaluating the technical quotation. When evaluating these elements, the following definitions shall be applied in the rating and supporting narrative.

Strength: An element of the quotation which enhances a requirement of the solicitation in a beneficial way to the Government.

Weakness: A flaw in the quotation that increases the likelihood of unsuccessful contract performance.

Significant Weakness: A flaw in the quotation that appreciably increases the likelihood of unsuccessful contract performance. A discussion of a significant weakness in the quote shall be accompanied by the risk to the Government associated with the significant weakness.

Deficiency: A material failure of the quotation to meet a government requirement or a combination of significant weaknesses that increase the likelihood of unsuccessful performance to an unacceptable level. If a deficiency is contained in the quote, the quote is determined to be unacceptable and ineligible for award.

Risk: An element of the quotation that could potentially impact the successful performance of the contract, such as quality and timeliness of products and services.

Price Evaluation

Although price/cost is an evaluation factor, it will not be evaluated based upon a predetermined evaluation rating scale. Rather, cost/price will be analyzed to ensure that the proposed cost/price is fair and reasonable, as required by the SSA/CO.

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Evaluation of the business proposal shall be conducted under the guidance of the assigned Contract

Specialist and Contracting Officer. The business proposal will be evaluated using one or more price analysis techniques. Evaluation of options shall not obligate the Government to exercise the option(s).

An assessment of whether the submitted Conflict of Interest Plan is thorough, complete, and effective.

The Government will evaluate the vendor for award purposes by adding the total price for all options to the total price for the basic requirement. The Government may determine that a proposal is unacceptable if the option prices are significantly unbalanced.

As part of the price evaluation, the Government will evaluate its option to extend services by adding six

(6) months of the offeror’s final option period price to the offeror’s total price. The offeror is required only to price the base and option periods. The offeror shall not submit a price for the potential six‐ month extension of services period. The Government may choose to exercise the Extension of Services at the end of any performance period (base or option periods), utilizing the rates of that performance period.

Quote Instructions

Quotes will consist of two separate PDF files: (1) Technical Quote, and (2) Business Quote. The vendor is expected to show a thorough understanding of the proposed tasks and the existing resources, as specified in the PWS. The quotes should address the requirements and not simply repeat the language.

The quote should be written in enough detail so that a review panel can adequately judge its full merits.

Although the intent of each objective is spelled out in the scope of work, it is up to the vendor to quote the most effective method for meeting the objectives and carrying out the tasks and the most feasible timeline and dates for all key activities. The vendor is encouraged to exercise independent judgment with respect to the best methods of attaining the objectives of this task order.

All information necessary to judge the technical soundness and management capabilities of the vendor will be contained in the technical quote. The business quote will contain all information related to the determination of the costs/prices associated with each of the project’s tasks. The technical quote will

NOT contain any reference to specific costs or prices, but resource information (e.g., staff hours) may be included so that the vendor’s understanding of the scope of the work may be evaluated by the Technical

Evaluation Panel (TEP). Authors of each section will be clearly identified in the quote’s Table of

Contents.

Submission Instructions

Contents of files must print on Letter 8 ½” by 11”. The technical quote shall be submitted searchable

PDF format. The quote should be written in no smaller than 12‐point font for text, 12‐point font or

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larger for tables, and 10‐point font or larger for graphics. Tables and graphics may be single‐spaced.

Margins should be no smaller than 1 inch on all sides.

The technical quote must be limited to a total of 35 double‐spaced pages. Any pages over 35 will not be forwarded to the TEP for evaluation. The page limit excludes the cover page; the table of contents;

resumes (Appendix 1); and letters of commitment from subcontractors (or other suitable business arrangements e.g., joint ventures or teaming arrangements), partners, and key personnel (Appendix 2), if any.

Appendix 1:

In Appendix 1, The Contractor shall propose key personnel. The Contractor shall provide personnel experienced and qualified to perform tasks under the direction of the COR and OESE‐PM related to accomplishing this statement of work. The vendor shall include resumes for all key personnel, including key personnel from subcontractors. Each resume is limited to two (2) pages, using the same formatting restrictions as the rest of the technical quote. Vendor may include resumes for all proposed staff (optional).

Appendix 2:

Appendix 2 should include letters of commitment from all proposed subcontractors, consultants, and key personnel not employed currently by the vendor. Letters of commitment must be signed by the submitted personnel. Letters from personnel not yet employed by the contractor must state that the personnel shall accept the position should the vendor be granted an award, and that all matters of salary and benefits have been negotiated and agreed upon prior to this submittal. Resumes may be single spaced.

No additional appendices are allowable. Except for experience and skills detailed in resumes, vendors shall not put substantive materials in the appendix to subvert the page limit.

The business quote, which also includes the Conflict‐of‐Interest Plan, has no page limit. Price information must be submitted in MS Excel and searchable PDF format. All mathematical/computational sections (proposed price/CLIN structure) of the business quote shall be submitted in MS Excel. Other pertinent information, including assumptions/contingencies utilized in developing pricing, basis of estimate narrative, terms and conditions, small business size status information, and conflict of interest plan, may be submitted in MS Word or a searchable PDF format, using the same formatting restrictions as the technical quote.

The technical and business quotes shall be submitted as separate volumes. The technical and business quote must be received at or before 10:00 AM EST on November 8, 2022. Quotes received after the specified submission date and time will not be considered for award. Quotes shall be submitted electronically to the Points of Contact listed below:

• Jana Knapp, Contract Specialist (Email: Jana.Knapp@ed.gov)

• Hope Whitfield, Contracting Officer (Email: Hope.Whitfield@ed.gov)

The Department’s email system cannot handle emails larger than 20MB. Submissions should be broken up into separate emails if necessary. Electronic file names must not contain special characters (e.g. #, *, ?, (, ), {, }, %, >, <, /, \, $, |). Quotations will not be accepted past the deadline if they are bounced back

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for surpassing the size limitation, so please allow enough time for submissions. A confirmation receipt will be sent from the Contract Specialist when the quotation is received.

All questions in response to this solicitation must be received at or before 10:00 AM EST on November 1, 2022. Questions submitted after this date and time will not be considered unless the CO/SSA determines otherwise. Questions shall be submitted electronically to the Points of Contact listed below:

• Jana Knapp, Contract Specialist (Email: Jana.Knapp@ed.gov)

• Hope Whitfield, Contracting Officer (Email: Hope.Whitfield@ed.gov)

Vendors shall submit questions in an MS Excel file following a format like the table below:

Questions Format

Question No.

Reference Question Category

Question

RFQ, SOO, or attachments, and Section

Contract or Technical

Question

Answers to submitted questions will be submitted to all vendors who were sent the solicitation via an RFQ amendment.

Failure to comply with the RFQ requirements may result in the vendor being removed from the competition as the Department reserves the right to eliminate quotes that do not conform. Any exceptions to the solicitation’s terms and conditions must be fully explained and justified. Not all the requirements identified in the solicitation will be evaluated as evaluation factors; however, the vendor’s entire quote will be evaluated to ensure that all of the terms and conditions are met.

Technical Quote Details

Vendors must submit a technical quote that discusses the proposed approach for all work outlined in the Performance Work Statement for review in accordance with the stated evaluation factors. The outline, layout, and organization of the technical quote are up to the discretion of the vendor subject to the formatting limitations described above.

Alternative Approaches

Vendors are encouraged to suggest better, more efficient, or creative ways to conduct this work than have been outlined in the PWS. Vendors are also encouraged to suggest additional/alternative strategies that complement, update, or more appropriately address the issues discussed in the PWS.

The vendor shall clearly identify and fully describe and justify significant differences from the approach suggested in the PWS and alternative strategies from those listed in the PWS.

Business Quote Details

The Business Quotation shall be submitted as a separate document from the Technical Quotation. It shall contain complete information in sufficient detail for the Department to make a fair and reasonable price determination. The Contracting Officer may reject a quotation if a negative determination is made, or if proposed prices are found not to be reasonable.

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There is no page limit to the business quotation. The business quotation shall be formatted in a readable way (e.g., no tiny fonts). The business quotation shall start with a cover page that provides:

The name of the company.

The point of contact (name, phone number, email address) of a company representative who can answer any questions that the Department may have.

Date.

At the beginning of the business quotation, there should be a summary chart showing the vendor’s quotation prices, which includes required and all optional tasks, listing the following information.

Base Opt Yr 1 Opt Yr 2 Opt Yr 3 Opt Yr 4 Total Value

Task 1

Task 2

Total

After this summary chart, the vendor shall propose labor categories and loaded labor rates for all personnel who might be used on this contract. The vendor should use the following format:

Labor Category Year 1 3/14/22‐ 3/13/23

Year 2 3/14/23‐ 3/13/24

Year 3 3/14/24‐ 3/13/25

Year 4 3/14/25‐ 3/13/26

Year 5 3/14/26‐ 3/13/27

Sample: Project Director

$123.45 / hour

$134.56 / hour

Other Details:

The business quotation shall list the names and telephones numbers of persons authorized to conduct negotiations.

The business quotation shall include a statement to the effect that the offer is firm for a period of at least 90 calendar days from the date of receipt of offers specified by the Government.

The business quotation shall include a Conflict‐of‐Interest Certificate (as provided in the solicitation under EDAR 3452.209‐70 Conflict of Interest Certification).

For any subcontractors who are proposed, a separate price buildup (by task/subtask) should be submitted for each proposed subcontractor, and these prices should also be included in the prime's total firm‐fixed price for each task order. In the master buildup for each task order, it should be clear which costs are associated with the prime contractor and which costs are associated with subcontractors.

Quote Price Buildup

The business quotation shall provide a complete price build‐up for this task order that includes identification of proposed labor categories by named individuals, their functional category, level of effort, loaded hourly rate, extended labor price (i.e., labor hours x hourly labor rate), and other direct

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costs. The price shall be presented by task and subtask. The quotation shall describe any applicable assumptions used to formulate the price build‐up. Where a percentage rate is applied (e.g., “Technology Fee” at x%), it should be clearly disclosed what the rate is being applied against (e.g., against total labor costs). Vendors are encouraged to justify any indirect rate by explaining what its purpose is and providing evidence of its reasonableness.

Payment Schedules

The vendor shall submit a proposed payment schedule for this contract. These should be submitted as separate Microsoft Excel files (or separate sheets in the same Excel file). The individual amounts should add up to the total contract amount. The payment schedule need not reference due dates and can generally follow a simple format such as:

Contract

Description of Payment Trigger (Deliverable or Milestone Achievement)

Payment Amount

Total:

The payment triggers should be based on accomplishments (e.g., submitting a deliverable, meeting a milestone), as opposed the passage of time (e.g., monthly). The Department will not accept payment schedules that have equal monthly payments.

Conflict of Interest Plan

Each vendor shall submit a Conflict‐of‐Interest Plan, providing details on its policies and procedures to identify and avoid potential organizational or personnel conflicts of interest (or apparent conflicts of interest). The Plan should also address procedures taken to neutralize or mitigate such conflicts if they have not been or cannot be avoided. The Plan should indicate that such policies and procedures are operative throughout the period of outside activities financial interests, or other significant connections or identifications that would establish, or give the appearance of establishing, a conflict of interest. A method for periodically reviewing financial interests of employees, subcontractors and consultants, and their immediate families, to assess actual or apparent conflicts of interest, should be included in the plan. The term, “potential conflict” means a reasonably foreseeable conflict of interest.

The thoroughness, completeness and effectiveness of the Plan shall be evaluated as part of the vendors overall quotation. The Plan will be incorporated into the contract awarded to the successful vendor(s).

PWS for MSIX Help Desk

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MIGRANT STUDENT

INFORMATION

EXCHANGE (MSIX) HELP

DESK

Attachment A: Performance Work

Statement

ABSTRACT

Contractor support services to administer a help desk and stakeholder communications for the the

Migrant Student Information Exchange (MSIX) of

Title I, Part C, Migrant Education Programs (MEP).

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Table of Contents Background

Purpose and Scope

Objectives and Tasks

Task 1: Contract/Project Administration

Task 1.1: Kick‐off Meeting

Task 1.2: Phase‐In and Phase‐Out Periods

Subtask 1.2.1: Phase‐In (Base Year Only)

Subtask 1.2.2: Prepare and Update Phase‐Out Plan

Subtask 1.2.3: Execute Phase‐Out Plan (Optional Task)

Task 1.3: Project Management Support …………………………

Subtask 1.3.1: Project Management

Task 2: Customer Support

Task 2.1: Help Desk Support and Trouble Ticket Management

Subtask 2.1.1: Help Desk Management

Subtask 2.1.2: Problem Resolution and Trouble Ticket Management

Subtask 2.1.3: Account Management

Task 2.2: Technical Assistance

Task 3: Stakeholder Communication

Task 3.1: Communications Plan

Task 3.2: State User Group for Analysis and Recommendations (SUGAR)

Task 3.3: Resource Development

Other Information

Compliance with Section 508 of the Rehabilitation Act

Documentation Quality

Appendix A: U.S. DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION INFORMATION MANAGEMENT CONTRACT

REQUIREMENTS

Appendix B: Information Assurance Requirements

Appendix C: Schedule of Deliverables

Appendix D: Security and Privacy Requirements for Information Technology Procurements…………………29

Appendix E: Phase Out Plan…………………………………………………………………………………………………………………..65

Appendix F: MSIX Help Desk Operations Manual…………………………………………………………………………………..99

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Background The educational needs of migratory children present unique challenges for educators and our Nation’s schools. Given the nature of their employment, migratory workers and their families often settle in a single community for a short period of time. One consequence of this mobile lifestyle is that migratory children frequently enroll in new schools and school districts without adequate, and in many cases any, documentation of their educational and health history. School staff at all levels need basic enrollment data, and typically proof of immunizations, to place students in the correct grade or course in a timely manner. Migrant educators have stressed that students in secondary grades have the greatest need for the timely exchange of records because they have limited time to correct mistakes that school officials make if they lack information needed for proper grade placement, course selection, and accrual of course credits required for high school graduation. Because migratory children may move at any time, including during the summer term when many schools are closed, it is imperative to have a reliable system with which the state education agency (SEA), local education agency (LEA), and local operating agency (LOA) staff may access up‐to‐date educational and health information for migratory children in a timely manner. Migrant Education Programs (MEPs) operate throughout the year, including during the summer; having timely access to a migratory child’s educational and health information help ensure that

MEPs can provide migratory children with services that appropriately address their unique needs.

The Migrant Student Information Exchange (MSIX) helps meet the needs of migratory children by making current educational and health information on those children immediately available to school and program staff where migratory children enroll after they move. MSIX uses the Minimum Data

Elements (MDEs) to provide a standard format for information that States must collect and maintain.

MSIX allows SEAs to upload the required MDEs from their own existing State student record systems into a single data repository where information on each migratory child is maintained, organized, and compiled. As a Web‐based platform, MSIX allows authorized users to access a migratory child’s MSIX record via a Web browserThe MSIX Help Desk serves an important role in the MSIX system by acting as an intermiediary between stakeholders and the OME and the MSIX O&M Team. This MSIX Help Desk will also facilitate communication about MSIX between the OME and its stakeholders, Including managing the process by which OME consults uesrs about changes to the MSIX system.

MSIX, a major information technology (IT) major investment for the Office of Elementary and Secondary

Education, supports the exchange of migrant student records from one school district to another as migratory students move within State or across State lines. This investment is in response to the

Congressional mandate in Section 1308(b) of Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965 (ESEA), as amended. Section 1308(b) requires the Secretary to assist States in developing effective methods for electronically exchanging student records amongst States; and, to determine, and accurately account for, the number of migratory children in each State. The MSIX Help Desk is a significant part of

Department’s overall investment in MSIX.

The investment has four goals. These goals include exchanging education and health data; promoting the use of MSIX; ensuring the utilization of the consolidated records for enrollment, placement, and credit accrual, as well as producing national data on the migrant population. The primary beneficiaries of MSIX investments are the migratory students and State MEP grantees. The MSIX Help Desk receives

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incoming phone calls and emails from stakeholders and MSIX users in the field. The MSIX Help Desk prioritizes their response to those calls evaluating the type and level of service that would be needed.

Migratory students benefit from educational records transferred in a timely and accurate manner;

available educational records enable students to be quickly enrolled in the correct grade or course or have their secondary course credits accrued towards graduation.

MSIX provides a national MEP record exchange platform providing benefit to internal and external stakeholders. Internal stakeholders include members of the Office of Migrant Education (OME) who can use MSIX to produce national data on the migratory student population. External stakeholders encompass State MEP personnel and migratory families. States MEPs can use MSIX to facilitate enrollment, placement, credit accrual, and participation in the MEP, as well as to produce State‐level data on the migratory student population to support strategic planning and service delivery. Migratory families benefit from this investment, having migratory student records transferred in a timely and accurate manner as they move between and amongst States, which in turn, improves their educational opportunities and academic success.

Purpose and Scope The MSIX Help Desk is the central point of contact between service providers and users/customers on a day‐to‐day basis. It is a single point of contact for reporting Incidents (disruptions or potential disruptions in service availability or quality) and for users making Service Requests (routine requests for services, e.g., password re‐set, adding new users, etc.). The MSIX Help Desk contractor is responsible for the operation of the MSIX Help Desk telephone and email support for providing technical assistance regarding the functionality of the application and use of reports, notifications, and data requests, as well as problem reporting and resolution. It is also responsible for tools, procedures, development of Online

Help content and resources for logging, managing, resolving, escalating, and dispatching resources to resolve problems within the MSIX application and connectivity to MSIX systems.

MSIX provides the linkage of 46 States’ MEP‐specific databases for facilitating the national exchange of migratory student records including demographic, educational, and health information for migratory children aged birth through 2 years old, Kindergarten – grade 12 students, as well as out‐of‐school youth through the age of 21. MSIX is built upon Oracle’s COTS Enterprise Edition platform, which utilizes a

Relational Database Management System (RDBMS) in conjunction with a suite of applications. Some of these applications include Oracle Internet Directory (OID), which serves as a Lightweight Directory

Access Protocol (LDAP), Oracle Discoverer, and Oracle Workflow. Also, MSIX uses eScholar’s Unique‐ID student matching engine to identify children individually. MSIX uses State‐supplied data to develop a consolidated migratory student record for each migratory child and provides views of each migratory child’s educational and health record to authorized MSIX users.

MSIX is a comprehensive technology platform and a major investment for the U. S. Department of

Education (Department), the scope of this contract encompasses the Customer Support Help Desk for

MSIX and associated tasks. The contractor shall perform the following services in providing Help Desk and Account Management support during the term of the contract. The Help Desk Contractor must

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provide overall program oversight, analysis, and recommendations to the Department to ensure the quality of the design, development, and operation o the MSIX Help Desk and related deliverables through the Lifecycle Management (LCM) of the program.

Task Services/Deliverable Help Desk • End‐user support for applications including:

• User Administration – This includes add/change/delete of user names and related password resets

• Initial Triage – Determination of the severity of the call

• Incident Prioritization – identifying the relative priority of the call

• Incident Routing – routing the call to the appropriate level 1 or 2 support individual for analysis and resolution

• Incident Monitoring – keeping track of each incident’s status and issues, and escalation as appropriate

Account Management

• Governance Process, including freezing accounts, verifying account lists, and disabling account lists and directing account password reset requests to the appropriate party

• Enforce Change Control

• Manage quality control

• Customer relationship management

Development of Tools, Procedures, and Resources

• Online Help

• Resources for logging, managing, resolving, escalating, and dispatching resources to resolve problems within the MSIX application and connectivity to MSIX systems

Stakeholder Communication

• Design, Development and Dissemination of Communication Plan

• Coordinate and facilitate quarterly State User Group for Analysis and Recommendations (SUGAR) working group virtual Meetings

• Disseminate Meeeting Agenda

• Disseminate Meeting Notes

• Disseminate Meeting Artifacts

Technical Assistance

• Child Count Reconciliation

• Assistance with MSIX Reports, including setting filters, running and exporting reports

• Explanation of various areas of MSIX application

• Move Notifications and Data Requests, including setting up, sending, receiving

• File Submission process

• Resolving Error Reports

In meeting these goals, the OME is seeking a contractor to implement all work outlined in this

Performance Work Statement (PWS) to include coordination with the MSIX functional team in order to successfully implement the MSIX Help Desk and associated tasks. As needed and necessary to complete the tasks herein, Contractor staff, as determined by ED, will be issued a Government Furnished Laptop

(GFE).

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The contractor that is successful in responding to this PWS shall:

a) Interface daily with users and other MSIX personnel via the MSIX Help Desk, which will be remote and used to maintain a high quality of support for MSIX. Responsibilities shall include rapid response to all technical problems reported to the Contractor by MSIX users, OME, or by

MSIX staff.

b) Perform Help Desk Support & Trouble Ticket Management tasks required to meet expected service levels, provide technical support and to support the end users of the MSIX.

c) Meet related system security and privacy requirements.

d) Adhere to all Federal Government, Department regulations, directives and standards related to the Clinger‐Cohen Act of 1996, Federal Information Security Modernization Act (FISMA), Privacy

Act, Paperwork Reduction Act (PRA), Office of Management and Budget (OMB) Circulars A‐130 and A‐123, among other applicable policies.

e) Oversee the MSIX account management process.

f) Coordinate the SUGAR work group.

g) Provide technical assistance in the form of child count reconciliation, assistance with MSIX reports, explanation of various areas of MSIX application, move notifications and data requests, file submission process, and resolving error reports.

Objectives and Tasks The objective of the MSIX Help Desk is to provide customer service support and communication with stakeholders regarding all aspects of the MSIX system. The Contractor shall maintain the ability to respond to requests for technical assistance, help and communicate with the field in a way that facilitates an MSIX system that can optimally benefit migratory students.

The following overarching objectives are mandated to be accomplished under this contract:

1. Establish a partner‐focused working relationship with Government.

2. Develop and implement help desk services, including but not limited to account management and technical assistance. The Contractor is also responsible for the transition/procurement of the 1‐800 telephone line, email account and trouble ticket management software tool, supporting the Department’s compliance with Government standards, OMB reporting and

Federal requirements [e.g., all Federal Government directives and standards related to the

Clinger‐Cohen Act of 1996, Federal Information Security Management Act of 2002 (FISMA), Privacy Act, Paperwork Reduction Act (PRA), Office of Management and Budget (OMB) Circulars

A‐130 and A‐123, National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST)) Special Publications

(SP), and Federal Information Processing Standard (FIPS), among other applicable policies and/or Executive Orders.]

3. Provide a partnership with team members and subcontractors that appear seamless to the

Government and that fosters shared accountability and responsibility among all partners.

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Task 1: Contract/Project Administration

Task 1.1: Kick‐off Meeting Within five (5) calendar days of contract award, of all contract periods, the MSIX Help Desk Contractor shall conduct a kickoff meeting with the Government to discuss contract objectives and timelines. The

MSIX Help Desk Contractor shall conduct a virtual kickoff meeting. The MSIX Help Desk Contractor shall provide the meeting agenda and any meeting artifacts (including the initial project plan and timeline, and subsequent meeting minutes).

Deliverable(s)

The Contractor shall create the following documents:

Kick‐off Meeting Agenda (Annual)

Kick‐off Meeting Artifacts – to include project plan and timeline (Annual)

Kick‐off Meeting Notes (Annual)

Task 1.2: Phase‐In and Phase‐Out Periods The MSIX Help Desk Contractor shall develop comprehensive procedures for the phase‐in and phase‐out of the project and within the time allowed under the terms of this contract. The MSIX Help Desk

Contractor's phase‐in and phase‐out procedures shall not disrupt or adversely impact the day‐to‐day conduct of Government business.

Subtask 1.2.1: Phase‐In (Base Year Only)

During the phase‐in period in the base year, the MSIX Help Desk Contractor shall prepare to assume full responsibility for all areas of operation in accordance with the terms and conditions of the Phase‐Out

Plan of the current contract, which is expected to end during September 2022. The Phase‐Out Plan of the current contract is provided as Appendix E of this PWS. The MSIX Help Desk Contractor shall submit a 45‐day Phase‐In Plan to include the bullet points below as well as a description of how all the actions outlined in Task 1 will be initiated and completed. The Plan shall finalize the MSIX Help Desk

Contractor’s efforts to affect a smooth and orderly implementation of contract responsibility.

During the 45‐day phase‐in period, the Contractor shall, at a minimum:

1. Describe procedures for transition as outlined in existing Contractor’s Phase‐Out Plan

2. Obtain all required certifications, licenses, permits, and clearances, including personnel security clearances, if applicable

3. Participate in joint inventories and sign for Government‐Furnished Information (GFI)

4. Continue to develop and submit required deliverables

5. Attend post‐award meetings as required

The contractor shall create the following document:

Phase‐In Plan (submitted during Phase‐In period in base year)

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Subtask 1.2.2: Prepare and Update Phase‐Out Plan

A Phase‐Out Plan shall be submitted 90 calendar days prior to the completion of the base period and shall be updated at the request of the Contracting Officer’s Representative (COR). The purpose of the

Phase‐Out Plan is to ensure that the MSIX Help Desk Contractor is prepared at all times during the life of the contract to facilitate a smooth and orderly transfer of contract responsibility to a successor

Contractor, to the Government, or to retire the system. Also, the Phase‐Out Plan shall allow for management personnel of the incoming workforce to observe operations and performance methods of the incumbent Contractor. The Contractor shall not defer any requirements for the purpose of avoiding responsibility or of transferring such responsibility to the succeeding Contractor.