PWS_-_FOIA_Recompete_-_28Feb2016.pdf

Performance Work Statement for

FOIA Support 28 February 2016

A. BACKGROUND INFORMATION

The mission of the Office of Privacy, Transparency, and Records (PTR) is to serve the public and the federal government community by setting the standard for protecting, enabling (allowing) access, retaining, preserving, and disclosing Treasury's information. The Freedom of Information and Privacy Acts (FOIA and PA) are federal laws, in which requires the federal government to disclosure non-exempt information within federal records. The FOIA and PA are administered by PTR’s FOIA and Transparency team. The team ensures the Department of Treasury disclosure program complies with the laws that government the FOIA and PA.

B. SCOPE

Provide FOIA support services to the policy and program offices within the Department of Treasury’s Departmental Offices. Department of Treasury Bureaus excluding IRS may issue task orders under the contract for FOIA Support Services within their Bureau. FOIA support will involve various assistance related duties to respond to requests for records, pursuant to the FOIA. Although many Treasury documents contain sensitive data that must be protected from disclosure, a concurrent objective is to promote Treasury program transparency by disclosing non-exempt information directly to requesters and making proactive disclosures of non-exempt information readily accessible via the Treasury’s on-line electronic reading room.

The scope of the work is to provide basic concepts, methods, procedures, and guidelines of information disclosure. Performing this work involves the performance of specific, routine operations that include a few separate tasks or procedures, such as looking for specific items of factual information in tabulating and summarizing data, or reviewing recent case decisions and summarizing the factual and legal issues and findings.

C. CONTRACTOR REQUIREMENTS: SPECIFIC TASKS

The Contractor shall deliver support for the following task areas:

Task 1 – Prepare Documents for public release in response to FOIA requests Documents shall be processed on-site at a designated Treasury location and the Contractor shall:

• Convert electronic and paper files to Adobe PDF files to allow for review and redaction;

• Make recommendations regarding the disclosure or nondisclosure of highly sensitive documents responsive to FOIA requests by researching and analyzing the content of the records and coordinating with FOIA Attorney as appropriate;

• Mark and apply FOIA redactions using appropriate technology;

• Consult and coordinate with other components of the Department of The Treasury and executive branch agencies on complex requests where multiple agencies are involved;

• Draft response letters to requesters and business submitters, and memos to other federal agencies;

• Maintain paper and electronic files for all requests assigned;

• In cases involving litigation, coordinate with FOIA Attorneys to ensure all deadlines are met;

• Update and maintain information regarding assigned cases in the FOIA tracking system; and

• Other duties, as assigned, relating to the efficient processing of the FOIA requests received in Treasury.

Task 2 – Scan Documents and Create Electronic Document Images For all scanning, the Contractor shall:

• Coordinate with the Director and/or the Associate Director of FOIA and Transparency, which closed FOIA cases are ready to be scanned;

• Conduct a quality review of all cases to ensure accuracy and completeness of job;

• Upload scanned and electronic cases to go FOIA;

• Report weekly progress to the Director of FOIA and Transparency;

• Other duties, as assigned, relating to the efficient transfer of FOIA from paper form to electronic form.

D: GOVERNMENT RESPONSIBILITIES

GOVERNMENT-FURNISHED EQUIPMENT AND GOVERNMENT-FURNISHED INFORMATION

Treasury shall provide all necessary equipment and materials, which will be used for on-site contract work only. The government furnished property (materials, equipment, and/or information), if necessary, shall be provided in conjunction with required performance under this procurement as determined by mutual agreement between the government and the

Contractor. Specific Government Furnished Material (GFM) required by the Contractor shall be detailed in the Task order. At the written request of the Government, the Contractor shall immediately return any property provided by the Government for the Contractor’s use to complete the assigned tasks under this PWS. If not requested, the Contractor shall continue to abide by FAR Part 45 until completion of the contract. The COR will arrange meetings, acquire contact numbers for Treasury subject matter experts as needed, and provide access to

Government information and subject matter documentation. The Government will provide the following property for the Contractor’s use while performing under the contract:

Government Furnished Materials

Supplies, as needed Government Furnished Equipment

Computer

Telephone with voicemail, as needed

Intranet and email Access

Office space, as needed

FOB or PIV card, as needed Government Furnished Information

Access to policies and procedures, as needed

E: REPORTING REQUIREMENTS/DELIVERABLES AND DELIVERY SCHEDULE

The Contractor must deliver the desired outcomes from section C above according to the performance standards noted in the Quality Assurance Plan. A report shall be submitted to the

COR in an agreed upon format between COR and contractor to include the following data:

Deliverable

Number Deliverable Due Date

FOIA Services

4.1 FOIA Case No. and active status of case

assigned Due weekly

4.2 FOIA Case No. and specific tasks

completed during the week for that case Due weekly

4.3 FOIA Case No. and date closed for each

case Due weekly

4.4 FOIA Case No. and any open issues or

action items for each applicable case Due weekly

4.5 FOIA Monthly Contract Status Report Due monthly

F: PROGRAM MANAGEMENT AND CONTROL REQUIREMENTS

PLACE OF PERFORMANCE

The Contractor shall perform a majority of the work on-site at designated Treasury location unless otherwise stated in the Task Order. If off-site work is necessary, it will be identified at the Task Order level and approved by the Contracting Officer prior to issuance of the Task Order.. Travel is not authorized under the contract or any Task Order.

PERIOD OF PERFORMANCE

The Period of Performance shall be:

Base: Date of Award – July 27, 2017

Option Year 1: July 28, 2017 – July 27, 2018

Option Year 2: July 28, 2018 – July 27, 2019

Option Year 3: July 28, 2019 – July 27, 2020

Option Year 4: July 28, 2020 – July 27, 2021

G: INSPECTION AND ACCEPTANCE

The Director and Associate Director of FOIA and Transparency will determine if the work products are acceptable. The standards set in the QASP will be the objective measurements used to determine if the work products/deliverables are accepted or rejected. The Contractor maybe required to revising work products/deliverables to meet the QASP standards as set.

H: SECURITY

The Contractor shall ensure, at a minimum, that all applicable personnel working on the contract to meet the following security requirements for contractors to protect against unauthorized disclosure of Sensitive But Unclassified (SBU) data. SBU data includes, but is not limited to, information that is protected from disclosure by the Privacy Act, 5 U.S.C. § 552a.

1) All applicable personnel shall be United States citizens or have lawful permanent resident status.

2) All applicable personnel shall be subject to a National Agency Check, Law and Credit (NACLC) investigation in accordance with the Department of the Treasury Security Manual (TD P 15-71). Applicable personnel shall not begin working on this contract until all security forms have been properly completed and submitted to the Contracting Officer’s Technical Representative for processing, as follows:

a) Completed fingerprint cards b) Non-disclosure Agreement

c) Fair Credit Reporting Act Release

d) SF 85-P, “Questionnaire for Public Trust Positions”

3) Applicable personnel shall wear Treasury issued identification badges when working in Government facilities.

4) Applicable personnel who undergo NACLC investigations that reveal, but are not limited to, the following may be unacceptable under this contract: conviction of a felony, a crime of violence or a serious misdemeanor; a record of arrests for continuing offenses; or failure to file or pay Federal income tax. The Government reserves the right to determine if a Contractor employee assigned to a task shall continue with the task. The Contractor shall agree to remove the person assigned within one business day of official notification by the Government and provide a replacement within five business days. New hires or substitutions of personnel are subject to the NACLC investigation requirement.

If a higher clearance level is required, it will be identified at the Task Order level.

I: Attachments

Attachment 1: Performance requirements Summary

Attachment 2: Quality Assurance Surveillance Plan

Attachment 1: Performance Requirements Summary

FOIA support

Desired outcomes Performance standard

Monitoring method Incentive/Disincentive

FOIA requests are made routinely. The contractor will work with Policy and

Programs offices in department of

Treasury’s

Departmental offices to process FOIA requests adhering to the standards set in

PWS section C. task

1.

100% compliance to the standards set in

PWS section C. task

1.

Review of agreed upon weekly deliverables as stated in PWS

Section E.

Timeliness of work products and deliverables section

E, 4.1-4.5.

Full payment shall be made for 100% compliance. For each unacceptable/rejected work product the contractor will be required to revise the product at contractor time and expense.

For all scanning requirements as stated in PWS section C. Task 2 will be completed as agreed upon by

Director and/or the

Associate Director of

FOIA and

Transparency.

100% compliance to the standards set in

PWS section C task 2

Review of agreed upon weekly deliverables as stated in PWS section E.

Timeliness of work products and deliverables section

E. 4.1-4.5

Full payment shall be made for 100% compliance. For each delay the contractor will be required to complete the task at contractor time and expense.

Adherence to the delivery schedule as agreed upon by

Contractor and COR as required in PWS section E.

Deliverables as agreed upon by

Contractor and COR in proper format on time.

100% compliance to the agreed upon time of Deliverable between contractor and COR.

Review of weekly and monthly deliverables.

Full payment shall be made for 100% compliance. For each weekly and monthly deliverable. For each deviation or delay upon the agreed upon delivery time will be recorded and influence the contractor closing assessment made by the COR.

Attachment 2: Quality Assurance Surveillance Plan

FOIA SUPPORT

I. Objective: The purpose of this plan is to provide a quality surveillance plan for the FOIA support contractor team. This plan provides a basis for the Contractor officer’s representative (COR) to evaluate the quality of the contractor’s performance. The

Oversight and guidance provided for in the contract and in this plan will help to ensure that FOIA requests to the government are handled with professionalism and due diligence throughout the contract term. This Plan provides the Director and Associate

Director of FOIA and COR with proactive way to avoid unacceptable or deficient work products.

II. Performance Standards:

a. Quality level: By monitoring the Contractor, the COR will determine whether the performance levels set for in the contract have been attained. Quality standards

(i.e. performance standards) for all tasks are specified in the Performance work statement Section C.

b. Frequency: Prior to contract award, the COR will evaluate the current levels of performance, according to current levels of performance will set a base line for performance to meet the quality standards set forth in the PWS and PRS. The

COR will measure frequency using the base line set as a reference marker against the agreed upon deliverables in PWS.

c. Management Responsiveness : The COR will determine whether the contractor has managed the contract effectively and efficiently, as specified in the quality standards set forth in Section C of the PWS. COR will confirm whether the

Contractor has satisfactorily met all reporting requirements.

III. Evaluation Methods: The COR will conduct performance evaluations based upon

Section II above and the required performance levels set forth in the contract. The following techniques will be used to perform surveillance:

A: Weekly and monthly reports will be reviewed for quality of work as outlined in section C of PWS.

B: Service level performance will be evaluated by COR from routine observations and discussions with Director or Associate Director using the PWS and PRS as standard.