ATCS Medical Review Draft SOW.docx

Federal Aviation Administration Offices of the Federal Air Surgeon Aviation Safety

Air Traffic Control Specialist Medical Evaluation Consultation Professional Services Contract

STATEMENT OF WORK

December 20, 2023 i

Introduction The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) is the element of the U.S. government with the primary responsibility for the safety of civil aviation. The FAA’s mission is to provide a safe, secure, and efficient National Aerospace System (NAS) as directed by Federal Statutes, Federal Aviation Regulations and FAA Orders. As the leading authority in the international aerospace community, the FAA is responsive to the dynamic nature of the aerospace industry, customer needs, economic conditions, and environmental concerns.

Within the FAA, the Federal Air Surgeon (FAS) and Office of Aerospace Medicine (AAM) protect pilot/pilots, air travelers and the public welfare through processes for pilot medical certification and FAA Air Traffic Controller Specialist (ATCS) medical clearance. A person found qualified under the FAA pilot medical standards may be medically certificated, in accordance to the class of medical certificate issued, to operate aircraft ranging from private general aviation aircraft to commercial airliners. Similarly, a person found qualified under the FAA ATCS medical standards may be medically cleared to perform air traffic control duties. The Virtual Hiring Team (VHT, ASO-305) oversees the medical and psychological clearance of FAA ATCS applicants. The VHT consolidates the physical exam, electrocardiogram (ECG), drug test, and psychological screening results for a Regional Flight Surgeon to review. The hiring goal has increased from 1020 in FY 2021 and 2022 to 1500 in 2023 to 2000 in 2024.

The FAS depends on internal AAM psychology specialists, augmented by external consultants, knowledgeable in the FAA standards and the unique culture of the ATCS and their aviation environment. External consultants are required, and the need for these services is not a new requirement. This effort requires a Support Services Contractor to provide professional Occupational Health and Aviation Medical Examinations for the VHT.

Scope The FAA requires an ATCS Medical Evaluation Subject Matter Expert (SME) to provide a professional review of records. The Contractor must independently review records for each identified ATCS including but not limited to medical applications and all pertinent medical documentation. The Contractor will:

· Perform Pre-Placement Reviews as requested.

· Review Aviation Medical Examiner’s charts for consultation purposes as requested.

· Provide reasonable oversight and protection of any FAA resources made available for use and replace any FAA-provided resources in the event that they are damaged during use.

Requirements The contractor shall review ATCS applicant medical examinations and render medical clearance recommendations. The Contractor must provide all labor, facilities (including utilities and Internet Access), materials & supplies. The Contractor must meet all the qualification requirements in Section 5.0 and ensure it can provide the necessary services and deliverables to support FAA.

Services A. Determination of Medical Exam Scope.

a. An FAA employee shall present the following forms as they apply to the employee’s examination: Physical, AME, Medical History, Audiogram, Noise Questionnaire, Pre-Placement Packet, Heavy Metal Questionnaire, etc.

b. If necessary, the contractor shall seek additional medical history, exposure history, and occupational history information.

c. The contractor shall refer to the regulations listed above to determine whether the employee is subject to specific medical examination requirements under any or all of those regulations.

d. Upon review of all pertinent documentation, the contractor shall determine and deliver a recommendation of fitness for employment.

B. Analysis and Interpretation.

All Pre-placement examination results and lab data shall be delivered by the contractor to a Regional Flight Surgeon for final review and determination of fitness.

C. Reports of Findings and Recommendations.

The contract physician shall:

a. Deliver their laboratory and examination findings and recommendations to the VHT representative via encrypted email, Microsoft Teams, phone, or other method as prescribed.

b. Issue a medical clearance recommendation via secure email to the VHT within 3 business days of completion of assessment.

c. Sign and return all clearance memos within 1 business day of receipt from VHT Program Analyst.

D. Record Retention and Storage

a. The contractor shall retain and store all medical documentation in accordance with the Privacy Act of 1974 and OPM/GOVT-10 Employee Medical File System Records.

b. In the event of contract termination or business interruption, the contractor shall ensure the secure transfer of all records in its care to an entity designated by the COR.

c. All files are subject to the EEO Class Action for Promotion and Hiring Actions Nationwide Litigation Hold and cannot be deleted or destroyed.

E. Invoicing of Fees for Service The contractor shall submit an invoice of fees for service for all performed activities including, but not limited to the following:

· Pre-Placement Exam Review

· Aviation Medical Examiner (AME) Exam Review

· Record Processing/Administrative Fees

The invoice must be submitted in accordance with the contract and be itemized per exam on an hourly basis. All services must be performed in accordance with the current requirements for each evaluation. Contract physician is expected to verify the government requirements before performing the service to ensure completeness.

Availability At minimum, the contractor must be available an average of 10 hours per week to review ATC applicant pre-employment exams. Additional support will be negotiated on an as needed basis. All work will be virtual unless otherwise specified.

Provider Requirements ATCS Medical SME will meet the following requirements:

· Must currently carry state licensure within the United States as a Physician (Doctor of Medicine/M.D. or Doctor of Osteopathic Medicine/D.O.)

· Must remain current with state licensure in any state.

· Experience in Aerospace Medicine and Air Traffic Controller Health Program is preferred.

Sensitive Unclassified Information (SUI) A. The Contractor must:

1. Safeguard FAA ATCS Medical Records

2. Not access FAA medical records unless they have reason to do so.

3. Not discuss FAA ATCS Medical Records with anyone who does not have a need to know.

B. The Contractor must provide and maintain a signed Non-Disclosure Agreement in order to work with FAA Medical Records.

C. The Contractor will handle SUI in accordance with FAA Order 1370.121A: FAA Information Security and Privacy Program & Policy and the Privacy Act.

D. The Contractor will have established procedures for securing materials and data (re: NIST Special Publication 800-171, Protecting Controlled Unclassified information in non-federal information systems and organization) upon contract award that will include:

1. Procedures for reviewing all documents for SUI to include Personally Identifiable Information (PII)

1. Procedures for safeguarding "Confidential" and "Sensitive" materials

1. Procedures for assurance that all documents are secured at all times and are never left unattended including safeguard measures for Protected Health Information (PHI)/Health Insurance Portability and Accountability (HIPAA) data.

1. Procedures to prevent discussion outside of information contained on any medical or other document containing personally identifiable information (PII)

1. Procedures to prevent addresses or information from being disseminated to anyone regarding a specific individual, e.g., celebrities or dignitaries.

GENERAL REQUIREMENT

A. Contractors are expected to work remotely (offsite).

B. Onsite work may be approved on a case-by-case basis.

C. Contractors may be required to travel/if when a need arises.

D. Contractors must comply with the security requirements outlined in Section 4.0 – Security.

E. Contractors will be assigned cases by the Government via VHT SharePoint or other system as prescribed.

F. Contractors must provide and maintain a schedule of availability to the COR and VHT Program Manager.

FAA General Requirements Government Furnished Equipment (GFE) A. The Government will provide all ATCS evaluation material through VHT SharePoint or relevant system designated.

B. The Government will provide, without cost, a computer (laptop) to the Contractor working in person and remotely.

C. All operating expenses, maintenance, and repairs of Government provided property will be furnished by the Government. The government will assume no liability or responsibility for the Contractor. The Contractor shall not alter property in any way to include the Code of Federal Regulations (CFR) Part 67, AAM-300 Quality Management System (QMS), Guide for Aviation Medical Examiners (AMEs), Aeromedical Reference Manual “RefMan”, and other pertinent documentation.

D. The Contractor must return property to the Government in the same condition as received, with reasonable wear and tear. The Contractor must reimburse the Government for repairs resulting from negligence of the contract employees. The property must only be used in the performance of this contract.

Obtaining Replacement of Government-Furnished Equipment The Contractor must submit requests for replacement of Government-Furnished Equipment to the COR for processing. Such requests must specify the reason for the replacement request.

Contractor Furnished Equipment (CFE) The contractors must provide all working space, office furniture, equipment, supplies, and materials necessary to successfully accomplish the requirements outlined in this SOW. The Government will not assume responsibility, nor be liable for the Contractor’s own property.

Electronic Communications

The Contractor must assure an electronic means for communicating with FAA personnel. The Contractor must ensure that the communications are compatible with the FAA's electronic mail system that is currently Microsoft Outlook. The Contractor must also ensure that the Contractor's electronic mail has the capability to receive and retrieve attachments.

Security The contractor shall observe and comply with all FAA/VHT policies, regulations and procedures concerning COVID-19, fire, safety, environmental protection, sanitation, identification, security, traffic, parking, limited access areas, gratuities, and conduct. Contractors working in government facilities shall be responsible for compliance with applicable building and physical security requirements. These requirements include, but are not limited to, the use of authorized entrance and exit points, responsibility for securing doors, protecting government property from loss theft abuse or damage, and the use of telephones and computers for only mission related activities. The contractor shall be responsible for safeguarding all Government property issued for contractor use.

General Conduct While the contract physician is at the Government site, they must comply with all rules and regulations in effect at that site. Contractors must comply with rules and regulations governing employee conduct with respect to health and safety, not only as they relate to themselves, but also to other Government employees or agents of the Government.

Program Management

A. The contractor must efficiently and effectively manage the performance under this contract to ensure all the necessary technical, business, and administrative planning; organizing; managing; coordinating; and tracking (e.g., cost, schedule, deliverables), performance management, risk management, component procurement management, system engineering management, resource management, data management, and subcontract management required to perform all the activities successfully as required in the SOW.

B. The Contractor must ensure that assignments are completed in a thorough and timely manner and prepare written documentation of accomplishments. The FAA requirements in performing this contract demand that the Contractor's medical and administrative support and the level of expertise, experience, and demonstrated performance of contractor personnel providing the services must be at the highest level of providing quality support.

C. The Contractor must provide sufficient personnel, both in number and qualification to perform work described herein.

D. The Contractor must provide sufficient oversight and supervision of the contract in order to ensure all employees are functioning within their designated labor categories and at acceptable levels of performance and are performing their designated assignments in a timely manner and that all reporting requirements are honored.

Normal Working Hours The Government's primary operational hours, Monday through Friday, 7:30 AM through 5:00 PMNo work shall occur on federal holidays, or any other day(s) designated by Federal Statute, Executive Order, or Presidential Proclamation.

When working remotely, the Contractor need not comply with normal working hours.

Over and Above

Additional medical consultations may be necessary on an as needed basis. Requests will be coordinated with the contractor and approved by the COR.

Acronyms

Contract Deliverables

Contract Data Requirement List (CDRL)

A. Provide professional recommendation regarding eligibility for employment, with supporting rationale as necessary based on the information reviewed and communicated.

B. Be submitted in electronic form, with printed version if required by the COR.

C. Be signed and dated (electronic signature acceptable).

Be accompanied by all supporting communication (i.e. verbal, written, and electronic) with all relevant parties and FAA officials in support of the consultative processes.

Results must be submitted within 3 calendar days of the completion of review via encrypted email or other designated method. A list of completed reviews must be submitted to the COR (or COR designee) monthly to accompany the Monthly Invoice Reports (MIR).

A) Number of cases reviewed in the month of invoice by CLIN.

B) Current cases in review but not completed.

C) An Invoice must be submitted monthly detailing the cases processed offsite, including the names and hours worked on site.

A redacted copy of the Invoice listing only the case number worked in each category must also be submitted.

Monthly Invoice Reports must be submitted by the 7th day of the following month to the CO and COR to accompany invoices submitted to government payable system.

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