T-FAD_Solicitation_FINAL_REVISED.doc

FSA Application Delivery - Testing

Solicitation: AG-3151-S-13-0002

February 26, 2013

SECTION B – SUPPLIES OR SERVICES AND PRICES/COSTS

B.1.

SCHEDULE OF SERVICES

The purpose of this contract is to acquire, on an indefinite delivery, indefinite quantity (IDIQ) basis, information technology (IT) testing services for the support of the delivery of IT systems and services supporting the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA), including the Farm Service Agency (FSA) and other Agencies as approved by the Contracting Officer.

Except as may be otherwise expressly set forth in this contract, the Contractor shall furnish all personnel, facilities, equipment, material, supplies, and services, in performance of the services specified under this IDIQ and any Task Order Section C – Performance Work Statement (PWS) as incorporated under the Task Order (s) and delivered within the Deliverable Schedule and within the period of performance specified in this IDIQ and any Task Order (s).

B.2.

PRICE SCHEDULE

All Task Orders issued will be on a Labor-Hour (LH), Time and Material, and/or Firm-Fixed-Price (FFP) basis, with pricing provided in accordance with the below rate table. The labor rates in this section shall reflect the fully burdened rates of each labor category. Should your rates vary by location, please provide separate rate tables for each of the locations listed in this Solicitation.

Labor Category

Base Period

Option Period 1

Option Period 2

Option Period 3

Option Period 4

Journeyman

Senior

Master

Journeyman

Senior

Master

Journeyman

Senior

Master

Journeyman

Senior

Master

Journeyman

Senior

Master

Journeyman

Senior

Master

Journeyman

Senior

Master

Journeyman

Senior

Master

Journeyman

Senior

Master

Journeyman

Senior

Master

Journeyman

Senior

Master

Journeyman

Senior

Master

Journeyman

Senior

Master

The contractor shall be required to furnish personnel with qualifications meeting or exceeding the criteria specified in Section J Attachment 4.

The rates shall be priced for on-site work only.

SECTION C – PERFORMANCE WORK SCHEDULE

C.1.

BACKGROUND

The United States Department of Agriculture (USDA), Farm Service Agency (FSA) administers and manages farm commodity, credit, conservation, disaster and loan programs as authorized by Congress through a network of federal, state and county offices. FSA’s administrative and programmatic functions are supported by a large network of automated Systems that are maintained by its Office of the Chief Information Officer (OCIO). FSA’s OCIO is also responsible for developing IT support for new programs, replacing existing programs and modernizing existing platforms and Systems. The primary OCIO operations are located in Washington, DC and Kansas City, MO, with additional offices in St. Louis, MO and Salt Lake City, UT. FSA is responsible for an increasing number of web applications resulting from on-going efforts to modernize program delivery to the web environment. In addition FSA is directly supporting, collaborating on, or integrating with SAP based modernization efforts via Web Based Supply Chain Management (WBSCM), Financial Management Modernization Initiative (FMMI), and Modernize and Innovate the Delivery of Agricultural Systems (MIDAS). FSA has a need to develop modernized solutions to meet the needs of our nation’s farmers and ranchers and our county office users that support them. FSA provides support for domestic and international food aid efforts via cost effective Commercial off The Shelf (COTS) centric Service Oriented Architecture (SOA)/hybrid solutions that integrate custom software components to maximize the benefits of both COTS and custom development platforms.

C.2.

SCOPE

The primary scope of this IDIQ is to provide Testing and Certification of software applications used to support program delivery and all new Systems required by future Farm Bills, modernization, ad hoc legislation, Farm Loan Programs, Commodity Programs, Geospatial Programs, and Budget and Finance Programs in support of USDA missions. The scope will also cover any work FSA is participating in related to agreements with other governmental agencies or commercial partners, in support of the Department of Agriculture’s mission(s). This will include but not be limited to requirements analysis, certification testing (to include automated and manual testing), performance testing, configuration management, installing, updating, maintaining certification and testing environments, maintenance of existing and new custom, COTS or hybrid systems.

Example technical support services

· Testing Project management, reporting and process improvement contributions

· Requirements review and traceability

· Test plan, test case creation and documentation

· Functional software Testing (on multiple platforms including Web-Based, Client/Server, ArcGIS and ERP)

· Performance software Testing

· Data Warehouse Testing

· Automated software Testing

· Section 508 Testing

· Defect Management

· Configuration Management of the Testing environments

· Software release documentation

· Audit documentation and testing for OMB Circular A-123, IV&V, Financial and Security compliance C.2.1 Representative list of FSA common capabilities and programs

Common Capabilities

· FSA Business Partner Information

· Service Center Information Management System (SCIMS)

· Representative Link Manager System (RLMS)

· Subsidiary / Eligibility

· Fiduciary

· Farm Operating Plan (Business File)

· Farm Business Plan

· Common Payments

· Common Payment Framework

· Common Payment Reports (CPR)

· Common Payment System (CPS)

· Farm Records Management (FRM)

· Acreage Reporting / Inventory Reporting (CARS)

· National Crop Table (NCT)

· Systematic Tracking for Optimal Risk Management (STORM) Farm Program Capabilities

· Direct and Counter Cyclical Program (DCP) including Average Crop Revenue Election (ACRE)

· The Natural Disaster Relief Programs (NDRP)

· Livestock Indemnity Program (LIP)

· Livestock Forage Program (LFP)

· Tree Assistance Program (TAP)

· Supplemental Revenue Assistance Payments Program (SURE)

· Emergency Assistance for Livestock, Honey Bees, and Farm-Raised Fish (ELAP)

· Noninsured Crop Disaster Assistance Programs (NAP)

· Price Support Programs

· Farm Stored Facility Loans (FSFL)

· Marketing Assistance Loans (MAL)

· Electronic Loan Deficiency Payments (ELDP)

· Tobacco Transition Payment Program (TTPP)

· Tobacco Successor and Interest (SII)

· Tobacco Transition Assessment Program (TTAP)

· Tobacco 1099 Reporting

· Conservation Program

· Conservation Reserve Program (CRP)

· State Acres for Wildlife Enhancement (SAFE)

· Emergency Forestry Conservation Reserve Program (EFCRP)

· Grassland Reserve Program (GRP)

· Emergency Conservation Program (ECP) Farm Loan Program Capabilities

· Direct

· Direct Farm Ownership Loans

· Direct Down Payment Loans

· Direct Operating Loans

· Direct Emergency Loans

· Guaranteed

· Guaranteed Farm Ownership Loans

· Guaranteed Operating Loans

· Guaranteed Conservation

· Land Contract Guarantee Loans Commodity Capabilities

· Domestic

· National School Lunch Program (NSLP)

· Child and Adult Care Food Program (CACF)

· Summer Food Service Program (SFSP)

· Nutrition Services Incentive Program (NSIP)

· The Emergency Food Assistance Program (TEFAP)

· Food Distribution Program on Indian Reservations (FDPIR)

· Commodity Supplemental Food Program (CSFP)

· Disaster Feeding Assistance (DF)

· International

· Title II of the Food for Peace Act (FFP)

· McGovern–Dole International Food for Education and Child Nutrition Program

· Food for Progress Program (FFPr)

· Bill Emerson Humanitarian Trust (BEHT)

· Section 416(b) of the Agricultural Act of 1949 Budget and Finance Capabilities

· Receivable Management

· National Receipts and Receivables System (NRRS)

· Cash Receipts System

· Financial & Accounting Info Reporting System (FAIRS)

· Paper Check Conversion

· NRRS Referrals

· NRRS Notes

· EPAS Land Management

· Agricultural Foreign Investment Disclosure Act (AFIDA)

· Food Feed Seed and Fertilizer Facility Systems

· Food Feed Seed Storage Facility System

· Fertilizer Storage Facility System

· Financial Management Systems

· Lease and Reimbursable Agreement Tracking System (LRAT)

· Financial Management System – SCOAP (FMS-SCOAP)

· Financial Inquiries System

· IRS Reporting System

· IRS-1099-A Reporting System

· Producer Payment Reporting System

· CORE General Ledger System

· CCC CORE

· FSA CORE

· MAL Charges/Offsets

· Assessment/Promotion Fee System

· Peanut Load-in Charges System

· Payment Systems

· Centralized Disbursement System

· Check Accounting System

· Data Control System

· Electronic Funds Management System (eFUNDS)

· Financial Services System

· National Payment Services (NPS)

· On-line Payments (OLP)

· Payment Control System

· General Sales Manager Automated Public Law-480 Title I Umbrella System Geospatial Capabilities

· National Agriculture Imagery Program (NAIP)

· Common Land Unit and Acreage Reporting integration (CLU) C.2.2 Software and Systems

As a minimum, the Contractor shall provide contractors with operational expertise with the software and technologies identified in the list below. The contractor shall provide support for both current and future versions of all software identified at no additional cost to the Government. While each individual contractor employee may not possess skills, expertise, and experience in each area identified, the Government requires that the overall contractor staff possess the aggregate skills, expertise, and experience in each of the areas identified to successfully complete all task requirements.

Software

· Personnel knowledgeable and experienced in utilizing the HP Quality Center software.

· Personnel knowledgeable and experienced in utilizing Microsoft Office Products: Access, Excel, Outlook, Power Point, Project, Visio, Word.

· Personnel knowledgeable and experienced in utilizing database models to evaluate the proper update of functional test scenarios.

· Personnel knowledgeable and experienced in utilizing Structured Query Language (SQL) and relational database platforms (DB2, SQL2008, Oracle) to support database review.

· Personnel knowledgeable and experienced with testing web services using SOAP (Simple Objective Access Protocol) technology and XML.

· Personnel knowledgeable and experienced with tools including QuickTest Professional (QTP), JWebUnit, DBUnit, JIRA, Hudson, Maven, Subversion, Eclipse, Nexus, SmartBear, AgileTestWare, SoapUI or other automated testing tools and build packages.

· Personnel knowledgeable and experienced with performance testing methodologies and tools including HP LoadRunner or Performance Center.

· Personnel knowledgeable and experienced with Data Warehouse testing including data migrations, ETL/Batch processes and data reports.

· Personnel knowledgeable and experienced with Eclipse, Java, JavaScript or other scripting languages such as XML and HTML.

· Personnel knowledgeable and experienced in utilizing ERP (specifically SAP) software.

· Personnel knowledgeable and experienced in utilizing Section 508 testing software.

· Personnel knowledgeable and experienced in testing and configuring ESRI ArcGIS Desktop Applications.

· Personnel knowledgeable and experienced in utilizing middleware such as MQ Series.

C.2.3 Regulations The following documents will be made available to support this contract. The Government will provide access to these documents and technical information as required and upon contractor request. Compliance with these documents is mandatory.

· FSA Testing and Certification Office Standard Operating Procedures (SOP’s)

· USDA Enterprise Architecture Model

· USDA Capital Planning Investment Control (CPIC) & IT Governance

· OMB Circular A-11

· FSA SDLC documentation

· FSA SharePoint Guide

· FSA JIRA Application Guide

· American National Standards Institute (ANSI) / Electronic Industries Alliance (EIA) Standard Earned Value Management Systems (ANSI / EIA-748-B)

· USDA Departmental Regulation (DR) 3130-006 (01/11/10) Information Technology Earned Value Management Other policy, procedural, or technical documentation deemed necessary in order to conduct work under the Task Order will be provided as required.

C.3.

QUALITY

Both the contractor and Government have responsibilities for providing and ensuring quality services, respectively.

C.3.1 Quality Control The contractor shall establish and maintain a complete Quality Assurance Plan (QAP) to ensure the requirements of this contract are provided as specified in accordance with the applicable Inspection of Services Clause. The Contracting Officer (CO) will notify the contractor of acceptance or required modifications to the plan. The contractor shall make appropriate modifications (at no additional costs to the government) and obtain acceptance of the plan by the CO. The Government has the right to require revisions of the QAP (at no cost to the Government) should the incorporated plan fail to control the quality of the services provided at any time during the contract performance. The plan shall include, but is not limited to the following:

A description of the inspection system covering all services listed.

· The specification of inspection frequency.

· The title of the individual(s) who shall perform the inspection and their organizational placement.

· A description of the methods for identifying, correcting, and preventing defects in the quality of service performed before the level becomes unacceptable.

On-site records of all inspections conducted by the Contractor are required. The format of the inspection record shall include, but is not limited to, the following:

· Date, time, and location of the inspection.

· A signature block for the person who performed the inspection.

· Rating of acceptable or unacceptable.

· Area designated for deficiencies noted and corrective action taken.

· Total number of inspections.

C.3.2 Quality Assurance The Government and/or the Independent Verification and Validation staff will perform periodic reviews of the contractor’s performance in accordance with the Government’s Quality Assurance Surveillance Plans (QASP) and the Service Delivery Summary (SDS). The Government reserves the right to review services to be provided, including those developed or performed at the Contractor's facilities, to determine conformity with performance and technical requirements. Government quality assurance will be conducted on behalf of the CO. The Contracting Officer Representative (COR) will be appointed to coordinate the overall quality assurance of technical compliance.

C.4.

DELIVERABLES

Deliverables and due dates are identified in subsequent sub-sections. Documents and testing artifacts must not be left in a perpetual state of “draft”. In the case a deliverable or document has been provided for review or for discussion purposes in a draft state that deliverable will not be considered delivered; the contractor must supply a new final instance of all deliverables or documents.

C.4.1 Contractor Submission Most Contractor deliverables be will emailed, uploaded or stored within a specified system of record. The contractor shall provide hard copy deliverables as required per the Government’s request. All deliverables shall be produced using recommended software tools/versions as approved by the Government. All reports shall be accomplished utilizing the MS Office Software Suite to include MS Project as required. In the case a deliverable or document has been provided for review or for discussion purposes in a draft state that deliverable will not be considered submitted; the contractor must supply a final instance of all deliverables or documents.

C.4.2 Project Management

The contractor shall provide project management resources to manage and execute tasks as defined work items and tasks. The contractor shall use project plans as well as standard project management techniques to minimize project delays, and ensure project delivery. The contractor resources shall handle multiple concurrent projects within a highly dynamic environment.

C.4.3 Project Plan The contractor shall create and maintain project plans for each project defined by Task Orders and Work Items, to include work breakdown structures, project resource assignments, resource hours, projected task completion dates for each resource assigned, overall completion date of each project, and project assumptions. The contractor shall provide an updated project plan in a mutually agreed upon timeframe defined after the analysis phase is complete or within mutually agreeable time parameters detailing the completion dates for the remainder of the project. The project plan shall be updated weekly or as requested showing progress and task completion. Specific project plan updates shall be provided within mutual agreeable time parameters. All project plans shall be maintained on FSA’s project sharepoint site so that government has access to the project plans at all times.

SECTION D – PACKAGING AND MARKING

D. 1 AGAR 452.247-71 - Marking Deliverables. (FEB 1988)

(a) The FSA contract/order number shall be placed on or adjacent to all exterior mailing or shipping labels of deliverable items called for by the contract.

(b) Ship to/Mark for:

(TBD)

(End of Clause)

D. 2 AGAR 452.247-72 - Packing for Domestic Shipment. (FEB 1988)

Material shall be packed for shipment in such a manner that will insure acceptance by common carriers and safe delivery at destination. Containers and closures shall comply with the Interstate Commerce Commission regulations, Uniform Freight Classification Rules, or regulations of other carriers as applicable to the mode of transportation.

(End of Clause)

SECTION E – INSPECTION AND ACCEPTANCE

E. 1 52.252-2 - Clauses Incorporated by Reference (FEB 1998)

This contract incorporates one or more clauses by reference, with the same force and effect as if they were given in full text. Upon request, the Contracting Officer will make their full text available. Also, the full text may be accessed electronically at this/ these address(es): https://www.acquisition.gov/FAR/ or, www.usda.gov/procurement/policy/agar.html E.2 AGAR 452.246-70 - Inspection and Acceptance. (FEB 1988)

(a) The Contracting Officer or the Contracting Officer's duly authorized representative may inspect and accept the supplies and/or services to be provided under this contract.

(b) Inspection and Acceptance will be performed at:

(TBD)

Or, By the duly authorized alternate COR.

(c) The Contracting Officer's Representatives COR has limited authority. The COR is authorized to (1) review and approve travel authorizations necessary for performance of services, (2) inspect deliverables, (3) accept deliverables, (4) review and approve request for payment (invoices), and (5) coordinate services with contractor. The COR has no authority to change or amend the terms and conditions set forth in the Contract.

(End of clause)

E.3 Inspection and Acceptance by the Government

The Government will verify that all deliverables cited within this Contract fulfill the requirement and standards stated in this Contract.

Certification by the Government of satisfactory services provided is contingent upon the contractor performing in accordance with the terms and conditions of the referenced contract, this document, the approved technical and cost quotes, and all amendments. The client's representative, Contracting Officer, and the contractor's representative(s) shall meet when deemed necessary at the client’s request. The client representative, the Contracting Officer, and the contractor’s representative may meet at the place determined by mutual agreement.

E.3.1 Responsibility for the Inspection and Acceptance

Inspection and acceptance of all items and services under this Contract will be accomplished by the Government COR. The COR will inspect, and be responsible for, the review and acceptance of all deliverables under this Contract prior to its acceptance by the Government Contracting Officer/Contract Specialist. Acceptance will be performed by the COR, or a designated representative, at the location(s) cited in Section E.2 of this contract.

E.3.2 Quality Assurance

The Government has established and will maintain a quality assurance program in accordance with FAR 52.212-4 -- Contract Terms and Conditions -- Commercial Items (FEB 2012). The Government will evaluate the Contractor's performance under this contract for those tasks listed in the contracts’ PWS. The COR will follow the methods of surveillance specified in the contract.

Any action taken by the Contracting Officer as a result of surveillance will be in accordance with the terms of this contract.

The Government’s Service Delivery Summary (SDS) Matrix is not a substitute for Quality Control by the Contractor. The Government reserves the right to inspect any and all work under the contract.

If the corrective/preventive actions are not met the Contractor shall be relieved of full performance of the service and be terminated for cause based on inadequate performance of the service. The Government’s Performance Requirements Summary Matrix will be based off the requirements of the Performance Work Statement (PWS) of this IDIQ and each individual Task Order(s).

The COR will review, for completeness, preliminary or draft documentation that the Contractor submits, and may return it to the Contractor for correction. Absence of any comments by the COR will not relieve the Contractor of the responsibility for complying with the requirements of this work statement. Final approval and acceptance of documentation required herein shall be by letter of approval and acceptance by COR. The Contractor shall not construe any letter of acknowledgment of receipt material as a waiver of review, or as an acknowledgment that the material is in conformance with this work statement. Any approval given during preparation of the documentation, or approval for shipment shall not guarantee the final acceptance of the completed documentation.

E.3.3 Administrative Considerations

E.3.3.1 Correspondence

Regular and direct contractor interface with the COR is mandatory under this IDIQ. The contractor shall not contact nor take direction from unauthorized FSA employees, under any circumstances. The contractor shall work with other Government personnel as designated by the COR in review of specified requests and implementation of the specified task assignment request. When technical interchange meetings are scheduled, any actions resulting from such meetings that affect the Task Order/Work Definition Form level or scope of work, or administrative issues (including work schedules and/or resources) shall be documented and reported to the COR and the Contracting Officer (CO) , for approval before being implemented by the contractor. The contractor shall maintain all written or oral communications, throughout the contract Life cycle. If requested by the CO and/or the COR this documentation must be provided.

To promote timely and effective administration, correspondence shall be subject to the following procedures:

A. Technical correspondence (where technical issues relating to compliance with the requirements herein) shall be addressed to the COR with an information copy to the Contracting Officer (CO) and the Contract Specialist (CS).

B. Work Definitions (where technical issues require further clarification of the requirement stated in the Task Order) this shall be agreed to by the Contractor, the COR, and the Contracting Officer (CO) who will incorporate this clarification via Task Order Modification.

SECTION F – DELIVERIES OR PERFORMANCE

F.1 AGAR 452.211-74 – Period of Performance (FEB 1988)

The anticipated Base Period of performance for this contract will be as follows:

Anticipated Base Period:

June 1, 2013 – May 31, 2014 Option Periods may be exercised based upon the continuing need, past performance, fund availability and at the Government’s discretion; and will be as follows:

Anticipated Option Period One:

June 1, 2014 - May 31, 2015 Anticipated Option Period Two:

June 1, 2015 - May 31, 2016 Anticipated Option Period Three:

June 1, 2016 – May 31, 2017 Anticipated Option Period Four:

June 1, 2017 - May 31, 2018 (End of Clause)

F.2 Place(s) of Performance The primary place of performance shall be in Government facilities in Kansas City, MO, St. Louis, MO, Salt Lake City, UT, and Washington, D.C. The contractor may perform task related activities at contractor facilities within the local area when required and authorized by the Government at no additional cost to the government. Reimbursement for local travel is not authorized. See individual Tasks orders for more information.

F.3 Performance of Travel The contractor shall also perform travel between the primary places of performance and non-local facilities as required during the performance period of this contract. The COR shall approve all non-local travel prior to costs being incurred. Project travel requests, to include projected costs, shall be submitted to enable COR approval no later than three workdays prior to travel. If the need for emergency travel arises, and there is less than three workdays available for COR approval, the Government Operations and Testing Center Director will need to approve the travel. Travel will be handled, to include the reimbursement of expenses, in accordance with FAR 31.205-46 the terms and conditions of the contract. All non-local travel arrangements will be the responsibility of the contractor including, but not limited to, airline, hotel, and rental car reservations. The contractor should make all efforts to schedule travel far enough in advance to take advantage of reduced airfares. The contractor shall stay in Government furnished lodging as available. The contractor shall include a $0.00 travel allowance (subject to modification) in the cost quote. Project specific travel requirements will be authorized by the COR.

Program/contract management travel will not be paid for by the government. Video Teleconferencing should be used as much as practicable in an effort to minimize travel costs.

F.4 Hours of Performance Normal Duty Hours. On-site contractor support shall be available during customer agency operating (0600 - 1800) hours. Work shall generally consist of 40-hour workweeks, Monday through Friday, excluding federal holidays. The contractor personnel shall observe all Federal holidays. The contractor shall provide for non-standard duty hours support on an as required basis. Non-standard duty hours or additional hours or times for work to be performed shall be coordinated with the COR. The additional hours shall be managed in accordance with the funds available and the burn rate for all labor hours shall be monitored.

Contingency (“on-call”) Support. The contractor shall provide 24x7 on-call contingency support, or as specified in task orders. On-call contingency support shall be coordinated with the authorized local Government point of contact and the contractor’s designated on-call support point of contact. On-call contingency support shall be provided within one hour of notification to the contractor’s designated individual. The contractor shall assess the cause, determine the scope of the problem, advise the appropriate Government organization, identify and implement action for problem resolution, and provide an estimated restoration time in coordination and with approval of the Government point of contact for the situation. The contractor shall provide a single point of contact for all on-call contingency support.

Telework. All work performed at locations other than those identified as government facilities shall be authorized prior to performing the work. Federal contractors are not governed by Office of Personnel Management (OPM), GSA, or the individual agency policies; however, this does not prohibit contract employees from actually working at an alternate site, when/as appropriate and specifically authorized by the Government. Contractors may telework during non-standard duty hours and during standard duty hours with Government approval. Individual contractor approval for telework is at the discretion of the authorized contractor management representative with prior email approval by the COR.

· Telework will be contingent upon availability of telework supporting government issued computer equipment.

· Telework may need to be adjusted if government requests for situations when face to face with government team members necessitates.

· Telework, for no more than two days per week, may be permitted during standard duty hours unless exceptions are approved by the COR or alternate COR, such as medical reasons or safety concerns.

· Telework may be permitted for certain uses of non-standard duty hours.

· Reasons include but may not be limited to:

· Work to be performed outside of standard duty hours (e.g. deployment support, production problem support if necessary and approved by government)

· Work tasks that cannot be fit within a contractor’s normal workweek

· Is required by the government

· Production Support

· Contractors shall manage any necessary telework in a way that allows them to successfully meet job responsibilities to provide the government quality products and services.

· Business meetings are usually more effective face-to-face. Contractors shall avoid calling in to meetings when an onsite presence is required or better suits the needs of the government.

The contractor shall develop telework policies to comply with the following requirements and address at a generic level within their Quality Control Plan. Alternate work arrangements for contractors shall be negotiated with the contractor’s own employer and the appropriate agency official, to ensure policies and procedures are in close alignment and there is a clear and concise arrangement documenting the agreement. It remains the contractor’s responsibility to ensure the services are performed in accordance with the terms and conditions of the award.

· Contractor telework is granted by the government for the necessity and benefit of the government and is not a contractor benefit or right. Contractor telework can be revoked by the government if deemed appropriate.

· The contract program manager shall assess the validity of all telework requests for their contract employees. Approvals shall not conflict with the best interest of the government.

· Contractor telework must comply with the USDA and FSA security policies.

(End of Clause) F.5 Deliverables and Data Rights In addition to all rights granted to the US Government under the applicable Federal Acquisition Regulations Data Rights clauses, all test materials, documents, notes, records, software tools acquired, and/or software modified or produced by the contractor under this IDIQ PWS shall become the property of the U.S. Government, which shall have unlimited rights to all materials and determine the scope of publication and distribution. The contractor shall be required to deliver electronic copies of all documents, notes, records and software to the Government as requested, and upon termination of the contract services or expiration of the contract period.

· All software will be managed in the FSA source control tools.

· All project documents will be managed in the applicable FSA project Sharepoint sites or designated locations.

SECTION G – CONTRACT ADMINISTRATION DATA

G.1 Contracting Officer’s Authority

The Contracting Officer is the only person authorized to approve changes in any of the requirements under this contract and/or any Delivery/Task Order, and notwithstanding any clause contained elsewhere in this contract, the said authority remains solely with the Contracting Officer. In the event the Contractor effects any changes to the direction of any person other than the Contracting Officer, the changes will be considered to have been made without authority and no adjustments will be made in the contract prices to cover any increases in charges incurred as a result thereof.

The Contractor shall submit any request for modification for this contract, in writing to the Contracting Officer with a copy of the request to the Contracting Officer’s Representative (COR).

G.2 Contract Administration

The Procuring Contracting Officer responsible for administering this IDIQ contract is:

Daniel Bowker, Contracting Officer

Telephone:

(202) 401-0105

FAX:

(202) 690-0689

E-mail:

Daniel.Bowker@wdc.usda.gov The Procuring Contracting Officer’s responsible for administering Task Order’s under this IDIQ contract are:

Mechelle Dickey, Contracting Officer

Telephone:

(202) 205-2835

FAX:

(202) 690-0689

E-mail:

Mechelle.Dickey@wdc.usda.gov Shawn Hedgspeth, Contracting Officer

Telephone:

(202) 205-2837

FAX:

(202) 690-0689

E-mail:

Shawn.Hedgspeth@wdc.usda.gov Luis Gallardo, Contracting Officer

Telephone:

(202) 205-3415

FAX:

(202) 690-0689

E-mail:

Luis. Gallardo@wdc.usda.gov When using regular mail, use the following address:

USDA/FSA/AMD

Mail Stop 0567

1400 Independence Avenue, SW

Washington, DC 20520

When using express mail or hand delivering to the Contracting Officer, use the following address:

USDA/FSA/AMD

355 E ST, SW

10TH FLOOR

WASHINGTON, DC 20024

The point of contact for routine contract support, and in the absence of the Contracting Officer is:

Any of the Procuring Contracting Officer’s for the Task Orders.

G.3 Contracting Officer’s Representative (COR)

The Contracting Officer’s Representative appointed for this contract, and the address and contact information for the same is:

(TBD)

* However, as individual Task Orders may require additional program oversight, the COR may recommend to the CO, the appointment of an alternate COR to assist the COR with some of the COR’s respective responsibilities. This will be finalized by issuance of an Alternate COR letter of appointment.

CAUTION: Offerors shall not make any type of contact (oral or written) with CORs concerning this RFP prior to contract award; any contact may be grounds for a determination for offeror(s) inability to respond to the RFP.

The COR shall be primarily responsible for, but not necessarily limited to, the following:

1.

Monitor the Contractor’s performance under the contract

2.

Be the single coordinating point of contact with the Contractor, other than the Contracting Officer.

3.

Provide clarification, interpretation, and inquiry assistance to the Contractor on technical matters.

4.

Monitor the quality of the Contractor’s performance and deliverables.

5.

Review, and approve or disapprove, invoices submitted by the Contractor.

6.

Furnish the Contracting Office with copies of all pertinent reports and correspondence as appropriate.

The COR is not empowered to make any contractual commitments or to authorize any contractual changes on the Government’s behalf. Any changes that the contractor deems may affect contract price, or conditions must be referred to the Contracting Officer for review, action and or approval/disapproval.

G.4 Invoices

The Contractor shall submit invoices to the CO and the COR for review and payment recommendation in accordance with the delivery schedule. The Contractor shall provide an original and one copy of all invoices. Invoices shall be emailed or mailed to the Contracting Officer and the COR at the addresses provided in the Contract. The COR is responsible for review and recommending approval/disapproval of invoices. If disapproved, the COR shall notify the Contracting Officer and the Contractor.

The Contractor shall invoice no more than once a month and shall submit the invoice, by the 15th Calendar day of the month, to the address provided in the contract. In addition to the information required by the Prompt Payment Act, at a minimum the following information must also be included on the invoice:

1. Contract Number(s) IDIQ, Task Order

2. Contractor, Address, Point of Contact, and Telephone Number

3. Period of Performance associated with the Invoice

4. Invoice Number and date of invoice

5. A description of the deliverables per the deliverables and pricing schedules for each Contract Line Item Number (CLIN) being invoiced.

6. Any other information deemed necessary and appropriate to justify payment to include by not limited to:

· Labor hours expended. The labor hours expenditure information shall include the identification of the employee name, labor category, hourly labor rate, and total number of labor hours expended.

· Timecards/sheets, or equivalent. The contractor shall provide a copy of each employee’s time and it shall identify the contractor employee name and number of hours claimed per day.

· Travel costs. Supporting documentation for travel costs. Invoices including travel costs shall include supporting documentation as required by the Federal Travel Regulation (FTR) (which currently requires receipts for all costs $75.00 or greater). Invoice submissions including travel costs shall include completed travel expense sheets for each trip for each employee.

· The contractor shall comply with line item (i.e., per individual positions, different programs, program areas, modernization efforts, farm bills, etc.) billing requests.

7. Failure to provide the above information (or adequately justify payment request) is grounds for disapproval of invoice.

G.5

452.219-70 SIZE STANDARD AND NAICS CODE INFORMATION (SEP 2001)

The North American Industrial Classification System Code(s) and business size standard(s) describing the products and/or services to be acquired under this solicitation are listed below:

Contract line item(s): ALL -- NAICS Code - 541511 Custom Computer Programming Services -- Size Standard - $25,500,000 (End of provision)

G.6 Contract Closeout Procedures

It is the Government’s intent to perform close-out procedures at the end of the Contract. The Contractor agrees to perform those internal functions necessary to support this process in a timely manner. Contract close-out will occur as soon as possible after end of contract period of performance.

SECTION H - SPECIAL REQUIREMENTS

H.1 Government Furnished Facilities, Property, Building Services, Materials and Information

The Government shall furnish space and building services. Facilities to be furnished to the Contractor under this contract are currently located in a Government leased building. Government facilities have been inspected for compliance with the Occupational Safety and Health Act (OSHA). No hazards have been identified for which work‑rounds have been established. Should a hazard be subsequently identified, the Government will correct OSHA hazards according to Government developed and approved plans of abatement taking into account safety and health priorities. A higher priority for correction will not be assigned to the facilities provided hereunder merely because of this contracting initiative. The fact that no such conditions have been identified does not warrant or guarantee that no possible hazard exists, or that work‑around procedures will not be necessary. Compliance with the OSHA and other applicable laws and regulations for the protection of employees is exclusively the obligation of the contractor. No alterations to the facilities shall be made without specific written permission from the Contracting Officer.

The Contractor shall return the facilities to the Government in the same condition as received, fair wear and tear and approved modifications excepted.

These facilities shall only be used in performance of this contract.

H.1.1 Government Furnished Equipment

GOVERNMENT FURNISHED EQUIPMENT/INFORMATION/ACCESS. The government will provide the following resources to the contractor for task performance:

· The Government will provide workspace at a government facility for the maximum number of funded employees.

· The Government will provide standard office configuration (office work area, telephone, access to fax, computer, e-mail account, software, network access, etc.).

· The Government will provide access to available IT equipment and software, as it may deem necessary, to the contractor for the exclusive purpose of performing the services as defined in the task order.

· The Government will provide access to available technical information (i.e. standard configuration, USDA directives, etc.) as required and upon contractor request for the performance of this task order.

· All Government-provided products and facilities remain the property of the Government and shall be returned upon completion of the support services. Contractor personnel supporting this requirement shall return all Government provided items that were used during the performance of these requirements by the end of the performance period.

· All documented processes, procedures, tools and applications, developed under this PWS become the property of the Government. The Government shall have unlimited rights to these documents. Modification and distribution of end products for use at other installations will be at the discretion of the Government.

· All text, electronic digital files, data, new capabilities or modification of existing applications, source code, documentation, and other products generated, modified or created under this contract shall become the property of the Government. The information shall be returned to the Government unless otherwise specified herein.

The Contractor and the COR shall jointly determine the working order and condition of all equipment and document their findings to the CO. In the event of disagreement between the Contractor and the Government representative on the working order and condition of equipment, the disagreement shall be treated as a dispute under the contract clause entitled "Disputes."

Obtaining Replacement of Government‑Furnished Equipment, the Contractor shall submit requests for replacement of Government furnished equipment to the COR for processing. Such requests shall specify the reason for the replacement request.

H.1.2 Contractor Furnished Property/Items

If applicable, Contractor furnished property required for the performance of this contract will be provided per individual Task Order.

H.2 AGAR 452.224-70 – Confidentiality of Information (FEB 1988)

(a) Confidential information, as used in this clause, means –

(1) Information or data of a personal nature, proprietary about an individual or (2) information or data submitted by or pertaining to an organization.

(b) In addition to the types of confidential information described in (a)(1) and (2) above, information which might require special consideration with regard to the timing of its disclosure may derive from studies or research, during which public disclosure of primarily invalidated findings could create an erroneous conclusion which might threaten public health or safety if acted upon.

(c) The Contracting Officer and the Contractor may, by mutual consent, identify elsewhere in this contract specific information and/or categories of information which the Government will furnish to the Contractor or that the Contractor is expected to generate which is confidential. Similarly, the Contracting Officer and the Contractor may, by mutual consent, identify such confidential information from time to time during the performance of the contract. Failure to agree will be settled pursuant to the "Disputes" clause.

(d) If it is established that information to be utilized under this contract is subject to the Privacy Act, the Contractor will follow the rules and procedures of disclosure set forth in the Privacy Act of 1974, 5 U.S.C. 552a, and implementing regulations and policies, with respect to systems of records determined to be subject to the Privacy Act.

(e) Confidential information, as defined in (a)(1) and (2) above, shall not be disclosed without the prior written consent of the individual, institution or organization.

(f) Written advance notice of at least 45 days will be provided to the Contracting Officer of the Contractor's intent to release findings of studies or research, which have the possibility of adverse effects on the public or the Federal agency, as described in (b) above. If the Contracting Officer does not pose any objections in writing within the 45 day period, the contractor may proceed with disclosure. Disagreements not resolved by the Contractor and Contracting Officer will be settled pursuant to the "Disputes" clause.

(g) Whenever the Contractor is uncertain with regard to the proper handling of material under the contract, or if the material in question is subject to the Privacy Act or is confidential information subject to the provisions of this clause, the Contractor shall obtain a written determination from the Contracting Officer prior to any release, disclosure, dissemination, or publication.

(h) The provisions of paragraph (e) of this clause shall not apply when the information is subject to conflicting or overlapping provisions in other Federal, State or local laws.

H.3 Security

H.3.1 HSPD-12 Compliance

As part of the Homeland Security Presidential Directive (HSPD) 12, Personal Identity Verification (PIV) 1, USDA/FSA implemented Identity Proofing for all Federal and vendors workers. Each employee must provide identity documentation, as set forth in the Form I-9, and the validity of the documentation is certified by at least three other checks incorporated into the ID-Proofing process. The Contractor shall be responsible for ensuring compliance by its employees for any annual security training and reporting requirements of GSA, National Institute of Standard and Technology (NIST), USDA and HSPD-12.

In addition, the following clauses will apply concerning HSPD-12 compliance:

FAR 52.204-9 -- Personal Identity Verification of Contractor Personnel (Jan 2011)

(a) The Contractor shall comply with agency personal identity verification procedures identified in the contract that implement Homeland Security Presidential Directive-12 (HSPD-12), Office of Management and Budget (OMB) guidance M-05-24, and Federal Information Processing Standards Publication (FIPS PUB) Number 201.

(b) The Contractor shall account for all forms of Government-provided identification issued to the Contractor employees in connection with performance under this contract. The Contractor shall return such identification to the issuing agency at the earliest of any of the following, unless otherwise determined by the Government;

(1) When no longer needed for contract performance.

(2) Upon completion of the Contractor employee’s employment.

(3) Upon contract completion or termination.

(c) The Contracting Officer may delay final payment under a contract if the Contractor fails to comply with these requirements.

(d) The Contractor shall insert the substance of clause, including this paragraph (d), in all subcontracts when the subcontractor’s employees are required to have routine physical access to a Federally-controlled facility and/or routine access to a Federally-controlled information system. It shall be the responsibility of the prime Contractor to return such identification to the issuing agency in accordance with the terms set forth in paragraph (b) of this section, unless otherwise approved in writing by the Contracting Officer.

(End of Clause)

H.3.2 Contractor Background Investigation, Site Badge, and LincPass Requirements

(See Attachment 10 for Requirements unique to Kansas City and St. Louis, MO.)

All entities must adhere to the April 2010 Interagency Security Committee (ISC) Standards and pursuant to the authority of the ISC contained in Executive Order 12977, October 19, 1995, “Interagency Security Committee”, as amended by Executive Order 13286, March 5, 2003. The Building Security Committee has established security policies that are controlled and monitored by the Emergency Preparedness Division (EPD) in cooperation with the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Federal Protective Service (FPS).

All contractor applicants must have on file, a current favorably adjudicated background investigation sufficient for the position. Should the contractor applicant(s) not yet have this completed investigation, the applicant(s) must undergo the process outlined below, at contractor’s expense, prior to applicant(s) being allowed to support any position under this contract. The contractor will be held responsible for all related costs associated with processing the application(s).

A Request for Background Investigation form shall be submitted to EPD, through the Contracting Officer’s Representative (COR) to initiate the process. EPD will contact the Office of Personnel Management (OPM) to determine if a background investigation is required. If required, EPD will invite the contractor applicant into OPM’s electronic Questionnaires Investigation Processing web-based program (e-QIP) via e-mail (a valid e-mail address is required for this process).

EPD will notify the Sponsor/COR to coordinate and schedule the contractor applicant’s fingerprint appointment, or ensure the applicant submits 2 (two) original signed hardcopy fingerprint cards. The applicant will provide the e-QIP printed release form and the certification statement, with original signature, to EPD when arriving for fingerprinting, or when submitting the hardcopy fingerprint cards.

The contractor applicant’s background investigation materials consist of a number of printed forms (At a minimum, the investigative forms required include an OF-306 – Declaration for Federal Employment, and Certification and Release Forms from eQIP. Additional forms may be required depending on the level of background investigation.) that are followed up by completion of their entries into e-QIP. The printed forms from e-QIP are provided to EPD by the applicant.

All site badges and LincPass badges must be returned to EPD when the contractor is no longer employed. The badges are property of the U.S. Government.