SOW.docx

Performance Work Statement (PWS) Digitize Paper Documents into a Searchable Electronic Database

1.0. INTRODUCTION

The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Farm Services Agency (FSA) requires support services for the scanning and digitizing of paper records. Performance of the scanning and digitizing services will require the vendor to interact with FSA Records Management personnel (i.e., FSA records officer and FSA records analysts) as well as the personnel that work within FSA’s many operational organizations.

2.0. BACKGROUND

FSA’s mission is to serve the nation’s farmers and ranchers professionally, efficiently, equitably, and in a manner that is customer, taxpayer, and employee friendly. FSA provides programs and services that support the economic stability of American farmers, ranchers and rural landowners. The Agency works closely with other USDA agencies to accomplish a broader USDA strategic goal of assisting rural communities to grow and prosper. FSA works to assure the American agriculture industry is competitive by providing farmers and ranchers with financial capital, risk management assistance, and recovery support in times of economic distress or disaster. FSA’s conservation and environmental programs play an important role in helping protect and restore America’s farms, ranches, and grasslands while making them more resilient to threats and enhancing natural resources. The programs affect the public at large due to their positive impacts on drinking water, greenhouse gas emissions, recreation, community health, and economic prosperity. FSA works with private landowners and managers to restore vegetative cover, rehabilitate streams and other water bodies, transition marginal or highly-erosive lands to sustainable production levels, and apply conservation measures to enhance and maintain the quality of soil, water, and related natural resources and wildlife. FSA supports USDA’s strategic objective to ensure U.S. agricultural resources contribute to enhanced global food security through its procurement, acquisition, storage, disposition, and distribution of commodities. FSA procures and distributes agricultural commodities for international distribution.

3.0. SCOPE

To maximize efficiency, FSA can no longer retain documentary material in a paper format. Placing FSA held records into a searchable database will increase productivity and eliminate the need to physically store an ever-growing repository of records information in paper form. The vendor must provide all personnel/management (i.e., labor), equipment, and supplies necessary to perform the administrative and technical processes needed to scan and digitize the records as detailed in this PWS.

To support the scanning and digitizing effort, FSA anticipates awarding an Indefinite Delivery Indefinite Quantity (IDIQ) contract with a minimum guarantee of $5,000. FSA anticipates issuing an IDIQ contract with a period of performance of 1 (one) base year and four (4) option years.

The anticipated date of award of the base year of this contract is by no later than September 29, 2017.

4.0. REQUIREMENTS

FSA requires an outside vendor to scan/digitize FSA held paper documents into a searchable database (i.e., convert paper documents to an electronic copy). The vendor must develop the searchable database consistent with the applicable FSA records retention guidance categories identified within the FSA File Maintenance and Disposition Manual.

4.1. The vendor must perform the scanning/digitization onsite at the USDA South Building located at 1400 Independence Avenue, SW. Washington, DC 20250.

4.2. The vendor must provide all personnel/management (i.e., labor), equipment, and supplies needed to scan/digitize the FSA held paper documents into a searchable electronic database.

4.3. The vendor must prepare, keep, and provide to FSA upon request an inventory of all paper documents that are scanned/digitized into a searchable portable data file (pdf) document.

4.4. The vendor must disassemble the paper files to include removing any item that will prevent scanning (e.g., paper clips, stapes, binder clips, sticky notes, etc.) from the documents.

4.4.1. The vendor must track the disassembly of the paper files in detail because after the scanning/digitization has been completed, the vendor will be required to reassemble the paper files back into the same order/format that the paper files were in prior to the disassembly action.

4.5. The vendor must process each paper document that FSA makes available for scanning/digitization.

4.5.1. The vendor will scan each document front side and reverse side (reverse side will be scanned/digitized as appropriate) in grayscale and at a minimum of 300 DPI (dots per inch).

4.5.2. The vendor will ensure that each document includes Optical Character Recognition (OCR) so that each paper document will become a searchable portable data file (pdf).

4.5.3. The vendor will title each scanned/digitized document based on the naming convention identified by FSA.

4.5.4. The vendor will develop database file folders named in accordance with the file code, description and filing instructions, disposition, and disposition authority guidance contained in the FSA File Maintenance and Disposition Manual.

4.5.5. The vendor will place the scanned/digitized documents into the appropriate database file folders.

4.5.6. The vendor will perform quality assurance with objective of assuring that every pdf document produced is scanned/digitized successfully, the quality of the digital document is acceptable, and that the digital documents are in the correct order and have the correct rotation.

4.5.6.1. The vendor must correct any defects in the quality of the scanned/digitized documents.

4.5.7. The FSA records to be scanned/digitized will contain data that is protected from public disclosure by federal statutes and USDA directives/regulations. When working with the documentary material, the vendor must at all times take appropriate measures to safeguard the FSA records (electronic or paper) from unauthorized use by, or unauthorized disclosure to, individuals that do not have the appropriate access clearances/permissions and/or do not have a demonstrated business need to know the information in order to perform their assigned official duties.

4.6. The vendor must reassemble the paper files to include replacing any item removed prior to the scanning/digitization (e.g., paper clips, stapes, binder clips, sticky notes, etc.), back into the same order/format that the paper files were in prior to the disassembly action.

4.7. The vendor must perform an inventory confirming that all paper documents that FSA made available for vendor processing were scanned/digitized successfully.

4.8. The vendor must provide the reassembled paper files and the digitized version of each paper document to FSA.

4.8.1. The digitized version of the documents shall be provided to FSA on an encrypted portable media device (i.e., external hard drive, flash drive, DVD, CD, etc.) that has been provided to the vendor by FSA.

4.9. The vendor must participate in required meetings to include:

4.9.1. A post award kickoff meeting.

4.9.2. Regular meetings with the FSA representatives to review contract performance and discuss issues.

4.9.3. Wrap up meeting to confirm that the vendor has successfully completed the work required by the scanning/digitization contract.

5.0. DELIVERABLES

The contractor must also be responsible for the development and on-time delivery of the following documentation:

6.0. CONTRACTOR TRAVEL

No contractor travel is authorized as part of the scanning/digitization contract.

7.0. CONTRACTOR PERSONNEL

All contractor personnel must:

7.1. Be skilled in the use of the vendor provided scanning equipment and scanning software.

7.2. Contractor personnel performing task must be skilled in problem resolution; and identifying and reporting issues that may affect the security of documents.

8.0. PERSONNEL SECURITY CLEARANCE

8.1. Vendor personnel must be able to obtain a clearance to work within the USDA South Building located at 1400 Independence Avenue, SW. Washington, DC 20250.

8.2. Vendor personnel must display the government-issued access badge when accessing and working in a government facility.

9.0. INFORMATION SECURITY

9.1. The contractor must establish appropriate administrative, technical, and physical safeguards to protect any and all government data to ensure the confidentiality, integrity, and availability of government data.

9.2. The contractor must restrict access to the records to be scanned/digitized to only those individuals within the organization that have a demonstrated need to know the protected data in order to perform the scanning/digitization work. The contractor must not discuss, divulge, or in any way disclose FSA held protected data to any person or entity except those persons within the contractor’s organization as it pertains to performance of work required by this contract.

9.3. The records to be scanned/digitized are protected from unauthorized use and unauthorized disclosure pursuant to the administrative and/or civil remedies/criminal penalties as identified in applicable federal statutes to include the Privacy Act of 1974 (5 U.S.C. 552a - as amended) and the Freedom of Information Act (5 U.S.C. § 552 - as amended). Unauthorized use/unauthorized disclosure of the protected data is a violation of the applicable Federal statutes. The contract may be held administratively, civilly, and/or criminally liable if the contractor commits, or allows the commission of, an unauthorized use/unauthorized disclosure of the protected data in violation of the applicable Federal statutes.

9.4. The contract must report any confirmed or even suspected unauthorized use and unauthorized disclosure of the records to be scanned/digitized immediately to the contracting officer (CO) assigned to this contract.

10.0. GOVERNMENT FURNISHED WORK SPACE

Government will provide the work space needed to perform the scanning/digitization in the USDA South Building located at 1400 Independence Avenue, SW. Washington, DC 20250.

11.0. QUALITY CONTROL

The contractor must implement and maintain a Quality Control Plan (QCP) to ensure work performed conforms to the scope of work and meets the requirements under this PWS. The QCP must, at a minimum provide a method for performing inspections; identifying, correcting and preventing problems/defective service; addressing customer complaints, and improving the quality of services over the life of the contract.

12.0. QUALITY ASSURANCE

12.1. Inspections/Surveillance. The government reserves the right to perform inspections and surveillance to evaluate the contractor’s compliance to the contract terms and performance of the requirements in the PWS. The government will make every effort to ensure that the surveillance methods described below are conducted in an objective, fair, and consistent manner.

12.1.1. Periodic Surveillance. This action occurs when the contracting officer or other government official observes a deficiency. Examples include evidence from accidents, incidents, or delays. Regardless of where in the line-of-duty the contracting officer observes contractual procedures not being followed, he/she has an obligation to document and report the deficiency to the contracting officer.

12.1.2. Customer Complaint Surveillance. This action is instituted when the contracting officer receives a complaint from a stakeholder (stakeholder organizations include USDA/FSA) regarding contractor service. The contracting officer will obtain the complaint in writing and then conduct an investigation to determine its validity. If the complaint is deemed valid, the contracting officer will immediately notify the contracting officer for action. The contracting officer will notify both the contract manager and the complainant of the government’s response to their complaint.

12.2. Contract Discrepancy Report (CDR). In the event of unsatisfactory contractor performance, the contracting officer will issue a CDR that will explain the circumstances and findings concerning the incomplete or unsatisfactory service. The contractor must acknowledge receipt of the CDR and respond in writing as to how he/she must correct the unacceptable performance and avoid a recurrence. The government will review the contractor's corrective action response to determine acceptability and will use any completed CDR as part of an overall evaluation of contractor performance when determining present or future contractual actions.

13.0. APPLICABLE DOCUMENTS

· 32-AS FSA/FAS Records Management Handbook

· FSA File Maintenance and Disposition Manual