RFQ AG-3198-S-12-0014 - Amendment 1 - Uniform Coding - CK.pdf

A G - 3 1 9 8 - S - 1 2 - 0 0 1 4

OMB Approval 2700-0042

NSN 7540-01-152-8070 30-105 STANDARD FORM 30 (REV. 10-83)

PREVIOUS EDITION UNUSABLE Computer Generated Prescribed by GSA

FAR (48 CFR) 53.24

1. CONTRACT ID CODE PAGE OF PAGES

AMENDMENT OF SOLICITATION/MODIFICATION OF CONTRACT 1 75

2. AMENDMENT/MODIFICATION NO. 3. EFFECTIVE DATE 4. REQUISITION/PURCHASE REQ. NO. 5. PROJECT NO. (If applicable)

0001 See Block 16c

6. ISSUED BY CODE 7. ADMINISTERED BY (If other than Item 6) CODE U.S. Department of Agriculture Food and Nutrition Service, Contract Management Branch 3101 Park Center Drive, Ste 228 Alexandria Virginia 22302

8. NAME AND ADDRESS OF CONTRACTOR (No. Street, county, State and ZIP: Code) 9A. AMENDMENT OF SOLICITATION NO.

AG-3198-S-12-0014

9B. DATED (SEE ITEM 11)

07/03/2012

10A. MODIFICATION OF CONTRACT/ORDER NO.

10B. DATED (SEE ITEM 13)

CODE 1EFX9 FACILITY CODE

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.

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 one (1) copy of the amendment; (b) By acknowledging receipt of this amendment on each copy of the offer submitted;

or (c) By separate letter or telegram 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 DATA 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 telegram or letter, provided each telegram or letter makes reference to the solicitation and this amendment, and is received prior to the opening hour and data specified.

12. ACCOUNTING AND APPROPRIATION DATA (If required)

N/A

13. THIS ITEM APPLIES ONLY TO MODIFICATIONS OF CONTRACTS/ORDERS,

IT MODIFIES THE CONTRACT/ORDER NO. AS DESCRIBED IN ITEM 14.

() A. THIS CHANGE ORDER IS ISSUED PURSUANT TO: (Specify authority) THE CHANGES SET FORTH IN ITEM 14 ARE MADE IN THE CONTRACT ORDER NO. IN ITEM 10A.

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

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

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

Solicitation AG-3198-S-12-0014 is hereby replaced in its entirety by the attached document due to the following changes:

Page 2 – Small Business Set-Aside – deleted.

Section G – Changes – Added to Administrative Clauses

Section I – Changes – Added and deleted clauses to accommodate full and open competition

Section J – Changes – Added attachment III(a) and III(b)

Section K – Changes – Added requirement for Representations and Certifications both FAR and AGAR

Section L – Changes – Clarified instructions to bidders

All other terms and conditions remain unchanged.

Except at 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.

15A. NAME AND TITLE OF SIGNER (Type or print) 16A. NAME AND TITLE OF CONTRACTING OFFICER (Type or print)

Belal Hammad

15B. CONTRACTOR/OFFEROR 15C. DATE SIGNED 16B. UNITED STATES OF AMERICA 16C. DATE SIGNED

(Signature of person authorized to sign)

BY _____________________________________________

(Signature of Contracting Officer)

July 3, 2012

PART I – THE SCHEDULE

This is a combined synopsis/solicitation for commercial items prepared in accordance with the format in Subpart 12.6, as supplemented with additional information included in this notice. This announcement constitutes the only solicitation; proposals are being requested and a written solicitation will not be used.

This requirement is being procured in conjunction with FAR Part 15.

The solicitation document and incorporated provisions and clauses are those in effects through Federal Acquisition Circular 2005-58 Effective 18 May 2012.

Only one contract will be awarded under this solicitation.

The solicitation number for this acquisition is RFP AG-3198-S-12-0014. This solicitation is issued as a Request for Proposals.

This procurement is being released for full and open competition under North American Industry Classification System (NAICS) code 541611 and the business size standard is $14.0M.

The attached solicitation provides the description of the requirement being procured.

All questions must be received no later than 2PM Eastern Daylight Time, July 11, 2012. Please send questions regarding the solicitation to: christina.carter-kurant@fns.usda.gov.

The closing date for receipt of proposals is 2PM Eastern Daylight Time, July 26, 2012.

ANY OFFEROR WHO FAILS TO FOLLOW DIRECTIONS AND SUBMIT PROPOSALS AS

OUTLINED ABOVE, WILL DEEMED NON-RESPONSIVE.

SECTION B – SUPPLIES OR SERVICES AND PRICES/COSTS

B.1 BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF SERVICES

The purpose of this procurement is to develop a food categorization and reference system capacity which would allow FNS staff to classify food data from multiple sources and integrate it with information from existing databases.

This is a single-award, performance based, Fixed Price Contract for special studies and analysis as described in the attached Work Statement.

B.2 CLIN PRICES/COSTS

Insert the total fixed price for each Task and total price for CLIN #0001

CLIN # SUB-TASKS

DESCRIPTION

TOTAL

FIXED PRICE

0001 UNIFORM CODING / FOOD CATEGORIZATION

1 Revise Work Plan

Develop Data Categorization And Classification Schema

3 Data Processing And Categorization Plan $

4 Test And Revise Data Schema Coding $

Operationalize FNS Approved Data Categorization, Aggregation And Processing Methodology

6 Provide Documentation $

NTE Travel Costs $

TOTAL CLIN 0001 $

B.2.1 Insert the labor category, rate, total number of labor hours used to complete each sub-task in

CLIN 0001

LABOR CATEGORY RATE # OF HOURS

TOTAL

DOLLAR

SECTION C – DESCRIPTION / WORK STATEMENT

C.1 GENERAL OVERVIEW

C.1.1 BACKGROUND

The Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, (SNAP1) is the United States Department of Agriculture’s largest nutrition assistance program, enabling millions of low-income Americans to purchase groceries using an electronic benefit transfer (EBT) card. With their benefits, households may buy a wide variety of foods for home preparation and consumption, as well as seeds and plants to produce food for the household. Benefits may not be used to buy foods sold hot at the point of sale, alcohol, some energy drinks and products deemed to be supplements, or any non-food items (For a fuller explanation of benefits see the SNAP program page on foods eligible for purchase reference http://www.fns.usda.gov/snap/faqs.htm#10).

In order to better understand the impacts of program participation on diet and nutrition, FNS has relied on a variety of nationally representative surveys1. Some of these surveys have measured household expenditures on food, whereas others have focused on food consumption at home, either at the household or individual level. Those sources included the National Food Stamp Program Survey (NFSPS), collected in 1996, the ‘What We Eat in America (WWEIA) component of the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) data2 and the diary component of the Consumer Expenditure survey3. Other USDA efforts, such as the National Household Food Acquisition and Purchase Survey (FoodAPS)4, will examine food purchase behavior via survey.

In 2005, the National Research Council panel on enhancing the data infrastructure in support of food and nutrition programs5 examined the potential uses of data for examining food purchase and consumption behavior. Two types of data are mentioned, scanner data (or point-of-sale data) collected at the store level, and household surveys, like AC Nielsen Homescan data –which records purchases at the household level as reported by survey participants. The Council report described several limitations of survey data, including coverage incompleteness by store chain or type, gaps for foods which lack UPC (Universal Product Code) codes (like many fruits and vegetables) and considerable participant burden leading to selection bias. The panel agreed, however, that both surveys and store scanner sources of data need to be pursued further.

In the U.S., a majority of grocery stores use electronic product codes to identify and track sales items6. The use of supermarket sales data is one potential source of timely, indirect and cost effective data for longitudinal nutritional or economic research of households and

1 A list of other commonly used data sets can be found at: http://www.ers.usda.gov/briefing/foodnutritionassistance/data/#psid

2 Cole, Nancy and Mary Kay Fox (2008). Diet Quality of Americans by Food Stamp Participation Status: Data from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey, 1999-2004. Report for the Food and Nutrition Service, USDA.

http://www.fns.usda.gov/ora/menu/Published/snap/FILES/Participation/NHANES-FSP.pdf

3 Castner, Laura and James Mabli (2010). Food Expenditures and Diet Quality Among Low-Income Households and Individuals. July 2010.

http://www.fns.usda.gov/ora/menu/Published/SNAP/FILES/Other/FoodExpendDietQuality.pdf

4 http://www.ers.usda.gov/Briefing/FoodMarketingSystem/food_aps.htm

5 National Research Council. (2005). Improving Data to Analyze Food and Nutrition Policies. Panel on Enhancing the Data Infrastructure in Support of Food and Nutrition Programs, Research, and Decision Making. Committee on National Statistics, Division of Behavioral and Social Sciences and Education. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press.

6 Brinkerhoff, Karen., P. Brewster, E. Clark et al. 2011. Linking Supermarket Sales Data to Nutritional Information: An Informatics Feasibility Study. AMIA Annual Symposium Proceedings. V. 2011, Oct. 22. Pgs. 598-606.

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3243220/ populations of interest. Previous research suggests that household electronic supermarket sales data may be a useful surrogate measure of some nutrient intakes of individuals within the household, particularly percentages of energy from saturated and total fat7.

One of the challenges faced when trying to describe the food purchases of SNAP participants is the sheer number of food items available. According to the Food Marketing Institute, the average supermarket carried nearly 39,000 items in 2010. Within the 39,000 items the primary ingredient may be the same in many more than one item. For example chicken may be fresh, frozen, or canned; whole or parts; with or without its skin. It is difficult to create useful summary information when it is important sometimes to preserve distinctions in form or package size or other characteristic and sometimes it is not.

To use sales or survey data effectively for nutritional or purchase behavior research the UPC codes must be integrated with some form of computable existing economic or nutritional hierarchical information or schema.

Researchers Kristina Brinkerhoff, Philip Brewster and Edward Clark et. al. concluded that UPCs themselves were “too volatile and dynamic to use as a linkage reference point [to existing the USDA-SR nutritional database.]” The authors mapped unique values at the sub-commodity level of the supermarket’s classification system to the USDA nutrient database and were successful in the cases of 70% of the products8. An effort in a similar vein includes the Food Intakes Converted to Retail Commodities Database (FICRCD), jointly produced by USDA’s Agricultural Research Service (ARS) and Economic Research Service (ERS). Its basic purpose is to provide commodity data for the foods consumed in the national dietary surveys, and allow linking to national dietary survey data. The FICRCD can also be linked to other dietary data that use USDA food codes and to some of the local and national food price databases.

C.1.2 CHALLENGE:

There are not clear consistent means of mapping retail food codes9 onto any schema of USDA food categories.

The United States Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) Agricultural Research Service (ARS)10 supports the development, collection, and dissemination of several food composition databases and food consumption surveys and analytic tools and measures for use by clinicians, nutritionists, researchers, policy makers, and the general public. Their primary mission is to provide tools to help these users analyze and monitor food and nutrient consumption. Among these resources are:

USDA Food Patterns11;

National Nutrient Database for Standard Reference (SR) 12;

Food and Nutrient Database for Dietary Studies (FNDDS) 13;

7 Eyles, Helen, Y. Jiang and C. Ni Mhurchu (2010). Use of Household Supermarket Sales Data to Estimate Nutrient Intakes: A Comparison with

Repeat 24-Hour Dietary Recalls. Journal of the American Dietetic Association, Research and Professional Briefs. 2010(Jan.) Pgs. 106-110.

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/20102835

8 Brinkerhoff, Karen., P. Brewster, E. Clark et al. 2011. Linking Supermarket Sales Data to Nutritional Information: An Informatics Feasibility Study. AMIA Annual Symposium Proceedings. V. 2011, Oct. 22. Pgs. 598-606.

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3243220/

9 Retail food product codes include PLU, UPCs SKUs etc.

10 http://www.ars.usda.gov/main/main.htm

11 http://www.cnpp.usda.gov/USDAFoodPatterns.htm 12 http://www.ars.usda.gov/main/site_main.htm?modecode=12-35-45-00 13 http://www.ars.usda.gov/Services/docs.htm?docid=12089

MyPlate Equivalent Database (MPED) 14.

These resources each offer a varying degree of comprehensive and complimentary information about food consumption and nutritional value, and the USDA’s Center for Nutrition Policy and Promotion (CNPP) has simplified this information for consumers through its food guidance systems, like MyPlate, to help consumers make informed decisions about healthy food consumption.

However, there are no current mechanisms to map retail food product codes onto any of the predominate sets of food databases most commonly used within the USDA. UPCs are dynamic, with the same food item being sold in multiple forms, brands, and labels, volume or weight with each assigned its own unique UPC, SKU or other electronic identifying code.15 Ultimately, mapping foods to any of the food groupings or sub-commodity levels has been a manual process.

C.2 PROJECT OVERVIEW

The Food and Nutrition Service (FNS), USDA is seeking a contractor to develop a food categorization and reference system capacity which would allow FNS staff to classify food data from multiple sources and integrate it with information from existing databases (such as the Food and Nutrient Database for Dietary Studies-FNDDS for example.) The result should include flexible hierarchical data coding structures which allow users to examine, link or aggregate food purchase data for use in further analysis. Potential input data sources include:

EBT point of sale (POS) grocery store data from SNAP purchases, Survey data from national surveys e.g. NHANES-WWEIA (What we eat in America), and from studies that collect dietary intake and or food purchase data from SNAP participants and other relevant populations.

The data translation process should be applicable across point-of-sale and, if possible, survey data to allow analysts to respond to queries about the most recently acquired data or historical data on SNAP purchases on an on-going basis. The methodology should include standard, repeatable processes to clean, order and structure raw data, and provide the techniques to transform this data into information and actionable intelligence and should export the data into a portable format useable by other statistical analysis programs. This will allow FNS to leverage commercial off-the-shelf (COTS) tools to apply the classification schema to data. End users of the resulting data should be able to examine the purchase or consumption trends of particular food items (e.g. strawberries) or a range of food items (e.g. fresh fruit). The desired outcome of this project will be a uniform taxonomy for recoding and classifying point of sale or survey data into a set of hierarchical categories available for further analysis.

This project will not focus on the mechanics of data intake from EBT systems regarding Point of Sale (POS) data. Nor is the focus of this effort the production of new proprietary IT tools to run the translation process. However, it is expected that the data classifications devised will be able to be applied to sample POS data.

14 http://www.ars.usda.gov/Services/docs.htm?docid=17558 15 Baxter J., Graves, K., Mullis, R., Potter, J., Experiences in Using Computerized Sales Data to Evaluate a Nutrition Intervention

Program. Journal of Nutritional Education. 1996; 28:443-5

C.3 PROJECT OBJECTIVES

The current effort will result in the production of a hierarchical taxonomy for use in recoding data, on a continual basis rather than as a one-off project, from existing datasets containing information about food purchases and consumption survey data, into a form compatible with an existing nutritional database such as the USDA Food and Nutrient Database for Dietary Studies. The resulting schema will allow for the integration of one or more classification systems onto food items, allowing analysts to access foods by commodity or sub-commodity level, by My-Plate category, or by the foods recommended for frequent – less frequent consumption continuum for example.

This project has two objectives:

OBJECTIVE 1: Develop a flexible hierarchical category data structure with which to map Point Of Sale (POS) or food survey data onto existing major food purchase and consumption data categorization schemes.

This objective requires the contractor to develop an understanding of the data mentioned in the background section and develop a common coding structure and reference schema which would allow FNS to classify information from multiple sources, such as point of sale (POS) store data, food purchase or consumption survey data, and from potential other sources, into common categories, focusing on a level of aggregation useful for analysis.

Various levels of aggregation would be needed, for example commodity, sub-commodity, product level etc. Existing database taxonomies (such as the Food and Nutrient Database for Dietary Studies-FNDDS16) provide useful examples of multiple levels of product breakdowns.

The ultimate goal is to create flexible taxonomies with which to automatically recode item level food purchase data, or detailed product specific consumption data from surveys, for use in further analysis. The data coding structure should be applicable across point-of-sale and survey data sources to allow FNS to respond to queries using the most recently acquired data or historical food purchase data on an as needed basis, of particular food items (like strawberries) to a range of food items (like fresh fruit).

This project will not focus on the mechanics of data intake. The food categorization schema that is developed should be scalable to be applied in a uniform way to data that is gathered in future. It will be the work of the contractor to devise the linkages between product level data and currently used food categories. This project is not intended to create a new set of definitions or new categories for food groups, but rather, shall focus on linking item or product level data to existing food categories as discussed in section C.1. -project background.

OBJECTIVE 2: Create a uniform way to process food product data from various sources into the food categorizations developed in objective one.

It is likely that multiple datasets containing information on purchases made with SNAP benefits will be received over several months. These datasets may include retail sales data with detailed food product information, (including UPC, PLU or SKU codes) along with amounts purchased and total transaction

16 http://ndb.nal.usda.gov/ndb/foods/list information or survey data on foods consumed or purchased. Data received from POS sources may be obtained periodically. It will also be desirable to incorporate data that will be received from the National Household Food Acquisition and Purchase Survey (FoodAPS) study.

For objective two of this project, the contractor shall leverage the functionality of one or more commercially available off the shelf (COTS) tool(s) to provide to FNS a solution to recode and manipulate the data mention above, in-house, into a combined schema developed in Objective One. This code shall allow FNS to output the resulting data into a portable format usable by FNS approved software currently running on USDA FNS systems such as SPSS, SAS or excel.

The food coding schema and code for COTS tools obtained from this effort can be used to help analysts inform policy, and better craft nutrition education and environmental initiatives to improve food choices of SNAP participants.

C.4 SCOPE OF WORK Approach and Scope Data Sources

For the current project it is expected that POS data from supermarket transactions will be received periodically. Variables could include store number, visit date, time, total visit amount, tender type, tender amount, unit quantity, scan count, item description, UPC description, UPC number,(or other food product identification codes such PLUs and SKU’s etc.,) item price and department number.

Data could also come from the survey portion of the Household Food Acquisition and Purchase Survey (FoodAPS) study or other survey data such as Nielson Trak.

C.5 PERFORMANCE WORK STATEMENT (PWS)

C.5.1 REVISE WORK PLAN

The contractor shall discuss and revise as needed the proposed Work Plan with the FNS project officer and FNS staff at FNS headquarters, Alexandria, VA within 2 weeks of award. This review will include a discussion of the likely volume and type of input data FNS expects to categorize using the schema developed for this project, and will expand on federal requirements. Following the review the contractor shall submit a revised Work Plan in week 4 of award and a final Work Plan in week 8 incorporating FNS comments.

The revised work plan should include any revisions to the steps involved in creating the data classification schema, plans about the levels and structure of the food grouping categories and subcategories the contractor will use to create the coding schema, and include further suggestions from the contractor as to how to shape the most effective system for this work.

C.5.2 DEVELOP DATA CATEGORIZATION AND CLASSIFICATION SCHEMA

The contractor shall submit a draft memo in week 18 detailing the flexible hierarchical classification structure which will be used to map POS or food survey data onto existing major food purchase and consumption databases, or into another common database format and would allow for item level foods to be aggregated up to various category levels. The memo shall contain a master data dictionary outline detailed enough such that it can be distributed to stakeholders for comments and suggestions. The contractor’s staff must be versed in the science behind current nutrition theory and economics of food product marketing and they shall be responsible for providing the technical expertise required to guide this task and the project. In week 24 the contractor shall produce a second draft memo incorporating comments received from FNS. A final memo shall be submitted in week 28 of award.

C.5.3 DATA PROCESSING AND CATEGORIZATION PLAN

In week 30, the contractor shall deliver a draft of the final plan for data processing and categorization, including a Data Dictionary, and details of processes to be used in extracting, cleaning, transforming and aggregating the data in order to make them usable to FNS. Sections detailing data cleaning and quality control measures shall be included.

Procedures for updating rules as UPCs and other electronic food codes are added or changed will also be included. The final Data Processing and Categorization plan shall be delivered by the contractor in week 38 after award.

C.5.4 TEST AND REVISE DATA SCHEMA CODING

In week 40 after award the contractor shall demonstrate the recoding methodology to project staff at FNS headquarters in Alexandria, VA. A sample of POS data will be processed and the results used on FNS approved COTS tools. The contractor shall incorporate FNS feedback about the beta version into a working final version 44 weeks after award.

C.5.5 OPERATIONALIZE FNS APPROVED DATA CATEGORIZATION,

AGGREGATION AND PROCESSING METHODOLOGY

Once FNS approves the classification schema and coding methodology, the contractor shall produce and deliver a final working version of those deliverables. FNS and contractor staff will test the resulting and the contractor shall make refinements. The final version shall be submitted to FNS in week 48.

C.5.6 PROVIDE DOCUMENTATION

The contractor shall submit full documentation detailing data processing mechanisms and provide user manuals, code, test files if applicable and other information on the recoding and access process. These shall be delivered 50 weeks after contract award.

C.6 PERFORMANCE MEASURES

Performance based contracts include a Performance Requirements Summary (PRS) prepared by the Government that is specific to that Contract. In general, the PRS will set forth the expected outcomes (objectives) of the contract, the service(s) required of the contractor to attain the objectives, a performance standard per outcome, and a plan for a reduction in payment in the event the contractor does not meet the performance standard. It is the intent of the Government to maintain consistency in standards and associated reduction schedules for same or similar outcomes from Task Order to Task Order. The PRS is not an exclusive remedy and inclusion of the PRS does not preclude the Government from using any other remedy available by law or contract terms, including reductions in payment in accordance with any clause for inspection of services.

The Government shall monitor quality assurance in accordance with the PRS below and Attachment 1 - Quality Assurance Monitoring Form.

PERFORMANCE REQUIREMENTS SUMMARY:

STANDARD SUBMISSION ACCEPTANCE DUE DATE

For ALL deliverables, the work must be:

- On time, per the schedule of deliverables. The only exception is when the delay is the result of the government’s actions, in which case the delay should be reflected in writing and agreed to between the project manager and COR, and approved by the Contracting Officer.

- Complete and accurate,

- Reflective of FNS requirements in the contract, the Offeror’s proposal and updated work and tool design plans, and communicated via email from the COR,

- Reflective of FNS feedback on drafts of previous versions, as applicable,

- Based on state of the art, generally accepted methods and procedures,

- Well-written, with proper grammar, and appropriate for the target audience.

As specified in contract Section C.5 Performance Work Statement

Written approval via email (NOT receipt) of product by COR

As specified in contract Section F. Schedule of Deliverables

SECTION D – PACKAGING AND MARKING

D.1 PACKAGING AND MARKING

All packing and mailing of reports or submittals shall be accomplished in the most economical and efficient manner and in accordance with the best commercial practices.

D.2 PACKING FOR DOMESTIC SHIPMENT (AGAR 452.247-72) (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 Department of Transportation regulations, Uniform Freight Classification Rules, or regulations of other carriers as applicable to the mode of transportation.

SECTION E – INSPECTION AND ACCEPTANCE

E.1 INSPECTION AND ACCEPTANCE (AGAR 452.246-70)(FEB 1988)

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

(b) Inspection and acceptance will be performed at:

Food and Nutrition Service

Office of Research and Analysis 3101 Park Center Drive Alexandria, VA 22302

E.2 SCOPE OF INSPECTION

The Government reserves the right to an inspection period of sixty (60) days, unless a different time period is stated in the contract or modification thereto.

Deliverables are subject to Government approval. All deliverables will be inspected for content, completeness, accuracy, and conformance to task order requirements by the COR. Inspection may include validation of information or software through the use of automated tools and/or testing of the deliverables.

The offeror shall review and incorporate comments or implement directed changes, after discussion or clarification from the Project Manager and submit a final version of the deliverable no later than ten (10) business days thereafter unless a different time period is stated in the contract or modification thereto.

E.3 FAR 52.246-4 INSPECTION OF SERVICES—FIXED-PRICE (AUG 1996)

(a) Definition: “Services,” as used in this clause, includes services performed, workmanship, and material furnished or utilized in the performance of services.

(b) The Contractor shall provide and maintain an inspection system acceptable to the Government covering the services under this contract. Complete records of all inspection work performed by the Contractor shall be maintained and made available to the Government during contract performance and for as long afterwards as the contract requires.

(c) The Government has the right to inspect and test all services called for by the contract, to the extent practicable at all times and places during the term of the contract. The Government shall perform inspections and tests in a manner that will not unduly delay the work.

(d) If the Government performs inspections or tests on the premises of the Contractor or a subcontractor, the Contractor shall furnish, and shall require subcontractors to furnish, at no increase in contract price, all reasonable facilities and assistance for the safe and convenient performance of these duties.

(e) If any of the services do not conform with contract requirements, the Government may require the Contractor to perform the services again in conformity with contract requirements, at no increase in contract amount. When the defects in services cannot be corrected by re-performance, the Government may --

(1) Require the Contractor to take necessary action to ensure that future performance conforms to contract requirements; and

(2) Reduce the contract price to reflect the reduced value of the services performed.

(f) If the Contractor fails to promptly perform the services again or to take the necessary action to ensure future performance in conformity with contract requirements, the Government may --

(1) By contract or otherwise, perform the services and charge to the Contractor any cost incurred by the Government that is directly related to the performance of such service; or

(2) Terminate the contract for default.

E.4 SCOPE OF INSPECTION

All deliverables will be inspected for content, completeness, accuracy, and conformance to the contract requirements by the COR. Inspection may include validation of information or software through the use of automated tools and/or testing of the deliverables, as specified in the task order.

E.5 INSPECTION OF SERVICES

The contract incorporates the following clauses by reference, with the same force and effect as if it were given in full text. Upon request, the Contracting Officer will make its full text available.

FAR Clause 52.246-4, Inspection of Services - Fixed Price (August 1996)

FAR Clause 52.246-5, Inspection of Services – Cost-Reimbursement (April 1984)

FAR Clause 52.246-9, Inspection of Research and Development (Short Form) (April 1984)

NOTE: All stated days for delivery and government review, unless denoted otherwise, are stated in business days.

SECTION F – DELIVERABLES OR PERFORMANCE

F.1 SCHEDULE

SUB-

TASKS DESCRIPTION

DUE DATE:

WEEKS FROM

CONTRACT AWARD

C.5.1 REVISE WORK PLAN

Review of proposed Work Plan at FNS HQ 2

Submit draft of revised Work Plan 4

Submit Final Work Plan 8

C.5.2

DEVELOP DATA CATEGORIZATION AND

CLASSIFICATION SCHEMA

Draft memo detailing database structure w/ data dictionary 18

Revised memo incorporating comments from FNS 24

Final Memo 28

C.5.3 DATA PROCESSING AND CATEGORIZATION PLAN

Draft final data processing and categorization plan 30

Final data processing and categorization plan 38

C.5.4 TEST AND REVISE DATA SCHEMA CODING

Demonstrate and deliver the results of application of the coding schema onto test data using FNS approved COTS tools

Deliver final version of all codes and coding schema for testing tools using coding schema 44

C.5.5

OPERATIONALIZE FNS APPROVED DATA

CATEGORIZATION, AGGREGATION AND

PROCESSING METHODOLOGY

Provide Final working version of the approved and tested schema classifications and codes. 48

C.5.6 PROVIDE DOCUMENTATION

Full documentation, manuals and code for all deliverables. 50

F.2 IDENTIFICATION OF CONTRACT DELIVERABLES

Unless otherwise specified by the Contracting Officer in writing, all documents prepared and submitted by the contractor to the Government under this contract shall include the following information on the cover page of each document:

Name and business address of Contractor

Contract number Contracting Officer’s Representative’s Name, and

Date of delivery order.

F.3 PLACE OF DELIVERY-FOB DESTINATION

The final report shall be delivered to the addresses below and all transportation charges shall be paid by the Contractor in accordance with the FOB Destination Clause (FAR 52.247-35). Unless specified otherwise in the contract, all other reports and/or deliverables shall be delivered electronically to the designated COR.

Project Office:

USDA, Food and Nutrition Service Office of Research and Analysis

3101 Park Center Drive, Room 1014 Alexandria, VA 22302

COR’s email: (To Be Designated at time of Award)

F.4 MONTHLY REPORTING

By the 15th of each month, the contractor shall prepare and electronically submit reports to FNS on the progress of the Contract. The contractor shall submit one copy of the monthly report to the Contracting Officer and one copy to the Contracting Officer’s Representative (COR). The monthly progress report shall include the following:

1. A cover sheet with the contract number, name, and reporting period;

2. A discussion of the activities performed during the reporting period by task;

3. A description of planned activities for the next reporting period;

4. A discussion of problems and issues encountered during the reporting period and steps taken to resolve them; and

5. A table showing the percentage of time worked by person and by task by all project staff for the reporting period and for the cumulative period

Progress Reports and Invoices shall be delivered electronically to the Contract Officer and the

COR.

F.5 PERFORMANCE MEASURES

The Government shall monitor quality assurance in accordance with Attachment 1 - Quality Assurance Monitoring Form.

SECTION G – CONTRACT ADMINISTRATION DATA

G.1 POST AWARD CONFERENCE (AGAR 452.215-73)(NOV 1996)

Within 2 weeks after contract award, the contractor shall meet with FNS staff. The meeting will cover this task and all of the other tasks under the contract. The meeting shall be held in the FNS National office in Alexandria, Virginia, or at another location agreeable to FNS. The meeting shall include participation and attendance (in person or by teleconference) of all key contractor staff including the cognizant contract representative for the prime contractor (i.e. the person(s) identified via the contractor’s proposal as having the authority to negotiate on the contractor’s behalf and who also has the written legal authority to obligate the contractor), unless previously agreed on by FNS. The contractor, in cooperation with FNS’ Contracting Officer Representative, shall prepare an appropriate agenda prior to the meeting. The meeting shall cover items including, but not limited to, the following:

A description of the tasks to be performed in sufficient detail for FNS staff who have not read the performance work statement, proposal, or contract to understand them;

A clarification of the tasks and the schedule of deliverables;

Establishing official protocols for all project communication, substantive and financial reporting requirements and procedures for the approval of contract deliverables; and

Discussion and clarification of all project activities.

The contractor shall submit to FNS a memorandum summarizing the orientation meeting within one week after the meeting. This summary memorandum shall include all issues discussed at the meeting, the conclusions reached, and any issues remaining to be resolved.

G.2 CONTRACT ADMINISTRATION

1. The Contracting Officer is the only person authorized to approve changes in any of the requirements of the task order. This authority remains solely with the Contracting Officer.

In the event the contractor effects any change at the direction of any person other than the Contracting Officer, the changes will be considered to have been made without authority and no adjustment will be made in the contract price to cover any increase in costs incurred as a result thereof.

2. Only the Contracting Officer, Contract Specialist and Contracting Officer’s Representative

(COR) have the authority to contact the contractor to discuss costs and/or technical requirements of the contract.

3. Contact from other government employees could result in unauthorized commitments.

Government representatives who are working on, or asked to work on, a particular contractual issue should inform and coordinate the activity with the Contracting Officer or COR. The COR must be a part of all contacts and meetings with the contractor that pertain to scope or cost. Depending on the nature of the meeting, the COR must also give advance notification to the Contracting Officer or Contract Specialist. All contacts with the contractor must be documented and retained with the COR’s contract correspondence file.

As deemed appropriate, one copy must be forwarded to the Contracting Officer. Examples of documented contacts are providing technical direction, work plan instructions, deliverable rejection, potential changes to the Performance Based Work Statement or delivery schedule, costs and subcontractor or consultant recommendations.

4. The contractor shall designate one individual to be contacted during the period of the contract to handle contract administration in a prompt and timely manner:

Name:* __________________________________

Title:* __________________________________

Phone:* __________________________________

Email:* __________________________________

*to be completed by Offeror

5. Contracting Officer (CO):

Belal Hammad

Contracts Management Division

6. Contracting Officer’s Representative (COR):

TBD

Food and Nutrition Service

Family Programs Analysis Branch Office of Research and Analysis

3101 Park Center Drive

G.3 CONTRACTING OFFICER’S REPRESENTATIVE (COR):

DEFINITIONS:

“CONTRACTING OFFICER’S REPRESENTATIVE” – The Contracting Officer’s Representative (COR) is designated by the Contracting Officer, in writing, and is contract order specific. The COR is the technical representative for all technical requirements of the specific contract.

“CONTRACTING OFFICER” – The Contracting Officer (CO) is the exclusive agent of the Government with the authority to enter into, and administer contracts. Thus, the CO has the responsibility to see that all requirements of the law and regulation are followed. However, as the CO’s representative, the COR is delegated the authority to monitor the technical effort being performed under the contract. The CO is the only individual with authority to enter into, administer, or terminate contracts. The CO ensures performance of all necessary actions for effecting contracting, ensuring compliance with the terms of the contract and safeguarding the interests of the United States in its contractual relationships.

LIMITS ON THE AUTHORITY OF THE COR:

The authority of the COR is limited. The CO may not delegate the following authority to:

1. Award, agree to, or execute any contract, task order, or contract modification;

2. Obligate, in any way, the payment of money by the Government;

3. Take any action which may have an impact on the contract or task order schedules, funds, or the scope of work/task description/specifications;

4. Make the final decision on any matter that would be subject to appeal under the Disputes clause; and

5. Terminate, for any case, the contractor’s right to proceed.

RESPONSIBILITIES:

The COR is authorized to take any or all actions as specified below which could lawfully be taken by the CO, except any action specifically prohibited by the terms of the contract.

1. Maintain an arms-length relationship with the contractor in the interest of procurement integrity as well as sound contract management.

2. Keep the CO fully informed of any technical or contractual difficulties encountered during performance. The COR should also advise the CO of any potential problem areas under the contract.

3. Assure that the contractor performs the contract technical requirements in accordance with its terms, conditions, and specifications.

4. Inform the contractor of any failure to comply with the technical requirements of this contract, and inform the CO of any failure to do so, particularly if the contractor does not make corrections.

5. Coordinate site entry for contractor personnel, if applicable.

6. Ensure that Government furnished property, if any, is available when required, and report any accountable property to the appropriate property personnel.

7. Ensure that all required items, documentation, data, and/or reports are submitted to the COR as required by the contract. If additional time is required by the contractor, the contractor shall submit a formal request for a time extension to the CO through the COR.

The COR shall indicate concurrence or state the reasons for non-concurrence, and forward the request to the CO for finalization.

8. Evaluate proposals for and participate in negotiation of changes, modifications and claims at the request of the CO.

9. Review vouchers for cost-reimbursement type work and recommend approval by the CO if the contractor’s costs are consistent with the negotiated amounts and progress is satisfactory and commensurate with the rate of expenditure (if applicable).

10. Review and approve invoices for fixed-price deliverables pending the receipt of the goods and/or services that the COR judges to be acceptable.

11. Process all invoices and vouchers in a timely manner in accordance with the Prompt Payment Act.

12. Document actions taken and decisions made as the COR, and maintain adequate records to sufficiently describe the performance of the duties as COR during the life of the contract.

13. Provide the CO with a copy of any correspondence between the COR and the contractor.

14. If the contract is for construction or services and you visit the site where work is being performed, check to see that the Department of Labor and Equal Employment Opportunity posters and applicable wage determination rates are posted in full view of employees.

15. Perform all inspections necessary in with the contract and require the contractor to correct any deficiencies that are found; recommend acceptance for all deliverables on behalf of the Government; record the inspections and acceptance and insure that distribution of approvals/disapprovals are made to the contractor and the CO. Review all contract deliverables and provide inspection and acceptance documentation to the CO. The COR has the responsibility to track and retain all contract deliverables. Assist the CO with contract closeout activities as requested.

16. Submit reports on contractor performance as required.

17. Evaluate contractor performance in accordance with Federal Acquisition Regulations (FAR) Part 42.15 and acquisition office procedures.

18. During the pre-award phase of this contract, the COR is responsible for performing the following duties as it applies to the contract/task order:

(a) Provide the Contracting Officer with the appropriate contractor personnel security screening requirements and background investigation (BI) requirements for obtaining services of non-federal employees under the resultant contract or task order.

(b) Determine the risk level for each contractor position, as applicable. The risk level must be based on an overall assessment of the damage that an untrustworthy contractor could cause to the efficiency or the integrity of the Food and Nutrition Services (FNS) operations. The COR shall provide this information to the Contracting Officer for inclusion in the resultant contract and include a BI Request Form for each applicable contractor employee (which can be found on the FNS Intranet under E-forms).

(c) Certify that the personnel security requirements of the contract are adequate to ensure the security of FNS operations, information and personnel, if applicable. The COR shall provide written certification to the Contracting Officer prior to release of the Request for Proposals.

(d) The personnel security requirements of the contract are set forth in contract clauses H-10 and H-11 of the contract.

19. Upon contract award the COR will be designated to coordinate those aspects of the contract which pertain to obtaining and maintaining security clearances at the appropriate levels for contractor personnel performing hereunder. In addition, the COR shall comply with the supplemental guidelines provided to him or her by the Contracting Officer.

The COR DOES NOT have the authority to:

Award, agree to, or sign any contract, delivery order or task order. All contractual agreements, commitments, or modifications shall be made only by the CO.

Make any commitments or otherwise obligate the Government, or to make any changes to the contract.

Grant deviations from or waive any of the terms and conditions of the contract.

Impose or place a demand upon the contractor to perform any task or permit any substitution not specifically provided for in the contract.

Increase the dollar limit of the contract, or authorize work beyond the dollar limit of the contract, or authorize the expenditure of funds.

Give direction to the contractor or to the employees of the contractor except as provided for in the contract.

Change the period of performance.

Authorize the purchase of equipment, except as required under the contract.

Authorize the furnishing of Government property, except as required under the contract.

Authorize subcontracting or the use of consultants.

Approve shifts of funding between line items of the budget.

Approve travel and relocation expense over and above that provided for in the contract.

Authorize the use of overtime.

G.4 POST AWARD CONFERENCE

Within two weeks after contract award, the offeror’s project director and senior supervisory staff shall meet with FNS staff from the Office of Research and Analysis (ORA) in Alexandria, VA for an orientation meeting to discuss the objectives, Sub-tasks, schedules and deliverables of this program assessment. The offeror, in cooperation with FNS staff, shall prepare an agenda for this meeting that includes the discussion of the program assessment’s objectives with an overview of the offeror’s proposed tiering assessment algorithm and methodology, sampling design and official protocols for all communication when conducting the program assessment. The offeror shall submit by email to FNS a copy of a memorandum summarizing the orientation meeting within one week after the meeting. This summary memorandum will include all issues discussed at the meeting, conclusions reached, and any issues remaining to be resolved.

G.5 SUBMISSION OF INVOICES

Invoices shall be submitted in an original and one copy to the Government office listed below (or via email to fns_invoices@fns.usda.gov) in accordance with the “Authorized Payment Schedule” for each task. To constitute a proper invoice, the invoice must include the following information and/or attached documentation:

1. Name and address of the business concern,

2. Invoice number and invoice date;

3. Contract number, Delivery Order number, Purchase Order number, Task Order number, or other authorization for delivery of property or services actually delivered or rendered;

4. Description, unit price, extended price, and quantity of property and services actually delivered or rendered with supporting documentation (i.e. travel receipts, etc.); (IF REQUIRED BY THE TYPE OF CONTRACT)* Contract Specialist should edit as necessary.

5. Shipping and payment terms;

6. Name, title, phone number, and complete mailing address of responsible official to whom payment is to be sent;

7. A certification statement saying that the funds have only been used for work for this contract;

The Contractor shall submit an original and one (1) copy of invoices to the following designated payment office: (or via email to fns_invoices@fns.usda.gov)

USDA/Food and Nutrition Service

Administrative Operations Division, Financial Management 3101 Park Center Drive, 7th Floor

8. Name, title, phone number, and mailing address of person to notify in the event of a defective invoice; and

9. Taxpayer Identification Number (TIN) or DUNS+4.

10. Contractors MUST note FINAL INVOICE on the final invoice when submitted upon final delivery of all supplies/equipment or completion of the contract.

G.6 METHOD OF PAYMENT

All payments under this contract shall be made via electronic funds transfer (EFT).