CSC_Support_Services__-_SOLICITATION_2015_FINAL .pdf

STATEMENT OF WORK

Section 1. Introduction USDA, Rural Development (RD) programs help rural communities build or improve housing, community facilities and extend utilities, including water, electricity and telecommunications services. Rural Develop programs also create jobs by funding the growth and creation of rural businesses and cooperatives. Rural Development provides assistance through direct or guaranteed loans, grants, technical assistance, research and educational materials.

The USDA Rural Development is seeking assistance for work performed in the Centralized

Servicing Center for loan servicing, loss mitigation processing, real estate owned property disposition, loss claim processing, administrative and support functions, data entry, customer service phone support to backlog of loss claims and other processes. Currently the Centralized

Servicing Center (CSC) supports processes for the USDA RD SFH Single Family Housing-

Guaranteed Loan Program; Single Family Housing – Direct Loan Program; Multi Family

Housing (MFH) and other agencies where CSC has been contracted to perform work. CSC may provide additional support services for other Departments, Agencies and mission areas to increase government efficiency and save the American taxpayer money to deliver programs and services.

Contractors are needed to provide a temporary solution i.e. staffing, resources and expertise to fill knowledge gaps, to allow the agency to quickly respond to changing requirements that arise when critical projects or new assignments require additional assistance.

Section 2. Scope The scope of this Statement of Work encompasses staffing and contractor services for work performed at the USDA Centralized Servicing Center and other USDA offices.

This solicitation shall be conducted under FAR Part 12 Commercial Items/Services, and in conjunction with FAR Part 15 Contracting by Negotiation, This solicitation is competition limited to 8(a) businesses.

The Government will issue delivery orders in accordance with the Ordering clause

52.216-18 and the Indefinite Quantity clause 52.216-22 for support services described herein.

Expected Term: .Rural Development intends to consider making one (1) award of an Indefinite

Delivery Indefinite Quantity contract that will have a 12 month base, plus four (4) twelve (12) month option periods.

MINIMUM AND MAXIMUM ORDERS

Minimum Order: $2,000,000.00 (The guaranteed minimum that the Government is

Obligated to purchase under this contract).

Maximum Order: $20,000,000.00 (The contractor is not obligated to honor in excess of the maximum order limitation).

Additional purchases over the minimum up to the maximum will be ordered if and as needed by the Government, but no guarantee exists beyond the minimum.

The scope of this contract expands to CSC and its supporting organizations in performing centralized services for all USDA Agencies and mission areas and for centralized services performed for other Departments, Agencies or mission areas assigned to CSC.

USDA RD Centralized Servicing Center, may at the discretion of the Agency, enter into

Interagency or Interdepartmental Agreements to perform services in its centralized work environment.

Section 3. Objective

The objective is to obtain contractor services to provide needed services, fill knowledge gaps and obtain expertise and skills required to meet the mission and goals of the Centralized Servicing

Center.

Section 4. Services Support Services are needed to supplement its workforce for Administrative Support and Clerical occupations, ADP Processing Occupations and Technical and Professional Occupations. Most services will be performed onsite from the USDA-Rural Development-Centralized Servicing

Center Offices at 4300 Goodfellow Blvd. Complex, St. Louis, MO. At the discretion of the

Agency, some services may be performed at remote locations on a temporary or full time basis.

Travel may be required and will be paid at cost but will not exceed lodging and per diem established in accordance with Federal Travel Regulations (FTR).

IMPORTANT NOTE: A Right of First Refusal of Employment is applicable to the resultant contract. This means that contractor staff or employees on the current contract shall be given the

Right of First Refusal for employment with the successor contractor; i.e. the successor contractor is required to extend employment offers to the existing staff on the current contract prior to making a job offer to any other individual. Thus, in theory, if offers are made by the new awardee from the resultant award and accepted by all the current contractor staff on the

Indefinite Delivery Indefinite Quantity (IDIQ) contract then there shall be no gap in staffing from the old contract to the new contract once the latter is awarded. The existing staff has already been cleared and received a background investigation .

The performance expectation is that all task orders shall be fully staffed within 45 days of order.

Initially, the contractor shall provide ADP Processing, administrative and clerical support;

General Clerk I and II Mortgage Loan Processing Services: Guaranteed Loan Real Estate Owned

(REO) processing, Guaranteed Loan loss claim processing, Guaranteed Loan Appraiser/Auditor assistance in reducing backlog of loan loss claims and servicing in the Guaranteed Loan Section;

SFH-D mortgage servicing; Acquisition Liaison Support; Human Resource Liaison Support; and

Multi-Family Legal Liaison Support, which includes providing operational/program legal support and analytical skills on each legal action case to include travel support for regular/infrequent trips to the Washington, D.C. area.

To complete these requirements, the contractor will need knowledge of the following:

a. SFH- Direct and Guaranteed Mortgage Loan Program

b. ADP Services and Administrative Support Duties

c. Mail and delivery experience

d. Guaranteed Loan Program Loss Mitigation, REO Property Disposition processing and loss claim: Knowledge of USDA’s Rural Developments policies and regulations

e. Mortgage Origination/ Underwriting/ Auditing

f. Certified Residential Appraiser experience

g. Customer Service Call Center experience

h. Multi-Family Housing Program Regulations and case law: Multi-Family Housing legal support.

i. In depth knowledge of the full range of Federal Personnel Rules and Regulations related to:

o Staffing and placement o Position Classification/Management o Pay Administration o Employee Relations and Benefits o Labor Relations o Knowledge of EEO principles, practices and administration

j. Knowledge of Federal acquisition and procurement rules and regulations

k. Administrative Assistant and Secretarial support experience

General Clerk Mortgage Processor to support servicing

Issue appraisal/vendor payments on liquidation appraisal orders;

Mortgage loss mitigation servicing processing;

Debt Collection Improvement Act of 1996 transaction processing;

Guaranteed Loan Support Services;

Customer service

Lender/borrower contact

Order liquidation appraisals;

Maintain tracking logs/reports;

Proficient with Microsoft Office Word and Excel;

Property disposition processing of real estate owned properties (REO)

SFH-Guaranteed Loss Claim Processing

General clerical duties as assigned

ADP Data Entry Support – general data entry including MS Word, MS Excel reports, Guaranteed Loan System and other loan servicing systems, supporting schedules and reports.

Customer service call center support

Written and verbal communication skills

Research

Debt Collection Improvement Act of 1996 transaction processing;

Loan Support Services; General clerical duties as assigned.

Mortgage Origination / Underwriting Auditor

General Imaging Clerk to support imaging services

Lift boxes up to 30 pounds

Prepping - Removing documents from boxes, sorting/collating, removing staples, paper clips, rubber bands, etc. and writing account numbers and document type on the documents.

Scanning - Run the prepped documents through the scanning machines.

Quality review on scanned documents to ensure they meet established guidelines.

Indexing - Entering (via computer keyboard) account numbers, date, addressee, control number, document type etc..

Filing – File imaged documents into a storage box or file cabinet provided.

Imaging – Feeding collateral documents (or copies) into the imaging machine with the purpose of creating clear/legible/quality electronic copies.

Data Entry Support – general data

General clerical duties as assigned.

Administrative support duties, ADP Processing and Mail Clerk

Data entry into a proprietary accounting system;

Mail tracking and delivery;

Document collection/packing;

Imaging and Indexing – Entering (via computer keyboard) account numbers, date, addressee, control number and document type.

Imaging – Scan / save miscellaneous mail and correspondence to imaging.

Filing – File documents into storage box or file cabinet provided.

Data Entry

Opening Mail, faxing, filing

Other administrative support duties

ResearchMail Processing

General clerical duties as assigned.

Certified Residential Appraiser/Auditor

Review Origination, REO and Liquidation appraisals;

Loss Mitigation/Loss Claim appraisal review support;

Liquidation appraisal process support including writing procedures, policy review, flow charts etc.;

Audit Loan Files

Knowledge of Rural Development SFH regulations and policies;

Appraiser liaison;

Review mortgage loan files for accuracy and quality control.

Proficient with Microsoft Office Word and Excel;

Maintain appraiser certification, licensing and continuing education.

Research

Mortgage Originator/Underwriter/Auditor

Coventional, Federal Housing Administration (FHA) or USDA Rural Development

Mortgage Origination Experience > 2 year

Review and analyze mortgage origination and or loan packages for compliance to policy and regulations.

Review origination files on early defaults to verify borrower and/or property qualified for program and/or loan.

Research

Multifamily Legal Assistant IV Liaison Support

Multi-Family Housing Program Regulations and case law;

Lead member of Rural Development Settlement Action Litigation Team (SAT) responsible for reviewing and coordinating work done in Rural Development Field

Offices. The SAT Team efforts are directed at finalizing the preparation of all damage start dates, rent comparability studies and damage models that have been used to help determine plaintiff damages. It will also be to assure that restrictive use covenants and the ability to prepay will be verified and determined correct. The team’s efforts helped assure the process was objective and protected taxpayers from false or frivolous claims. The SAT Team efforts are made as part of a prepayment settlement process that implemented a market based damage agreement to settle several hundred legal actions related to the implementation of statutory MFH prepayment requirements.

Secretarial and Administrative Assistant

Confidential Assistant

Tactful, discrete, and articulate.

Proficient working knowledge of MS Word, MS Excel, MS Powerpoint and other relevant office software programs.

Support day-to-day activities of the supervisor and staff minimum of detailed supervision and guidance, and performs various clerical and secretarial duties requiring knowledge of office routine and an understanding of the organization, programs, and procedures related to the work of the office. Computers may exist in the environment, requiring working knowledge of MS Word and Excel

Human Resource Liaison Support

Knowledge of the full range of Federal Personnel Rules and Regulations related to:

o Staffing and placement o Position Classification/Management o Pay Administration o Employee Relations and Benefits o Labor Relations

Knowledge of EEO principles, practices and administration

Skill in oral and written communication

Confidential Assistant

Tactful, discrete, and articulate

Acquisition and Contracting Liaison Support

Knowledge of the Federal Acquisition Rules and Regulations

Contracting support tasks

Develop Review and Draft Statements of Work

Perform Market Research

Develop independent government cost estimates

Tactful, discrete, and articulate

Section 5. Tasks The contractor shall provide support services to include but not limited to the following:

LOAN SERVICES:

1. Assistance in reducing backlog of loss claim in the SFH Guaranteed Loan Program

(SFH-GLP)

2. SFH –GLP REO Property Disposition Plan Processing

3. Loss Mitigation Processing

4. General clerical support for all CSC departments.

5. ADP Data Entry Support – general data entry including MS Excel reports, Loan

System input, supporting schedules and reports.

6. Certified Residential Loan Appraiser review audit assistance in reducing backlog of loan loss claims in the Guaranteed Loan Section;

7. Customer Service and Call Center Support

8. Assistance in processing of loss mitigation servicing and loss claims in the

9. Loan processing and servicing

10. General Clerk Mortgage Processor

11. Doc prep services

12. Imaging

13. Mail and delivery

14. Secretarial/Administrative Assistant Services

15. Mortgage Origination Review/Audit

Multi-Family Legal Support Services:

16. Multi-Family Legal Liaison Support – operational and legal process which includes providing analytical skills on a case by case basis and formulates a recommendation for each case to meet legal Program requirements.

Human Resource Liaison Support:

17. Human Resource liaison support tasks:

18. Review/draft position descriptions based on business needs of the organization;

19. Prepare and/or review disciplinary and performance based actions;

20. Review capacity plans and analyze organizational structure to assist in the preparation/submission of a re-organization; and develop/write internal policy for various personnel and administrative issues.

Acquisition and Procurement Liaison Support:

21. Develop and review statements of work

22. Market Research

23. Develop Independent Government Cost Estimates

24. Clerical support tasks as needed

Task Orders will be issued by USDA Rural Development acquisition and procurement office on behalf of CSC.

Section 5. Task Order for Services

The services listed are funded both annually and on a special need basis during the course of the year. Multiple task orders may be issued for service during any given period of time.

Section 6. Deliverables The deliverables will include but not limited to the following:

1. Contractor shall recruit and hire well qualified staff with the necessary skills and abilities described in the Request for Quote (RFQ) to complete the work performed.

2. Contractors staff shall complete at or greater than the average specified production standards established for the type of work and meet a 95 percent accuracy rate based on 5 – 10 percent verification of completed work.

3. Provide a monthly forecast report of employees scheduled time off.

4. Enter monthly invoices into IPP for payment processing.

5. Provide a monthly billing report to include:

The reports shall include but not limited to the following:

a. Summary report listing hours billed per month by Department Assignment and Position Type

b. Name of Support contractor

c. Area Assignment (e.g., Guaranteed Loans, Multi-Family Housing, etc.)

d. Position Type

e. Total Hours billed

f. Monthly Travel Expenses itemized by contractor, if applicable.

g. Total Hours billed to date by Area Assignment.

h. Travel Expenses itemized by contractor

Section 7. Period of Performance

The anticipated period of performance for this contract is as follows:

Base Period September 30, 2015 through September 29, 2016

Option Period 1 September 30, 2016 through September 29, 2017

Option Period 2 September 30, 2017 through September 29, 2018

Option Period 3 September 30, 2018 through September 29, 2019

Option Period 4 September 30, 2019 through September 29, 2020

Section 8. Place of Performance Work location will be defined on each task order depending on required services. Most work will be performed at the USDA-Rural Development facility at 4300 Goodfellow Blvd., St. Louis, Missouri 63120, but may be performed remotely at the agencies discretion. Travel may be required and will be paid at cost but will not exceed lodging and per diem established in accordance with Federal Travel Regulations (FTR).

Section 9. Hours of Work The hours of work shall be determined based on service requirements. Most services will be performed Monday through Friday, between 6 a.m. and 6 p.m., excluding Federal Holidays and other specified closings, unless otherwise noted. Hours and Days may need to be adjusted at the discretion of the agency to provide specific support coverage, as needed, to address other pressing contingencies.

Overtime on all services may be required at the discretion of the agency. All overtime must be approved by the agency in advance. Overtime will not exceed more than the required amount for each Task Order.

Section 10. Materials Provided by Government The Government will provide necessary equipment and computer time. Unless otherwise indicated, all data made available for this contract must remain confidential. The contractors’ deliverables are property of the government and are not for distribution without written consent.

Section 11. Skill Category Requirements The Contractor shall provide the skilled personnel necessary to successfully meet the government’s requirements. The government reserves the right to accept or reject personnel based on individual resumes and contract requirements. Further, the government reserves the right to review the resumes of any proposed individual for work under this contract. Should the continued assignment to this contract of any person in the Contractor’s organization be deemed by the government to conflict with the interest of the government, the Contractor shall be required to remove that person from the assignment and replace him/her with an individual of comparable or better qualifications, approved by the Contracting Officers Representative

(COR). The Contractor and its employees shall conduct only business covered by this contract during periods paid for by the government and will not conduct any other business on government premises. Contractor personnel will abide by the normal rules and regulations applicable to the government premises on which they work, including any applicable safety and security regulations. All staff employed by the Contractor on this contract must meet the minimum experience requirements for the appropriate skill category. Mutually agreed upon exceptions to the minimum criteria may be approved by the COR on a case by case basis.

The following labor categories are required to perform the services of this contract and may be subject to the Service Contract Act:

Mortgage Loan Clerk I and II Support Services

Sr. Mortgage Loan Clerk Support Services

Multi-Family Legal Liaison IV Support Services

Licensed Certified Residential Appraiser Support

ADP Processing, Administrative and Clerical Support

Mail Support Services

Imaging Services

Administrative Assistant and Secretarial Support Services

Human Resource Liaison Support

Acquisition and Procurement Support Services

The contract personnel shall have the following minimum experience:

General Clerk Mortgage Processor I

a) 1 year of experience in one or more of the following: mortgage servicing, mortgage originations, mortgage title insurance, real estate marketing, real estate law, REO properties, homeowners insurance agent or adjuster, mortgage insurance OR a bachelor’s degree from a regionally or nationally accredited college/university.

b) Experience using the skill sets inherent of this contract requirements

c) Ability to work as part of the team on separate and distinct projects

d) Ability to work on numerous projects simultaneously

e) Proficient verbal and written communication skills and

f) Proficient analytical skills.

General Clerk Mortgage Processor II

a) Minimum of 2 years of experience in one or more of the following: mortgage servicing, mortgage originations, mortgage title insurance, real estate marketing, real estate law, REO properties, homeowners insurance agent or adjuster, mortgage insurance OR a bachelor’s degree from a regionally or nationally accredited college/university.

b) Experience using the skill sets inherent of this contract requirements

c) Ability to work as part of the team on separate and distinct projects

d) Ability to work on numerous projects simultaneously

General Clerk Mortgage Processor III

a) Minimum of 3 years of experience in one or more of the following: mortgage servicing, mortgage originations, mortgage title insurance, real estate marketing, real estate law, REO properties, homeowners insurance agent or adjuster, mortgage insurance OR a combination of experience with Rural Development > 1 year and bachelor’s degree from a regionally or nationally accredited college/university.

b) Experience using the skill sets inherent of this contract requirements,

c) Ability to work as part of the team on separate and distinct projects

d) Ability to work on numerous projects simultaneously

General Clerk Imaging Processor 1

a) 1 year of experience or greater than 15 hours of higher education

b) Experience using the skill sets inherent of this contract requirements,

c) Ability to work as part of the team on separate and distinct projects

d) Ability to work on numerous projects simultaneously

e) Strong verbal and written communication skills and

f) Strong analytical skills.

Administrative support duties, ADP Processing and Mail Clerk

c) 1 year of experience or greater than 15 hours of higher education

d) Experience using the skill sets inherent of this contract requirements,

c) Ability to work as part of the team on separate and distinct projects

d) Ability to work on numerous projects simultaneously

e) Strong verbal and written communication skills and

f) Strong analytical skills.

a) Minimum of 3 years of experience as a secretary or confidential administrative assistant or equivalent

b) Experience using the skill sets inherent of this contract requirements,

c) Ability to work as part of the team on separate and distinct projects

d) Ability to work on numerous projects simultaneously

e) Proficient verbal and written communication skills and

f) Proficient analytical skills.

g) Proficient working knowledge of MS Word, MS Excel

h) Type 60 words per minute proficiently

Human Resource Liaison Support

a) Minimum of 3 years experience in Federal Personnel Rules and Regulations related to one or more of the following: Staffing and placement, Position

Classification/Management, Employee Relations and Benefits or Labor Relations

b) Experience using the skill sets inherent of this contract requirements

c) Ability to work as part of the team on separate and distinct projects

d) Ability to work on numerous projects simultaneously

Acquisition and Procurement Liaison Support

a) Minimum of 3 years experience in Federal Acquisition and proficient knowledge of acquisition rules and regulations (FAR).

b) Experience using the skill sets inherent of this contract requirements

c) Ability to work as part of the team on separate and distinct projects

d) Ability to work on numerous projects simultaneously

Certified Residential Appraiser/Auditor

a) Licensed Certified Residential Appraiser with a minimum of 1 year experience.

b) Experience using the skill sets inherent of this contract requirements

c) Ability to work as part of the team on separate and distinct projects

d) Ability to work on numerous projects simultaneously

Multi-Family Legal Support Services

a) Minimum of 5 years experience in Multi Family Housing laws and regulations or 3 years

USDA Rural Development Multi Family Housing experience.

b) Experience using the skill sets inherent of this contract requirements,

c) Ability to work as part of the team on separate and distinct projects

d) Ability to work on numerous projects simultaneously

Section 12. FP Labor Hour and FFP Services All services are funded annually and may be pursuant to the availability of funds. The

Contractor shall provide the necessary labor, skill mix, and project management to address requirements as they relate to any individual Task Order.

Section 13. Task Orders

Services may be ordered for delivery throughout the USDA. Individual task orders placed under this IDIQ contract will call out specific delivery addresses and point of contacts. It is estimated, but not guaranteed, that the volume of purchase through this agreement will be

$20 million for the total five year term.

The Government may use work elements identified below in this task order section to require the

Contractor to perform the tasks through individually funded Task Orders. All tasks shall be within the scope of the contract. The Contractor shall provide the necessary labor and skill mix and project management to satisfy Task Order requirements.

Section 14. Work Elements

The tasks orders may include but are not limited to one or more of the following work elements:

Technical Production Support

ADP Data Entry Support

Loan Processing Support

Human Resource Liaison Support

Develop or Review Position Descriptions

Audit Production Support

Licensed Certified Residential Loan Appraiser Audit Support

Customer Service Call Center Support

The Contractor shall provide the necessary resources and management to satisfy the requirements of this contract and its individual Task Orders.

Section 15. ODC/Travel Funds

The Contractor may be required to travel under this contract. Travel expenses shall be kept to a minimum and shall be performed only as agreed to by the COR. Lodging and per diem will be reimbursed in accordance with Federal Travel Regulations (FTR). Public transportation will be reimbursed based upon a negotiated rate based upon market values. Mileage will be reimbursed in accordance with the Federal designated mileage rate. Local travel (within a 50 mile radius of

Contractor's office) will not be reimbursed. A Travel Expense Voucher (See Attachment 3) is required for each traveler, for each trip.

Section 16. Key Personnel

Proposer should provide resumes for key personnel providing technical support. Resume(s) of the proposed Project Manager shall include, but not limited to:

Position and years in the profession;

Experience relevant to SOW;

Education; and, Professional accomplishments.

Note: The Quoter shall ensure that personnel proposed are current in the knowledge required to support the tasking. The personnel proposed must be available to be assigned to the project.

Section 17. Invoice and Payment Provision

Invoices shall be submitted as follows:

Invoices shall be submitted to: http://www.ipp.gov/vendors/index.htm in accordance with the

“Authorized Payment Schedule” for each contract/task/order. 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.).

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;

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

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

10. Contractors MUST note FINAL INVOICE on the final invoice when submitted upon final delivery of all supplies/equipment/services or completion of the contract. USDA and the Invoice Processing Platform (IPP) – http://www.ipp.gov/vendors/index.htm

The IPP is a government-wide secure web-based payment information service offered free of charge to government agencies and their suppliers by the U.S. Department of Treasury’s

Financial Management Service (FMS).

One-time enrollment in IPP means that you will receive a series of e-mails from Treasury services. The first email will have the IPP Logon ID and link to the IPP application. A second e-mail, containing the password will be sent within 24 hours. Once you receive these emails, please login to the IPP application and complete the registration process.

Benefits of registering with IPP include the ability for your company to create invoices directly from a contract award and submit them electronically, as well as:

• e-mail notification when invoice(s) are paid

• online payment history

• remittance download

The e-mail notification of payment is sent when a payment is distributed to

The Contracting Officer is the only person authorized to approve changes in any of the requirements of this contract. This authority remains solely with the Contracting Officer. In the event that the Contractor effects any change at the direction of any person other than the

Contracting Officer, the change 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.

Section 18 Security

Prior to accessing USDA information systems contract personnel must review and acknowledge the "User Agreement/Rules of Behavior" and the “Acceptable Use Policy”. Once all the USDA

RD required logical access documents and handbooks have been reviewed contract personnel must sign the User agreement and have the form filed with the assigned COR.

A security incident is classified as any event that violates laws, regulations or security policies.

Contractors and Contractor Partners will comply and respond in accordance with the USDA

Incident Response Procedures DM3505-01.

Prior to accessing USDA information systems contract personnel must ensure that the annual

Security Awareness Training has been completed or is scheduled to be completed. If applicable, it may be required for Contractor personnel to complete specialized training that shall be completed on an annual basis if required.

Refer to Attachment 4 for additional Security Requirements.

PLEASE NOTE: USDA Security requirements and procedures may change at any time. The contractor and all contractor personnel will be expected to comply without exception to these changes.

Section 19 Pre_Proposal Conference

USDA RD will host a Pre-Proposal conference for all interested parties to attend. The details are below:

DATE: Monday, July 27, 2015

LOCATION: United States Department of Agriculture-Rural Development

4300 Goodfellow Blvd., Bldg 105

St. Louis, MO 63120

TIME: 10:15 – 11:45 AM Central Time

The purpose of a pre-proposal conference is to brief prospective offerors after a solicitation has been issued but before offers are submitted. Generally, the Government uses these conferences in negotiated acquisitions to explain or clarify specifications and requirements.

The location is a secure government site and as such registration is required in advance, and valid photo ID is required upon arrival.

In order to register to attend please send an email to:

Berel Dorfman, email address is: berel.dorfman@wdc.usda.gov

The deadline for registration is 9:00 AM Central Time on Monday, July 27, 2015.

On July 27 th, please contact the following for same day registration:

By 9AM Same Day Contact

Tiffany Wallace

(314)457-5594

Attendance at the pre-proposal conference is not required to respond to this solicitation, but is highly recommended.

Section 20 Designation of Contracting Officer(CO) and Contracting Officer’s

Representative (COR)

(a) The Contracting Officer is the only person authorized to approve changes in any of the requirements of the contract. 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.

(b) Only the Contracting Officer or Contract Specialist with authority may contact the contractor to discuss costs and/or technical requirement changes to the contract.

(c) 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, and costs.

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

Name:*

Title:*

Phone:*

Email:*

*to be completed by Contractor

(e) Contracting Officer (CO):

Berel Dorfman

United States Department of Agriculture – Rural Development

USDA RD

1400 Independence Ave., SW, Washington, DC 20250 berel.dorfman@wdc.usda.gov

(f) Contracting Officer’s Representative (COR):

Tina M Farlow

Section Head | Guaranteed Loan Section

Rural Development

United States Department of Agriculture

4300 Goodfellow Blvd., Bldg 105 E, Mail Code FC-225, St. Louis, MO 63120

Phone: 314-457-5620 tina.farlow@stl.usda.gov

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 mailto:tina.farlow@stl.usda.gov 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.

The COR is not authorized nor has 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.

When, in the opinion of the contractor, the COR requests effort outside the existing scope of work, the contractor shall promptly notify the contracting officer in writing. No action shall be taken by the contractor under such direction until the contracting officer has issued a modification to the contract; or until the issue has been otherwise resolved.

Section 21 Other Provisions

Section 21.1 Government and Contractor Relationships

The USDA/RD and the Contractor understand and agree that the services to be provided under this contract by the Contractor to the USDA/RD are non-personal services. Both the USDA/RD and the Contractor recognize that no employee relationship exists or will exist under this contract. The Contractor contract with the USDA/RD to furnish the specified services fully described herein and is accountable to the USDA/RD only for furnishing such services, materials, or work ordered. The Contractor’s employees shall remain under the Contractor’s direct supervision at all times. Although the USDA/RD will coordinate directions within the scope of the contract, detailed instructions for the Contractor’s employees and supervision shall remain the sole responsibility of the Contractor. Furthermore, pursuant to FAR Subpart 7.5, the

Contractor shall not perform any tasks that are inherently governmental functions.

Section 21.2 Accessibility Considerations

The USDA/RD considers accessibility to information a priority for all employees and external customers, including individuals with disabilities. The Government has established

Requirements for Accessible Software Design. When selecting computer hardware and software applications for use within the USDA/RD’s computing environment, the Commission will require the Contractor to evaluate the hardware and software to determine its accessibility by users with disabilities to ensure the FCC supports its obligations under Sections 504 and 508 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973, 29 U.S.C. 794 and 794d, as amended and 36 CFR Part 1994.

Section 21.3 Annual Certifications

As applicable, for each individual task orders issued the Contractor shall submit an annual conflict of interest certification to the CO. In this certification, the Contractor shall certify annually that, to the best of the Contractor’s knowledge and belief, all actual or potential organizational conflicts of interest have been reported to the USDA/RD. In addition, in this annual certification, the Contractor shall certify that it has informed its personnel who perform work under USDA/RD contracts or relating to USDA/RD contracts of their obligation to report personal and organizational conflicts of interest to the Contractor. Such certification must be signed by a senior executive of the company and submitted in accordance with instructions provided by the CO. As applicable, the initial certification shall cover the one-year period from the date of contract award, and all subsequent certifications shall cover successive annual periods thereafter, until expiration or termination of the contract. The certification must be received by the CO no later than 45 days after the beginning of the certification period covered.

Section 21.4 Standards of Conduct and Restrictions

Contractor personnel shall not:

1. Conduct business not directly related to this contract on USDA/RD premises;

2. Use USDA/RD computer systems and/or other USDA/RD facilities for company or personal business; or

3. Recruit on USDA/RD premises or otherwise act to disrupt official USDA/RD business.

Section 21.5 Ownership of Data

During the course of this contract during the performance of some of the individual task orders, the Contractor will create and maintain databases that are used in support of processing inquiries and contain information such as scripted responses, topical information entries, business rules, preformatted responses, personal information, transaction histories, and agency contacts. The

Contractor may also capture and store certain inquiry data in Contractor-provided and/or

USDA/RD provided databases. All of this information is the property of the USDA/RD. At the conclusion of the contract and or/resulting task orders, or upon termination of this contract and/or resulting task orders, all information resources developed in support of the contract and resulting task orders, including any databases and associated formats and all tools, shall be turned over to the USDA/RD in their entirety. Should the contract or resultant task orders terminate for any reason, the Contractor shall arrange for the timely transfer of such data records to the USDA/RD. The Contractor may not keep any information resources, paper, or electronic copies of information after the completion or termination of the contract without the express written consent of the CO. If the software systems are not commercially available at that time, the Contractor shall sell or license the software to the USDA/RD at a mutually agreed upon price.

All working papers, documents, photocopies, computer data and any other information of any kind collected, generated or received by the Contractor in connection with the contract work are the property of the USDA/RD and shall be provided to it upon termination of the contract and task orders; i.e., the date on which final payment by the United States is made on the contract/task order, or at such other time as may be requested by the CO.

Section 21.6 Contingencies

The Contractor shall ensure continuity of operations throughout the duration of this contract and resulting task orders. The Contractor shall be responsible for maintaining continuity of support for all work under this contract. Contractor employment and staffing difficulties will not be acceptable justification for failure to meet the requirements of the Performance Work Statements of the task order contracts.

As applicable with each task order and upon request by the Contracting Officer, the Contractor shall submit a contingency plan to the COR for approval by the USDA/RD. The plan shall outline the Contractor’s response to operational problems and unusual events that may occur during the life of the contract and disrupt operations. For example, a structural fire, accident, terrorist attack, personnel strike, extended power failure, etc., may require the Contractor to proceed under altered work conditions at locations other than those originally established. The

Contractor shall continue to provide the services required by the contract, as directed by the CO or COR, for the duration of such an emergency situation.

Section 21.7 Training

The Contractor is responsible for ensuring that its staff is fully trained and qualified to perform assigned duties and responsibilities under this contract and resulting task orders. If the

Contractor provides technical staff with applicable certifications, the Contractor shall assure that its staff maintains such certifications throughout the life of the contract. The Contractor shall provide staffing with expertise that is current and shall ensure that its staff maintains a satisfactory level of knowledge and skills necessary to perform assigned tasks. Contractor staff shall not perform tasks they are not qualified to carry out.

Section 21.8 Removal of Contractor Personnel

The CO may require removal from work on a task order contract of those Contractor employees who he/she deems incompetent, careless, insubordinate, unsuitable or otherwise objectionable, or whose continued employment on the contract he/she deems contrary to the public interest or inconsistent with the best interests of the USDA/RD.

In the event that the performance of assigned Contractor personnel or any substitute(s) is determined by the USDA/RD to be unsatisfactory at any time during the life of the task order contract, the USDA/RD reserves the right to request and receive satisfactory personnel replacement within five (5) calendar days of receipt by the Contractor of written notification. To the extent permitted by law, the USDA/RD’s written notification shall include the reason for requesting replacement personnel.

Section 22 CLAUSES

AGAR 452.204-70 Inquiries (Feb 1988)

Inquiries and all correspondence concerning this solicitation should be submitted in writing to the Contracting Officer. Offerors should contact only the Contracting Officer issuing the solicitation about any aspect of this requirement prior to contract award.

AGAR 452.216-72 Evaluation Quantities--Indefinite Delivery Contract (Feb 1988)

To evaluate offers for award purposes, the Government will apply the offeror's proposed fixed-prices/rates to the estimated quantities included in the solicitation, and will add other direct costs if applicable.

AGAR 452.216-73 Minimum and Maximum Contract Amounts (Feb 1988)

During the period specified in FAR clause 52.216-18, ORDERING, the Government shall place orders totaling a minimum of $2,000,000.00 but not in excess of $20.0 million.

AGAR 452.216-74 Ceiling Price (Feb 1988)

The ceiling price of this contract is $20.0 million. The Contractor shall not make expenditures or incur obligations in the performance of this contract which exceed the ceiling price specified herein, except at the Contractor's own risk.

AGAR 452.222-70 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.

AGAR 452.204-71 PERSONAL IDENTITY VERICATION OF CONTRACTOR

EMPLOYEES (Oct 2007)

(a) The contractor shall comply with the personal identity verification (PIV) policies and procedures established by the Department of Agriculture (USDA) Directives 4620-002 series.

(b) Should the results of the PIV process require the exclusion of a contractor’s employee, the contracting officer will notify the contractor in writing.

(c) The contractor must appoint a representative to manage compliance with the PIV policies established by the USDA Directives 4620-002 series and to maintain a list of employees eligible for a USDA LincPass required for performance of the work.

(d) The responsibility of maintaining a sufficient workforce remains with the contractor.

Employees may be barred by the Government from performance of work should they be found ineligible or to have lost eligibility for a USDA LincPass. Failure to maintain a sufficient workforce of employees eligible for a USDA LincPass may be grounds for termination of the contract.

(e) The contractor shall insert this clause in all subcontracts when the subcontractor is required to have routine physical access to a Federally-controlled facility and/or routine access to a Federally-controlled information system.

(f) The PIV Sponsor for this contract is a designated program point of contact, which in most cases is the Contracting Officer Representative (COR), unless otherwise specified in this contract. The PIV Sponsor will be available to receive contractor identity information

USDA BPA No. AG-3142-B-14-0007, PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP 21 from * (hours and days) to * (hours and days) at * (office address for registration). The

Government will notify the contractor if there is a change in the PIV Sponsor, the office address, or the office hours for registration; however, it is the contractor’s responsibility to meet all aspects of paragraphs (c), (d), and (e).

AGAR 452.237-76 Progress Reporting (Feb 1988)

The Contractor shall submit a progress report ___*___, covering work accomplished…