Attachment 1 IT DOSS Statement of Objectives.docx

Federal Law Enforcement Training Centers

Statement of Objectives

Information Technology Delivery and Operations Support Services

DRAFT

For Official Use Only DRAFT FLETC Guide Month-Year

Contents

Introduction The Federal Law Enforcement Training Centers’ (FLETC) mission is to train and support the training of federal, state, local, and tribal law enforcement officers and international partners that are responsible for enforcing laws, treaties, and regulations within the United States and abroad. As a component of the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), FLETC is responsible for training law enforcement professionals to help fulfill their responsibilities safely and proficiently. FLETC is headquartered in Glynco, Georgia with training delivery points (TDPs) in Artesia, New Mexico; Charleston, South Carolina; and Cheltenham, Maryland.

Purpose The purpose of this Statement of Objectives (SOO) is to provide the full range of Information Technology (IT) Delivery and Operations Support Services (DOSS) required to support FLETC’s mission. This Solicitation will support the FLETC headquarters, TDPs, and Partner Organizations, as needed.

Scope The scope of this Solicitation is to provide the services and capabilities described in this SOO and the attached FLETC IT DOSS Service Catalog while meeting the objectives. The Contractor will develop a Performance Work Statement (PWS) describing how the Contractor proposes to accomplish this scope.

The PWS will describe at least one service level agreement (SLA) for each task enumerated in Section 5 of this SOO. Some tasks may require multiple SLA, as indicated in Section 5. Each SLA shall describe a single measure of performance for the specific task. Multiple measures of performance for a single task shall be described in separate SLAs for the particular task.

The PWS will Objectives It is imperative that this acquisition meet the objectives by demonstrating sound processes and proven best practices. The overarching objectives are as follows:

Service Delivery Deliver the services as described in the attached FLETC CIO Service Catalog.

Reduce IT Costs Develop innovative approaches to service delivery that minimize cost to the maximum extent possible without negatively impacting the customer experience and analyze existing IT costs for the FLETC enterprise and recommend approaches to reduce costs.

Continuous Improvement Survey, identify, and evaluate enhancements throughout the course of the contract to improve service delivery while promoting efficiencies and decreasing cost and risk to the Government without a break in service.

Performance Management Guide decision making and support organizational strategy by leveraging service-level performance metrics to inform organizational performance management.

Knowledge Management Strengthen the enterprise IT knowledge base by maximizing both internal and external knowledge management capabilities for the services described in the attached FLETC CIO Service Catalog.

Cybersecurity Enhance FLETC's overall cybersecurity posture by optimizing cybersecurity operations, improving IT risk management, and automating cybersecurity processes.

Service Management Improve IT service delivery and the end-user experience by building mature, documented, and repeatable service management processes. Lead and modernize IT Service Management through best practices, process optimization, and continual service improvement. FLETC utilizes the Information Technology Infrastructure Library (ITIL) framework to provide efficiency in meeting mission goals. Execute a service delivery model that meets or exceeds FLETC service level agreements and implement approved enhancements to meet future service level objectives.

Information Resources Management Enhance FLETC’s Information Resources Management capabilities to ensure compliance, reduce risk, and control access to vital business information. Optimize the planning and acquisition of information and technology to foster improved business outcomes, inform decision-making, and promote accessibility, accountability, and transparency.

Infrastructure Modernization & Optimization Optimize and maintain a reliable, scalable, secure, and high-performing IT infrastructure environment.

Project Management Improve project success rate, leveraging project management methodologies to deliver services on-time and within budget, while meeting or exceeding customer requirements.

Business Continuity Management Effectively respond to all service disruptions, regardless of cause, and protect FLETC’s interests while continuing to fulfill its mission.

Capacity Management Plan and implement the appropriate IT capacity (Resource Capacity Management, Service Capacity Management, and Business Capacity Management) while helping ensure that information & technology services achieve expected levels of performance.

Applications and Systems Management Iteratively develop, manage, implement, support, integrate, and/or modernize applications and systems to improve the user experience and meet the FLETC mission, adapting to and incorporating new technologies, capabilities, and requirements.

Core Services and Capabilities The core services and capabilities align with the Technology Business Management (TBM) Council’s TBM Taxonomy, Version 4.0 (https://www.tbmcouncil.org/learn-tbm/resource-center/the-tbm-taxonomy/). Specifically, the core services and capabilities align to the supported IT Tower and Sub-Towers as defined in the taxonomy and listed below. Additional details regarding the support services associated with each can be found in the attached service catalog.

The PWS Application Software application development, testing, release, support, operations, and licenses.

Application Support and Operations (Task 1) At least one SLA must be provided for each item listed below.

· Camera Systems/After Action Review *

· Camera Systems/IP Cameras

· Enterprise Security System

· Facilities & Maintenance System

· IT Service Management System Compute General and special-purpose devices and software that are programmed to carry out a set of arithmetic or logical operations. In essence, it provides the “brains” to process application and user requests. Compute includes a wide range of physical and virtual servers differentiated by platform and operating system.

Compute Server Windows (Task 2) At least one SLA must be provided for each item listed below.

· Active Directory Account Management *

· Compute Management

· DHS Enterprise Programs - Network Systems

· Identity, Credential, and Access Management

· Server Management *

· Systems Applications and Services Data Center Purpose-built facilities to securely house computer equipment.

Enterprise Data Center (Task 3) Delivery Monitoring, support, management, and IT operations for the enterprise, including the IT Service Management (ITSM) functions.

IT Service Management (Task 4) At least one SLA must be provided for each item listed below.

· Configuration Management

· IT Asset Management

· Knowledge Management

· Land Mobile Radio (LMR) Device Support *

· Problem & Incident Management

· Service Management Process Development and Support

· Service Offering Catalog Management Operations Center (Task 5) End User Includes end user computing devices and support for end users. The scope includes costs to build, manage and run end user computing devices for the enterprise and deliver centralized support to end users.

Conferencing and Audiovisual (Task 6) Collaboration Software (Task 7) IT Help Desk (Task 8) * Mobile Devices (Task 9) Network Printers (Task 10) * IT Help Desk/Workspace Support (Task 11) * IT Management Overall management, strategy, and planning of enterprise IT.

Program Support Services (Task 12) Network Data and voice equipment along with the transport methods to connect systems and people and to enable people to converse. Provides core connectivity within the enterprise data centers as well as connectivity to and access within office building and remote locations.

Local Area Network (Task 13) At least one SLA must be provided for each item listed below.

· Network Configuration Management and Compliance – Wired

· Network Configuration Management and Compliance – Wireless

· Network Maintenance and Monitoring – Wired

· Network Maintenance and Monitoring – Wireless

· Network Management – Wired *

· Network Management – Wireless * Wide Area Network (Task 14)

· DHS Enterprise Networking Transport (Data) (Task 15)

· Fiber/Copper Cable Plant Management Transport (Land Mobile Radio) (Task 16)

· Land Mobile Radio Infrastructure Management Platform Includes distributed and mainframe databases and middleware systems as well as include DBMS software and tools, labor, and outside services.

Database Administration (Task 17) Storage Centralized data storage for application programs and code, databases, files, media, email, and many other forms of information.

Offline Storage (Task 18)

· Backup and Recovery Management Online Storage (Task 19)

· On-premise Storage Management

* Support for these capabilities will be required in the event that Optional Tasks 20-31 are executed. See Section 6.4.

Period and Place of Performance Period of Performance The anticipated Period of Performance will be twelve (12) months from date of award with nine (9) one (1) year option periods.

Place of Performance The place of performance will be at FLETC headquarters at Glynco, GA, and other FLETC TDPs located in Artesia, NM; Charleston, SC; and Cheltenham, MD (including the Washington Office located in Washington, DC). The place of performance will be dependent on the awarded proposal. Some services may be provided from a remote location or from a single or multiple FLETC TDP(s).

Principal Period of Service The principal period of service for on-site or remote support shall be Monday through Friday from 7:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. local time of the supported TDP except for monitoring and notification, which shall be 24 hours per day, 7 days per week. Monitoring outside of the PPS shall be performed through automated alerts.

Performance outside of the PPS will be required to minimize impact to FLETC operations. This includes scheduled maintenance that requires downtime of IT services. Unscheduled maintenance to respond to outages or emergency situations may be accomplished during the PPS at the discretion of the Government.

The Contractor shall adjust regular working hours for engineers and technicians performing scheduled maintenance that requires downtime of IT services to accommodate the hours of maintenance to be performed outside the PPS (i.e. maintenance scheduled to be performed between 8:30 p.m. and 1:00 a.m. Eastern time, including a back out window if required). Scheduled maintenance that requires IT service downtime can be performed on Saturday or Sunday unless those days have been designated as training days by the Government. If Saturday or Sunday are designated as training days, scheduled maintenance that requires IT service downtime must be performed between 8:30 p.m. and 1:00 a.m. Eastern time, including a back out window if required.

The federal government observes the following holidays:

· New Year’s Day

· Martin Luther King’s Birthday

· Washington’s Birthday

· Juneteenth

· Memorial Day

· Independence Day

· Labor Day

· Columbus Day

· Veterans Day

· Thanksgiving Day

· Christmas Day

1.1. Optional Periods of Service (OPS)

In addition to the tasks identified in Section 5, the PWS shall include optional tasks which may be executed by the Government based on surges in FLETC mission operations. The services required during a surge are noted with an asterisk (*) in Section 5. Performance of any executed optional task will be measured as part of the SLAs associated with the required tasks identified in Section 5. Specific SLAs for optional tasks are not required. At any given time, only one optional task will be awarded at a particular TDP.

These optional tasks may be executed by the Government based on specific trigger points due to increases in training activities at a particular TDP. The OPS required for each trigger point is as follows:

· Trigger Point 1 - The OPS for on-site or remote support shall be Monday through Saturday from 7:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. local time of the supported TDP.

· Trigger Point 2 - The OPS for on-site or remote support shall be Monday through Friday from 7:00 a.m. to 9:30 p.m. local time of the supported TDP.

· Trigger Point 3 - The OPS for on-site or remote support shall be Monday through Friday from 5:00 a.m. to 9:30 p.m. local time of the supported TDP.

· Trigger Point 4 - The OPS for on-site or remote support shall be Monday through Friday from 5:00 a.m. to 11:30 p.m. local time of the supported TDP.

The following optional tasks must be included in the PWS.

1.1.1. Artesia Trigger Point 1 (Optional Task 20)

Execution of this task will require a 25% increase in support at the Artesia TDP for those tasks noted with an asterisk (*) in Section 5.

1.1.2. Artesia Trigger Point 2 (Optional Task 21)

Execution of this task will require a 50% increase in support at the Artesia TDP for those tasks noted with an asterisk (*) in Section 5.

1.1.3. Artesia Trigger Point 3 (Optional Task 22)

Execution of this task will require a 75% increase in support at the Artesia TDP for those tasks noted with an asterisk (*) in Section 5.

1.1.4. Artesia Trigger Point 4 (Optional Task 23)

Execution of this task will require a 100% increase in support at the Artesia TDP for those tasks noted with an asterisk (*) in Section 5.

1.1.5. Charleston Trigger Point 1 (Optional Task 24)

Execution of this task will require a 25% increase in support at the Charleston TDP for those tasks noted with an asterisk (*) in Section 5.

1.1.6. Charleston Trigger Point 2 (Optional Task 25)

Execution of this task will require a 50% increase in support at the Charleston TDP for those tasks noted with an asterisk (*) in Section 5.

1.1.7. Charleston Trigger Point 3 (Optional Task 26)

Execution of this task will require a 75% increase in support at the Charleston TDP for those tasks noted with an asterisk (*) in Section 5.

1.1.8. Charleston Trigger Point 4 (Optional Task 27)

Execution of this task will require a 100% increase in support at the Charleston TDP for those tasks noted with an asterisk (*) in Section 5.

1.1.9. Glynco Trigger Point 1 (Optional Task 28)

Execution of this task will require a 25% increase in support at the Glynco TDP for those tasks noted with an asterisk (*) in Section 5.

1.1.10. Glynco Trigger Point 2 (Optional Task 29)

Execution of this task will require a 50% increase in support at the Glynco TDP for those tasks noted with an asterisk (*) in Section 5.

1.1.11. Glynco Trigger Point 3 (Optional Task 30)

Execution of this task will require a 75% increase in support at the Glynco TDP for those tasks noted with an asterisk (*) in Section 5.

1.1.12. Glynco Trigger Point 4 (Optional Task 31)

Execution of this task will require a 100% increase in support at the Glynco TDP for those tasks noted with an asterisk (*) in Section 5.

After-Hours Support for Unscheduled Maintenance In accordance with FAR 22.103, Contractors shall perform all contracts, so far as practicable, without using overtime, particularly as a regular employment practice, except when it will result in lower overall costs to the Government or when it is necessary to meet urgent program needs.

Unscheduled maintenance to respond to a critical outage or other emergency situation outside the PPS can and must be approved by the Contracting Officer’s Representative (COR) and documented via an email request, text message, or Teams Chat before commencing maintenance. Within the request, the Contractor must detail the outage or emergency, the specific person completing the maintenance, and the approximate timeframe to complete the maintenance. Any work that takes longer than the initial request must be approved via a subsequent request submitted and approved in the previously described manner before continuing to work past the approved initial request. Requests will only be authorized if the Contractor cannot adjust their normal shift schedule to complete the required response.

The COR can only authorize work outside the PPS if sufficient funding for after-hours support to cover work outside of the PPS has already been obligated on the contract by the Contracting Officer (CO) for after-hours support. The use of hours outside of the PPS will be charged to the particular contract labor rate that is assigned to the Contractor being authorized under the awarded contract so long as the funding for those hours does not exceed the hours supported by the awarded contract. The COR will maintain a log with all work that has been authorized and completed after regular hours and verify the monthly Contractor invoice against that log. The COR will also inform the Contractor Program Manager of all requests and approvals/disapprovals during weekly meetings.

The Contractor will not be paid for any work outside of the PPS without prior approval. The Contractor shall be given at least one (1) hour of notice prior to having to perform unscheduled work due to an outage or emergency situation outside the PPS. This notice may be provided before, during, or after the PPS.

Unscheduled after-hours support notification requirements may be less than one (1) hour with Contractor concurrence.

Other PWS Requirements In addition to the core services and capabilities identified in Section 5, the PWS will include the following to support the overall management and delivery of the awarded contract.

Program Management The Contractor will provide program management support. This includes the management and oversight of the activities performed by Contractor personnel to satisfy the requirements identified in this SOO. Planning and program management support is critical to the successful and timely completion of information & technology services and deliverables. Project maintenance and schedule management support involves the creation, maintenance, and reporting on project schedules. Multiple project plans will be developed to manage the cost and schedule of ongoing and future projects.

Transition-In Management The Contractor will develop and implement a Transition-In Plan to transition from the current Contractor(s) not to exceed 30 days. The transition will be transparent and seamless to the users with no degradation or breaks in service availability while maintaining existing security, service quality, contract support, performance levels, and an orderly transition of assets.

Transition-Out Management The Contractor will develop and implement a Transition-Out Plan to the successor contract not to exceed 60 days. The transition is to be transparent and seamless to the users with no breaks in service availability. FLETC expects the transition-out task to be coordinated, integrated, and initiated with the successor Contractor transition-in tasks.

Personnel Management Key Personnel Provide key personnel who are responsible for meeting project, program, and mission needs related to the awarded contract.

Include key positions identified by the Government and key positions proposed by the Contractor and mutually agreed upon by the Government. The Government may designate additional key personnel as required and agreed upon by the Contractor and the Government. The Government may designate additional key personnel at the time of award.

Propose candidates identified for key positions for review and approval by the Government prior to placing the individual into any key position, including initial candidates and subsequent substitutes or replacements. The Government may at its sole discretion via the Contracting Officer (CO), direct the Contractor to remove any Contractor employee from FLETC facilities for misconduct or security reasons. Removal does not relieve the Contractor of the responsibility to continue providing the services required under the contract. The CO will provide the Contractor with a written explanation to support any request to remove an employee.

Submit candidate information showing how the candidate’s education, relevant licenses/certification, experience, employment history, and specific expertise meet the needs of each key position as part of the staffing plan. Specific experience relevant to the contract must be clearly indicated, including the organization, state, or Federal agency; nature of the project or system; when the experience was gained; and references provided upon CO’s request.

Notify the Government no less than 15 business days in advance of any proposed substitute or change to key personnel.

Assign key personnel to the contract for a minimum of 180 days, unless a shorter assignment is mutually agreed upon by the Government Choose all key personnel from current employees or committed new hires by the contract start date.

Government-Identified Key Positions Key Positions and minimum qualifications are identified as follows:

Program manager(s) Program Manager(s) shall have a minimum of a four-year degree, with a major in engineering, system management, business administration, and/or related field and at least seven years of experience in IT program or project management; experience developing documents for risk and opportunity management; experience developing and applying technical processes and technical management processes; experience managing performance-based service agreements; experience developing and managing project within assigned budgets; experience writing business cases; and experience in strategic planning.

Network Senior Engineer(s)/Team Lead(s) Network Senior Engineer(s)/Team Lead(s) shall have at least five years of detailed technical experience in network engineering or related field within the last seven years; experience in prioritizing network outages, projects and tasks while providing technical assistance and resolution to teams in order to maintain, troubleshoot and repair network infrastructure; ability to design and implement operational network systems and prototypes according to current and future engineering data and Government requirements; extensive knowledge of network principles, protocols and design, to evaluate and provide optimal network performance; ability to collaborate with Network and System Engineers, equipment vendors, and other personnel to identify, define, and solve trending or developmental problems; experience with cloud engineering and migration strategies; ability to communicate, coordinate and resolve technical issues with OneNet Engineering personnel within the entire DHS network topology including the DHS Data Centers (DC); ability to review and make technical recommendations to all Infrastructure Change Control Board (ICCB) packets prior to submittal; and ensure recommendations are coordinated and understood by local, OneNet and DC personnel, and implemented correctly during network rollouts.

Systems Senior Engineer(s)/Team Lead(s) Systems Senior Engineer(s) shall have at least five years of detailed technical experience in system engineering or related field within the last seven years; experience in prioritizing system outages, projects and tasks while providing technical assistance and resolution to team to ensure optimal system performance; ability to design and implement operational server systems and prototypes according to engineering data and Government requirements; extensive knowledge of systems principles, protocols and design to evaluate and gain optimal performance; collaborate with Network and System Engineers, vendors, and other personnel to identify, define, and solve trending or developmental problems; maintain, troubleshoot and repair systems infrastructure; experience with cloud engineering and migration strategies, and ability to communicate, coordinate and resolve technical issues with data center engineering on systems that are maintained at each data center location.

Service Desk Lead Service Desk Lead shall have a minimum of five years of detailed experience in Help Desk / Service Desk, coupled with five years of experience in IT, including operational, support, and management services. The contractor should have experience in implementing ITIL-based methods of using industry-recognized Service Desk ticket management software, such as Ivanti HEAT; HDI, ITIL, and Project Management certifications are preferred. The contractor should also have a bachelor’s degree or equivalent experience in Information Systems, Computer Science, or Computer Engineering.

Microsoft Endpoint Configuration Manager (MECM) The Microsoft Certified Technology Specialist, Microsoft Endpoint Configuration Manager (MECM) will have a minimum of three years of experience in a medium-to-large Enterprise organization in a role in which they are supporting multiple PCs and servers running Windows-based operating systems. The Contractor shall also be certified as a Microsoft Technology Specialist. The Contractor shall be proficient in administering and deploying System Center Configuration Manager and planning/deploying Microsoft System Center Configuration Manager and its associated site systems. Additional experience in managing Apple systems in MECM is preferred but is not required.

SQL Database Administrator(s) SQL Database Administrator(s) shall have a bachelor's degree in computer science, system analysis or a related field (advanced degree preferred), or equivalent experience and a minimum of five years of hands-on design and implementation of software and databases in Microsoft SQL Server 2012 and/or newer.

IT Service Desk Ticketing System Administrator(s) IT Service Desk Ticketing System Administrator(s) shall be certified in the administration and management of the FLETC IT Service Desk system or have equivalent creditable and verifiable experience; extensive design and administrator experience with databases, designing data schemas and structures that maintain clear referential integrity; and extensive experience with Ivanti Service Manager, Ivanti Voice Server, Ivanti Asset Manager, and Ivanti Change Manager.

After Action Review (AAR) Administrator(s) AAR Administrator(s) shall be certified in the administration and management of the Milestone XProtect AAR system or equivalent AAR system; or have equivalent creditable and verifiable experience with a Milestone XProtect AAR system.

Enterprise Security System (ESS) Administrator(s) ESS Administrator(s) shall have expertise in server, database, storage and security technologies to design, install, configure, administer, manage, upgrade, troubleshoot, diagnose, test, monitor, and document the FLETC ESS environment.

Staffing Plan In addition to the PWS, the Contractor will develop and provide a staffing plan outlining the overall concept of staffing for all phases of work under the PWS and shall address the ability to:

· Realign personnel in response to a changing or fluctuating workload.

· Reach back to team members, vendors, and subject matter experts (SMEs) for ad-hoc consulting services to respond to emergent or technically challenging assignments.

· Provide surge support upon request. Examples of surge support requirements include increases to government staffing levels due to surges in mission operations, special projects, relocations, and buildouts. Surge support may be short-term or long-term.

· Provide bench strength to quickly fill key positions and temporarily fill key positions when personnel are unavailable.

Travel Periodic travel will required in the performance of the awarded contract. All travel shall be in accordance with the Federal Travel Regulation (FTR). The Contractor shall not be reimbursed for any travel without prior approval by the CO.

The Contractor shall use only the minimum number of travelers and rental cars needed to accomplish the task(s). Travel shall be scheduled during regular duty hours whenever possible.

All costs presentations provided by the Contractor shall also include Overhead Charges and General/Administrative Charges.

Reporting The Contractor will:

Maintain clear government visibility into program cost, schedule, technical performance, and risk, including periodic reporting.

Provide meaningful reporting and analytics that provide up-to-date and comprehensive information regarding technical and management performance.

Provide decision making support in the form of relevant artifacts and work products.

Provide metrics and processes to measure performance and monitor Contractor’s efforts, to include the collection of performance, cost, and schedule data.

Deliverables and Deliverable Schedule The deliverables below shall be required by the PWS. All Deliverables shall be electronically provided to the COR no later than 4:30 p.m. Eastern Time on the date specified in Section 7.7.1.

Deliverables shall be produced using Microsoft Office products, as applicable. All Deliverables shall be submitted electronically.

The Contractor may propose additional deliverables in the PWS.

Deliverable Schedule

Performance Monitoring Primary Method of Surveillance A combination of random sampling, periodic inspection, customer input and Contractor self-reporting is scheduled for all tasks.

Acceptable Quality Level (AQL) The AQL is defined as the Service Level Agreements identified in the Performance Work Statement tasks.

The Contractor shall provide a monthly report detailing the status of each task’s metrics for SLA Performance Standards that were met and not met; any Performance Standard that was not met must have a detailed explanation of why the SLA was not met.

Evaluation Method The COR will document the time of inspections/acceptance by performance monitoring reports.

Government-Furnished Equipment (GFE) and Government Furnished Information The Government will provide the contractor with the following government-furnished property (material, equipment, and information) in conjunction with the required performance under the awarded contract.

All property and equipment will remain in the FLETC property management system. The Contractor shall comply with FAR clause 52.245-1 Government Property.

The Government shall provide the Contractor personnel:

· Access to information technology resources (for official use only), including personal desktop or laptop computers, printers, office supplies, workspace, desk, chair, telephone, and telephone service to include long distance and voice mail (for official use only), mobile devices for alarm monitoring and notification outside the principal period of service, and VPN/SSL or other remote access tools for remote access as required. Any additional Contractor requirements shall be identified in the proposal.

· Access to computer support facilities (CSF), telecommunications rooms or closets, and network infrastructure and systems hardware for which the Contractor is responsible under the performance of this PWS.

· Keys or electronic codes for electronic access to CSFs and telecommunications rooms or closets. In addition, the Contractor shall be provided a building access list containing information on building occupants, location of keys or Points of Contacts (POC), etc., for all buildings at each location. The Contractor shall update and maintain this access list once delivered.

· Access to existing system and operations documentation. The Contractor should be aware that some of this documentation may not be complete or consistent.

· Access to Government vehicles (subject to availability) to conduct official business if authorized. To receive authorization to use Government vehicles to conduct official Government business, Contractor personnel must provide evidence of a valid driver’s license to operate an automotive vehicle to the COR.

All Government Furnished Property referred to will remain the property of the Government, or its Contractor, and under that entity’s control at all times. The Government retains the right to withdraw or reallocate these resources at any time, and without notice, during the performance of this contract.

Accessibility Requirements The Contractor shall include the following information in the PWS verbatim.

1. Section 508 Requirements Section 508 of the Rehabilitation Act (classified to 29 U.S.C. § 794d) requires that when Federal agencies develop, procure, maintain, or use information and communications technology (ICT), it shall be accessible to people with disabilities. Federal employees and members of the public with disabilities must be afforded access to and use of information and data comparable to that of Federal employees and members of the public without disabilities.

All products, platforms and services delivered as part of this work statement that, by definition, are deemed ICT shall conform to the revised regulatory implementation of Section 508 Standards, which are located at 36 C.F.R. § 1194.1 & Appendixes A, C & D, and available at https://www.ecfr.gov/cgi-bin/text-idx?SID=e1c6735e25593339a9db63534259d8ec&mc=true&node=pt36.3.1194&rgn=div5. In the revised regulation, ICT replaced the term electronic and information technology (EIT) used in the original 508 standards. ICT includes IT and other equipment.

Exceptions for this work statement have been determined by DHS and only the exceptions described herein may be applied. Any request for additional exceptions shall be sent to the Contracting Officer and a determination will be made according to DHS Directive 139-05, Office of Accessible Systems and Technology, dated November 12, 2018 and DHS Instruction 139-05-001, Managing the Accessible Systems and Technology Program, dated November 20, 2018, or any successor publication.

1.1. Section 508 Requirements for Technology Services

1.1.1. When providing installation, configuration or integration services for ICT, the Contractor shall not reduce the original ICT item's level of Section 508 conformance prior to the services being performed.

1.1.2. When providing maintenance upgrades, substitutions, and replacements to ICT, the contractor shall not reduce the original ICT’s level of Section 508 conformance prior to upgrade, substitution or replacement. The agency reserves the right to request an Accessibility Conformance Report (ACR) for proposed upgrades, substitutions and replacements prior to acceptance. The ACR should be created using the on the Voluntary Product Accessibility Template Version 2.2 508 (or successor versions). The template can be located at https://www.itic.org/policy/accessibility/vpat

1.1.3. When developing or modifying ICT, the Contractor is required to validate ICT deliverables for conformance to the applicable Section 508 requirements. Validation shall occur on a frequency that ensures Section 508 requirements are evaluated within each iteration and release that contains user interface functionality.

1.1.4. When modifying, installing, configuring or integrating commercially available or government-owned ICT, the Contractor shall not reduce the original ICT Item’s level of Section 508 conformance.

1.1.5. When developing or modifying web based and electronic content components, except for electronic documents and non-fillable forms provided in a Microsoft Office or Adobe PDF format, the Contractor shall demonstrate conformance to the applicable Section 508 standards (including WCAG 2.0 Level A and AA Success Criteria) by conducting testing using the DHS Trusted Tester for Web Methodology Version 5.0 or successor versions, and shall ensure testing is conducted by individuals who are certified by DHS on version 5.0 or successor versions (e.g. “DHS Certified Trusted Testers”). The Contractor shall provide the Trusted Tester Certification IDs to DHS upon request. Information on the DHS Trusted Tester for Web Methodology Version 5.0, related test tools, test reporting, training, and tester certification requirements is published at https://www.dhs.gov/trusted-tester.

1.1.6. When developing or modifying electronic documents and forms provided in a Microsoft Office or Adobe PDF format, the Contractor shall demonstrate conformance to the applicable to the applicable Section 508 standards (including WCAG Level A and AA Level 2.0 Success Criteria) by conducting testing using the test methods published under “Accessibility Tests for Documents” at https://www.dhs.gov/compliance-test-processes.

1.1.7. When developing or modifying ICT deliverables that contain the ability to automatically generate electronic documents and forms in Microsoft Office and Adobe formats, or when the capability is provided to enable end users to design and author web based electronic content (i.e. surveys, dashboards, charts, data visualizations, etc.), the Contractor shall demonstrate the ability to ensure these outputs conform to the applicable Section 508 standards (including WCAG 2.0 Level A and AA Success Criteria). The Contractor shall demonstrate conformance by conducting testing and reporting test results based on representative sample outputs. For outputs produced as Microsoft Office and Adobe PDF file formats, the Contractor shall use the test methods published under “Accessibility Tests for Documents”, which are published at https://www.dhs.gov/compliance-test-processes. For outputs produced as web based electronic content, the Contractor shall use the DHS Trusted Tester for Web Methodology Version 5.0, or successor versions. This methodology is published at https://www.dhs.gov/trusted-tester

1.1.8. When developing or modifying software functions of ICT, the Contractor shall demonstrate conformance to the applicable Section 508 standards (including the requirements in Chapter 5 and WCAG 2.0 Level A and AA Success Criteria). When the requirements in Chapter 5 do not address one or more software functions, the Contractor shall demonstrate conformance to the Functional Performance Criteria specified in Chapter 3. The Contractor shall use a test process capable of validating conformance to all applicable Section 508 standards for software functionality delivered pursuant to this contract. The Contractor may utilize the DHS Trusted Tester Methodology for Web and Software Version 4.0 as a component of the overall test process used. This version of the test process provides partial test coverage of the Section 508 standards that apply to software. If the Contractor uses this test process, the Contractor shall address the test coverage gaps through additional test procedures. Information on the DHS Trusted Tester Methodology for Web and Software Version 4.0, including coverage against the applicable Section 508 standards for software as well as gaps that need to be addressed through other test methods, related test tools, and training is published at https://www.dhs.gov/trusted-tester.

1.1.9. When developing or modifying hardware components of ICT, including closed systems (for example – kiosks), the Contractor shall demonstrate conformance to the applicable Section 508 standards (including the Chapter 4 hardware requirements). Where the requirements in Chapters 4 do not address one or more functions of ICT, the Contractor shall demonstrate conformance to the Functional Performance Criteria specified in Chapter 3. The Contractor shall use a test process capable of validating conformance to all applicable Section 508 standards for hardware functionality delivered pursuant to this contract.

1.2. Section 508 Deliverables

1.2.1. Section 508 Test Plans: When developing or modifying ICT pursuant to this contract, the Contractor shall provide a detailed Section 508 Conformance Test Plan. The Test Plan shall describe the scope of components that will be tested, an explanation of the test process that will be used, when testing will be conducted during the project development life cycle, who will conduct the testing, how test results will be reported, and any key assumptions.

1.2.2. Section 508 Test Results: When developing or modifying ICT pursuant to this contract, the Contractor shall provide test results in accordance with the Section 508 Requirements for Technology Services provided in this solicitation.

1.2.3. Section 508 Accessibility Conformance Reports: For each ICT item offered through this contract (including commercially available products, and solutions consisting of ICT that are developed or modified pursuant to this contract), the Offeror shall provide an Accessibility Conformance Report (ACR) to document conformance claims against the applicable Section 508 standards. The ACR shall be based on the Voluntary Product Accessibility Template Version 2.0 508 (or successor versions). The template can be found at https://www.itic.org/policy/accessibility/vpat. Each ACR shall be completed by following all of the instructions provided in the template, including an explanation of the validation method used as a basis for the conformance claims in the report.

image1.png