Attachment_1_Performance_Work_Statement.pdf

Performance Work Statement for

English Language Arts and Mathematics Assessments

1.0 BACKGROUND

The Bureau of Indian Education (BIE) is tasked with providing quality education opportunities from early childhood through life, as outlined in 25 CFR Part 32.3 (25 CFR 32.3 – Mission Statement). The goal is to address the educational needs of Indian tribes and Alaska Native villages, in a manner that supports their cultural and economic well-being, while recognizing the diversity and distinctiveness of each tribe and village as separate cultural and governmental entities.

The BIE is committed to addressing the whole person, considering their spiritual, mental, physical, and cultural needs within the context of their family, tribe, or village. As part of its mission, BIE requires the performance of assessments for the students it serves. These assessments will be utilized for reporting and accountability purposes in compliance with 25

CFR 30.100-125.

2.0 PURPOSE

BIE requires student assessments aligned to BIE’s standards in English Language Arts (ELA) and Mathematics. These assessments are intended for students attending BIE-funded schools.

For the base year, BIE requests a Commercial Off-the-Shelf (COTS) student assessment proposed by the Contractor; however, for potential option years, BIE reserves the right to require customization of the COTS student assessment or development of a new student assessment which meets the needs of the BIE (see Component 7 below). The Contractor shall manage required licenses for COTS assessments.

3.0 PERFORMANCE OBJECTIVES

The Bureau of Indian Education (BIE) requires the provision of student assessments aligned with BIE's standards in English Language Arts (ELA) and Mathematics. These assessments are to be designed for students attending BIE-funded schools.

a. ELA (K-12)

b. Mathematics (K-12)

For the base year, the Contractor shall propose a Commercial Off-the-Shelf (COTS) student assessment. For potential option years, BIE reserves the right to require the Contractor to either customize the COTS assessment or develop a new student assessment that meets the specific needs of BIE. The Contractor shall also be responsible for obtaining all necessary software licenses associated with the COTS assessments. Contractor shall comply with all Attachments to this contract.

4.0 PLACE OF PERFORMANCE

At contractor’s location.

Performance will cover 183 Bureau-funded elementary and secondary schools. Of these, 55 are Bureau Operated Schools (BOS) which operate in 23 States and 128 tribally controlled schools (TCS). List of schools and locations can be found at: https://biamaps.geoplatform.gov/BIE- Schools-Directory/. Updated school and location list will be provided to successful vendor by the Chief Academic Office.

5.0 SCOPE

5.01 Scope generally

Beginning in the 2025-26 school year through the 2029-2030 school year, the Bureau of Indian Education (BIE) requires a contractor/vendor provide and deliver:

I. Six Component Areas with two optional Components (test item development and research paper).

1. Assessment Administration, Scoring, and Dashboard – Summative, Formative, and

Interim.

2. Student Registration Portal.

3. Reporting (paper and electronic).

4. Test Administration and Platform Training.

5. Project Management Services.

6. Helpdesk Services (Four tier) – Information Technology (IT) support.

7. Optional Services, Test Item Development

8. Optional Research Paper.

Note: During the “Option years” (Years 2, 3, 4, and 5), BIE may require an additional two components.

Note: BIE will provide the following: (a) Vendor with a list of students with their unique ID identified for taking the assessments at each assessment window. (b) Schools will provide computers upon which the assessment may be administered. (c) Schools will provide an Internet connection to support the administration of the assessment or a server at the school from which the assessment may be delivered on the school’s local network.

II. Operational student assessments and professional services.

Items 1-61 Operational student assessments and professional services listed below. A general list of requirements and descriptions of requirements.

https://biamaps.geoplatform.gov/BIE-Schools-Directory/ https://biamaps.geoplatform.gov/BIE-Schools-Directory/

5.02 Deliverable Table

To fulfill this effort, the Contractor shall complete the following deliverables. Unless otherwise specified, the BIE will have a maximum of fifteen (15) working days from the day the deliverable draft is received to review the document, provide comments back to the Contractor, approve or disapprove the deliverable(s). The Contractor will also have a maximum of fifteen

(15) working days from the day comments are received to incorporate all changes and submit the final deliverable to the government. All the days identified below are intended to be workdays unless otherwise specified.

Deliverable Table

Sections Deliverable Due Date Delivery

Method

1. Kickoff Meeting Within 10 business days after award

PWS

2. Student Registration Portal (K-12) Within 60 days after award

Contractor

3. Schedule to Administer Assessments to all BIE Schools (Summative, Formative, and Interim)

Within 60 days after award

Contractor

4. Test Administration Manual Within 90 days after award

Contractor

5. Coordination of Training for Teachers on Administration of the Assessments

Within 90 days after award

Contractor

6. Assessment Reports and Training Within 60 days after the test administration window

Contractor

7. On-site/Virtual Trainings & Webinars Contractor. (Schedule within 45-days and Formative/Interim within 60-days.)

Within 60 days after award

Contractor

8. Project Management Services Weekly Meetings

Weekly Contractor

9. Help Desk Support (See page 15). Daily Contractor

10. Technical Support for all Assessments

(API, assessment setup, office hours) Daily Contractor

11.

Test Item Development (future option years)

TBD by the BIE

Contractor

12. Formative Assessments and Training TBD by the BIE Contractor

13. Interim Assessments and Training TBD by the BIE Contractor

14. Dashboard TBD by the BIE Contractor

15. Research Paper (Option) TBD by the BIE Contractor

5.03 Break out by Component 1-6 requirements (Note: 7 and 8 optional work).

Component 1: Assessments Administration, Scoring (Paper-based and online), and Dashboard.

Performance Objective:

A. Administration and Scoring

The Contractor shall produce, deliver, and score paper-based and online student assessments annually to BIE-funded schools in sufficient quantity and in time for assessment administration. The student assessments will be administered to grades 3-8 and at least one grade in high school as specified by the Chief Academic Officer to BIE-funded schools in sufficient quantity determined by each school’s enrollment and within the required timeline for Spring 2026 assessment administration.

Accommodated assessment formats shall align to support a high population of English Language Learners and students with disabilities.

Contractor will provide training and technical support assistance to Bureau funded schools inclusive of assessment implementation and administration activities (e.g., help desk support, virtual office hours, dashboard, dedicated BIE support webpage, facilitate reconciliation of test quantity issues).

Subject to piloted grade levels and content (ELA and Mathematics) services to the contract are to include the following: Interim Assessments for grades 3-8 and one grade in high school (Option Item).

1. Formative Assessments – Contractor shall provide formative assessments aligned to the interim and summative assessments and academic content standards.

2. Interim Assessments – Contractor shall provide interim assessments aligned to the summative assessment and academic content standards.

Performance Objective: The Contractor shall provide formative and interim assessments aligned to the summative assessment and academic content standards. The Contractor shall develop and administer formative and interim assessments for grades 3-8 and one grade in high school.

Interactive Dashboard The Contractor shall design and implement an interactive dashboard that enables stakeholders (i.e. school leaders, school test coordinators, state level leaders/staff) to view, analyze, and interpret assessment data. The dashboard shall display both aggregate and disaggregate assessment scores and indicators identified by BIE.

Performance Standard:

The Contractor shall ensure that the formative and interim assessments meet the BIE’s academic requirements. The assessments shall be delivered on schedule as defined in the project timeline.

The assessments (formative, interim, summative) must be delivered scored accurately, meeting the specified quantity, as determined by the Chief Academic Officer, and necessary deadlines established by State, Federal, or Tribal requirements.

The dashboard must be functional, user-friendly, and capable of delivering accurate, timely data insights. The Contractor shall ensure that the dashboard is regularly maintained and updated to reflect the most current assessment data.

Assessment Delivery Contractor will provide the Assessments under the Contract to Bureau funded schools in both paper and on-line formats in the required quantity and in time for test administration (formative, interim, summative), beginning in School Year 2025-2026.

Accommodated assessment formats shall align to support a high population of English Language Learners and students with disabilities. BIE will establish test administration windows, allowing schools to select specific dates for test administration within the provided testing windows.

Contractor will provide onsite and/or virtual training and technical support assistance to BIE schools inclusive of assessment integration, implementation, and administration activities (e.g., four tier help desk support, virtual office hours, dashboard, dedicated BIE support webpage, facilitate reconciliation of test quantity issues).

Under its contract with BIE, Contractor will conduct standard setting/validation and establish cut scores for the Contractor assessment.

Component 2: Student Registration Portal

Assessment Registration Portal and Assessment Delivery Platform

Performance Objective: The Contractor shall provide a secure online registration portal that interfaces with BIE’s established Student Information System (SIS) to upload student registration and administrative data for the student assessments. The Contractor will collaborate with BIE and the SIS vendor on this task. This deliverable will include an enrollment report identifying the students registered for the assessments and the technical support as it relates to the student registration portal (API and manual uploads). The Student Registration Portal shall be dedicated to BIE use only and not shared with another State Education Agency (SEA).

The Contractor will collaborate with BIE’s SIS vendor to ensure seamless extraction and upload of accurate student data and demographic files from the SIS into the contractor’s registration portal.

Access to the Contractor’s latest version of its online registration portals/dashboard, including any necessary Application Program Interface (API) connections, for the duration of the contract. The "latest version" is defined as the most current release of the portal necessary to meet all deliverable dates for the Annual Assessment Administration.

Throughout the contract term, the Contractor will upgrade the portal to address security, performance issues, and implement enhancements agreed upon by both parties, based on user feedback. "Known issues" refers to previously identified performance issues and does not include all requests for enhancements by the Contractor.

Registering Students.

In compliance with federal IT Security and Privacy laws and policy, the Contractor will collaborate with BIE using BIE’s NASIS 2.0 interconnection security agreement with additional contractor/student information provider/vendor to ensure accurate student data is manually and/or automatically extracted via API integration methods and uploaded into the registration portal. (See Attachments).

i. BIE will be responsible for uploading the initial organization information for all Bureau funded schools. The Contractor will review the data and notify BIE of any discrepancies or quality concerns.

ii. BIE will have an opportunity to import the participation counts and student demographics by January 2026. After the initial upload of student data into the portal, BIE will continue to update participation counts and student demographics changes throughout the year. Additional students entered after this time will be processed as additional material orders.

iii. Security and Privacy Plan Contractor shall follow the same data privacy and security safeguards for BIE, as a federal agency, as follows for other participating states, and as described in the Contractor Operational Security Plan. The Contractor will provide BIE with a copy of its Security Plan. After contractor signs a BIE non-disclosure agreement (NDA), system information will be released to the contractor. Technical requirement discussion at Kick- Off meeting. (DeptOfInterior_SSP_1.6 (1).docx). (See also Attachments).

1. Contractor will provide information related to how data is transferred TLS 1.3 to the other side.

2. Contractor will provide a secure transfer of data using Web based TLS 1.2 or higher.

3. In compliance with OMB A-130, the contractor shall provide security regarding data in transit (DIT) and data at rest (DAR) use Transparent Date Encryption.

https://doimspp-my.sharepoint.com/:w:/g/personal/albert_rice_indianaffairs_gov/EfnZ-2Cf9KFHtOjZ87-RXwcBy1rQ1JULk4Icsbvfx_GkRg?e=fFDAls

A. DIT - Clause Structure and Language:

"The Contractor shall encrypt all data transmitted between the parties using Transport Layer Security (TLS) 1.2 or higher, or a protocol agreed upon in writing."

- "The Contractor shall implement and maintain a robust information security program to protect the confidentiality, integrity, and availability of data, including but not limited to firewalls, intrusion detection systems, and regular security audits."

- "The Contractor shall not disclose or use the data for any purpose other than those expressly permitted in this Agreement and shall maintain the confidentiality of the data at all times."

- "In the event of a data breach, the Contractor shall notify the Customer within one hour of becoming aware of the breach and shall cooperate fully with the Customer in investigating and mitigating the breach."

B. Ensuring that an approved DOI product is utilized for Data at Rest (DAR) stored on mobile computing devices or removable storage media. If the Incumbent Contractor handles Bureau of Indian Affair's (BIA) PII data, security controls will include measures such as:

- Encryption of BIE data at rest and in motion.

- Using no less than 128-bit encryption or the maximum allowed.

- Digital certificates signed by a trusted certificate authority.

4. Transparent Date Encryption (TDE) is a security feature that encrypts data at rest, meaning the data is protected when it is stored on the storage media (like a hard drive or cloud storage). It encrypts and decrypts data automatically, without requiring any changes to applications or database users.

5. The Contractor will enable BIE to interface with the BIE SIS to upload student data as necessary to ensure timely and accurate registration for assessments.

6. The Contractor will provide BIE with access to the Contractor’s online administrative portal and provide technical support as needed. The Contractor will create a user role for BIE to allow for entering BIE student information data.

7. The secure online portal must allow for the import and management of assessment registration data for BIE students, including accommodation and accessibility needs.

8. The online portal must allow authorized users to schedule testing sessions and manage assessment assignments within the BIE Test Administration Window in accordance with BIE and Contractor policies, including the business rules set by both parties and subject to Federal privacy laws and policy and IT security requirements.

(See Attachments).

Quality of Work Products. Contractor is responsible for correcting any errors in work products at the Contractor's expense, arising from activities that are the responsibility of the Contractor and its sub-contractors. Contractor shall not be financially responsible for errors that result from the actions of BIE.

In the event of errors introduced and/or caused solely by a third party, sub-contractor will notify prime Contractor and BIE is not liable for additional costs for third-party errors.

Such corrections may involve activities that include, but are not limited to:

i. Conducting analyses to determine the cause and extent of errors.

ii. Editing, revising, and/or reprogramming computer-based applications.

iii. Reprinting and/or reproducing products or other materials.

iv. Replacing and/or correcting data files.

v. Reproducing reports (paper and/or electronic).

vi. Shipping replacement products or reports (paper and/or electronic) to the school, district, state, or BIE using expedited shipping services.

Performance Standard: The Contractor shall provide a functional, secure portal with technical support, including API and manual uploads. An enrollment report and verification of successful registration will be delivered as part of the service.

The Contractor will provide the BIE and Bureau-funded schools with access to the Contractor’s registration portal/dashboard. The BIE will collaborate with the Contractor to input student information and registration data, as detailed below. The Student Registration Portal will be exclusively dedicated to BIE use and will not be shared with any other SEA

Related laws/Regulations/Policies The following standards and guidance apply to the information system:

• A NIST Definition of Cloud Computing [NIST SP 800-145]

• Computer Security Incident Handling Guide [NIST SP 800-61, Revision 1]

• Contingency Planning Guide for Federal Information Systems [NIST SP 800-34, Revision 1]

• Engineering Principles for Information Technology Security (A Baseline for

Achieving Security) [NIST SP 800-27, Revision A]

• Guide for Assessing the Security Controls in Federal Information Systems [NIST

SP 800-53A]

• Control Baselines for Information Systems and Organizations [NIST SP 800-

53B]

• Guide for Developing Security Plans for Federal Information Systems [NIST SP

800-18, Revision 1]

• Guide for Developing the Risk Management Framework to Federal Information

Systems: A Security Life Cycle Approach [NIST SP 800-37, Revision 2]

• Guide for Mapping Types of Information and Information Systems to Security

Categories [NISP SP 800-60, Revision 1]

• Guide for Security-Focused Configuration Management of Information Systems

[NIST SP 800-128]

• Information Security Continuous Monitoring for Federal Information Systems and Organizations [NIST SP 800-137]

• Minimum Security Requirements for Federal Information and Information Systems [FIPS Publication 200]

• Personal Identity Verification (PIV) of Federal Employees and Contractors [FIPS Publication 201-1]

• Recommended Security Controls for Federal Information Systems [NIST SP 800-53, Revision 5]

• Risk Management Guide for Information Technology Systems [NIST SP 800- 30]

• Security Considerations in the System Development Life Cycle [NIST SP 800- 64, Revision 2]

• Security Requirements for Cryptographic Modules [FIPS Publication 140-2]

• Standards for Security Categorization of Federal Information and Information

Systems [FIPS Publication 199]

• Technical Guide to Information Security Testing and Assessment [NIST SP 800-

115]

• OMB Circular A-130, Managing Information as a Strategic Resource

• DOI Security and Privacy Control Standards

Component 3A: Reporting-Electronic and Paper Copies

Performance Objective: Contractor shall be responsible for all necessary work to provide Bureau funded schools and BIE-Chief Academic Officer with both the hard copy and electronic copy results of the contractor assessments, as described below.

Assessment reports will be determined between the BIE and the contractor as stated below.

Reports. Contractor shall print and deliver student test results in hard copy and electronic form to all Bureau funded schools.

Each school will be provided: (1) two hard copies of individual student proficiency report, and (2) copies of school wide grade level reports with aggregate student proficiency data.

The Contractor will make available through the Data Warehouse and user access roles, electronic copies of student reports and school level reports and rosters.

Preliminary electronic results from the spring 2026 administration will be available in June/July 2026 or as early as possible.

A more detailed reporting schedule for electronic and paper copy reports will be determined by a face-to-face meeting or as early as possible.

1. Contractor shall provide student-level and aggregate-level information that is written in language that is easily understood for parents, guardians, or educators to use to evaluate the student’s level of academic achievement in all assessed academic areas.

2. The Contractor and the BIE will work together for data quality of the data exchanged.

The BIE, with Contractor’s assistance shall reconcile student listing to determine the actual number of students taking the assessment.

4. The Contractor shall conduct statistical analyses of BIE students’ assessment results and alert the BIE if issues relevant to the interpretation of the assessment results arise. For example, Contractor shall identify patterns in which an An unusually large number of BIE students missed a particular test item, unscored items, and invalid instances.

5. For the assessments used for accountability and federal reporting purposes, based on EDFacts file specifications, reporting shall identify the students’ performance level, academic growth, and any other indicators specified by BIE.

6. All reports generated for publication shall comply with the guidelines of the

Personally Identifiable Information (PII) and Family Education Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA) and shall be approved for publication by BIE.

7. Reporting of assessment results to the BIE shall be in an electronic and user-friendly format: Microsoft Excel (.xls or .xlsx), comma separated values (.csv), tab delimited or other columnar text file (.txt) format, or as an SPSS data file.

8. Another version of any assessment results file further shall be formatted to meet the requirements of BIE’s SIS, i.e., additional assessment results files shall be formatted to meet the requirements of the BIE’s SIS. The contractor shall work with BIE and the SIS vendor to import the scores after every test administration.

9. Reporting student and aggregate level results for schools, parent, State shall be in an Adobe Acrobat format, in a Microsoft Word format, or other easily readable format.

10. In accordance with Federal law and policy and BIE IT security and compliance regulations and policy, transmission of student-level electronic data to and/or from BIE and the contractor will be by secure File Transmission Protocol, SSH, or other secure means that will be mutually agreed upon by the BIE and the contractor. (See Attachments).

B. Quality Control. Contractor must follow the same quality control processes for BIE as it follows for other SEAs, and as described in the Contractor Operational Quality Plan.

Contractor will provide a copy of the Quality Control plan to BIE.

C. Data Integrity. Contractor’s portal and platform shall provide end-to-end data protection to verify data integrity while such data is in Contractor's possession during processing, storage, and transportation between applications and interfaces and meet federal data integrity requirements.

D. System Access Security. Contractor's portal and platform shall provide auditable access controls throughout the entire data management life cycle, including access control, confidentiality, monitoring, and threat detection and meet federal system access security requirements.

E. Data Regulatory Compliance. Data Regulatory Compliance. Contractor shall comply with all relevant state and Federal laws including FISMA, FEDRAMP, FERPA, COPPA and CIPA regulations, to the extent applicable to the services provided by Contactor hereunder. FEDRAMP is applied to two areas: Hosting and Platform. At a minimum, IOC must be FEDRAMP compliant for hosting. Platform FEDRAMP compliance is desired at IOC however it may be excepted by the Authorizing Official with concurrence from the DOI CIO.

F. Version of Assessment Registration Portal and Assessment Delivery Platform.

Version of Assessment Registration Portal and Assessment Delivery Platform. Contractor shall provide the BIE with access to the latest version of online portal inclusive of API connections during the term of the Contract. The “Latest version" as used in this Paragraph is defined as the most currently released version of online portal that is available at the point in time necessary to meet all deliverable dates required for an Annual Assessment Administration. Throughout the life of the Contract, online portal shall be upgraded to address known issues and other enhancements agreed to by the parties with corresponding technical support. "Known issues" are based on performance issues from previous administrations and feedback from users. "Known issues" does not necessarily include all Contractor requests for enhancements.

Performance Standard: In compliance with federal guidelines listed above and included in the Attachments to this contract, all paper reports shall be accurately printed and delivered on time. The Contractor is responsible for all activities necessary to provide the BIE schools with two hard-copy and electronic results of Contractor-administered assessments. Contractor will provide a digital version of test results in Adobe Acrobat PDF format. The Contractor will print and deliver student test results both in hard-copy and electronic formats.

The specifics of the assessment reports will be determined collaboratively between the BIE and the Contractor as outlined below with user access roles for stakeholders to retrieve individual student reports, school-level reports, and rosters. Additionally, the Contractor will conduct standard setting, validation, and establish cut scores for assessments in June through August 2027. Preliminary electronic results from the spring 2026 administration will be available in June/July 2026 or as early as possible. The BIE and Contractor will agree on a detailed reporting schedule for both electronic and paper reports at a face-to-face meeting.

Each school will receive: School-wide grade-level reports that aggregate student proficiency data.

Component 3B: Reporting-Electronic Deliverables

Performance Objective: The Contractor shall provide an electronic student data report annually that meets the U.S. Department of Education EDFacts reporting specifications for assessments. The Contractor shall make available through the online portal and user access levels, electronic copies of student reports, school-level reports, and rosters to participating BIE-funded school and the BIE as the SEA and aggregate student data reports to regional Divisions and education program administrators at each education resource center.

Performance Standard: The electronic reports must meet EDFacts specifications and be accessible to all relevant stakeholders via the portal. Contractor shall comply with all Attachments to this contract. (See https://www.ed.gov/edfacts-file-specifications-sy- 2024-25).

Component 4. Test Administration and Platform Training

The Contractor shall provide multiple test administration training opportunities per year based on levels of knowledge of test administration to BIE funded schools to include virtual and on-site offerings (up to 15). A Test Administration Manual shall be developed for BIE and used as a reference for training.

An online platform designed to help staff administer the assessments must be provided. There should be a collection of varied multi-media resources (from brief tutorials and demonstrations to multi-part courses) available to all schools utilizing the assessments. The Contractor must develop and deliver virtual and onsite test administration and platform training (e.g., accommodations, training modules, and testing protocols) to all designated schools for “district”/regional test coordinators and school test coordinators.

The BIE will determine from the on-site workshops and/or virtual workshops, with the Chief Academic Office having final approval of all workshops. A https://www.ed.gov/edfacts-file-specifications-sy-2024-25 https://www.ed.gov/edfacts-file-specifications-sy-2024-25 proposed offering of virtual and on-Site training sessions should be included with the bid for this contract.

All scheduled virtual training will be recorded and posted on the BIE website.

The Contractor shall provide one (1) experienced and knowledgeable trainer to provide the virtual/onsite training sessions with multiple school administrators.

The Contractor shall develop a comprehensive Test Administration Manual specifically for BIE, which will be referenced for all training and testing sessions.

This training will cover topics such as accommodations, training modules, and testing protocols. Up to 15 virtual or onsite sessions shall be provided, with the location determined by BIE’s Chief Academic Officer and BIE program manager.

Performance Standard: All training sessions must be conducted according to schedule, and the Test Administration Manual and Test Coordinator Manual must be provided electronically as part of the training. Student registration into the portal shall also occur during these training sessions.

Component 5: Project Management Services

The Contractor shall be responsible for all work necessary to implement the invoicing, reporting, tracking, and monitoring of services rendered under the Contract, including:

1. Contractor shall provide financial and tracking reports in a format approved by the BIE.

2. In the event the BIE has a required preference for a specific type of report that is provided pursuant to the Contract, the BIE shall notify the Contractor of such preference and provide the format/template to Contractor.

The Contractor shall provide a Project Manager with two to five years’ experience working with government contracts inclusive of comprehensive experience in project management services, including invoicing, reporting, and tracking of services provided under the contract.

Monthly calls with the BIE Contracting Officer Representative (COR) will be scheduled to review expenditures, contract balances, and any other contract-related matters. The Project Manager will be accountable for ensuring the overall success of the requirement and maintaining quality control. A certified Project Management Professional (PMP) is preferred.

Delayed Dependent Deliverables. In the event of any delays by Contractor or in furnishing materials, its approval of services, and return of required documents or information, the time for performance by the Contractor shall be extended by an amount of time equal to the delay created by such occurrences or a new due date shall be negotiated.

Performance Standard: The Contractor must deliver consistent and timely project management reports, address issues promptly, and ensure the quality of service.

The Contractor shall be responsible for all work necessary to perform project management services. This includes overseeing task progress/completion, invoicing, reporting, tracking, and monitoring of services rendered under the Contract, including:

The Contractor shall deliver financial and tracking reports in a format approved by the BIE and submit them within the BIE reporting portals on a quarterly basis. If the BIE has a preferred format for specific reports required under the Contract, the BIE will notify the Contractor and may provide the necessary format/template. Contractor shall comply with all Attachments to this contract.

Delayed Dependent Deliverables: If the Contractor experiences delay in delivering services, materials, or required documents or information, the

Contractor's time for performance will be extended by a period equivalent to the delay, or a new due date shall be negotiated.

Component 6: Helpdesk Services (four-tier) – IT Support

Performance Objective: The Contractor shall provide a four-tier helpdesk service for

BIE and school staff for the following but are not limited to: calling for assistance, accessing, navigating and utilizing the assessment platform, as well as resolving any questions or concerns during both the assessment administration (formative, interim, summative) and post-administration (formative, interim, summative) phases (e.g., shipping of paper-based assessments).

BIE will need Helpdesk services for its schools, Monday through Friday, 9:00 AM to 3:00 PM local time during the registration period (approximately 5 weeks), test administration period (approximately 6 weeks) and post administration period (approximately 3 weeks). The Contractor’s Helpdesk may be in Pacific, Mountain, Central and Eastern Time Zones and include both telephone and online chat support.

Federal holidays are excluded. Hold time for Helpdesk Services shall not exceed 15 minutes.

Performance Standard: Helpdesk services must be available and responsive to inquiries during all relevant phases of assessment administration.

The Contractor shall provide Helpdesk Services to support bureau-funded schools assessments (formative, interim, summative) during the testing administration.

Services shall be available Monday through Friday, from 9:00 AM to 3:00 PM local time.

The Helpdesk shall provide support across multiple time zones, including Pacific, Mountain, Central, and Eastern Time Zones, and must be available through both telephone and online chat. Federal holidays are excluded from service hours.

The Contractor shall ensure that the hold time for Helpdesk Services does not exceed 15 minutes. (See https://www.ed.gov/edfacts-file-specifications). (See Attachments).

Component 7. Option Years 1-4, Optional Services – Test Item Development

Performance Objective: In future Option years, the Contractor shall facilitate the development of test items aligned with current and any new BIE English Language Arts (ELA) and Mathematics standards. (Option Years).

Performance Standard: Test items must meet BIE standards and be delivered within the required timeframe and quality specifications.

The BIE shall own any customized items developed as part of this contract. The Contractor shall add culturally relevant prompts, narratives, and materials over the course of the contract option years, specifically after the base year.

1. Review and analyze the vendor’s test item blueprint.

2. Analyze the BIE’s needs for the development of test items tailored for customization for the student population, including Native American stories and culturally relevant content across all subjects assessed.

3. Identify potential options for developing test items from BIE’s current test item bank.

4. Facilitate BIE educator workgroup(s) for item writing.

5. Field test items.

6. Add the developed test items to the BIE test item bank.

7. Manage documentation of processes and procedures related to the development and implementation of test items.

Component 8: Option Years 1-4, Optional Services – Research Paper https://www.ed.gov/edfacts-file-specifications

In future option years, the Contractor shall produce a research paper on areas of need and/or research questions identified by BIE, which may include up to three possible guiding questions around correlations of growth and interventions.

Performance Standard: The research paper must adhere to BIE’s academic standards and provide a thorough analysis based on the defined guiding questions.

The paper must be submitted by the agreed-upon due date.

Acceptable Quality Level (AQL):

• The research paper must be well-researched, thorough, and based on credible data.

• The Contractor shall ensure that the paper is completed and delivered within the agreed timeline.

• The final paper must meet BIE’s academic standards for clarity, coherence, and scholarly rigor.

6.0 SECURITY REQUIREMENTS

The Contractor shall comply with all the security and compliance requirements summarized in this section, or any additional federal requirements, for any data stored on the vendor’s servers.

Security Requirements:

1. The system shall protect and maintain the confidentiality, integrity, and availability of the data always.

2. The system shall allow only authorized users with valid credentials to access the system.

3. The system shall authorize access levels by user type.

4. The system shall be capable of supporting a Data Leakage Tool.

5. The system shall encrypt all sensitive data in accordance with FIPS 140-2.

6. The system shall employ all the security controls required for a system with a FIPS

199 categorization of Moderate.

7. To help protect against malware, viruses, and data breaches, ensure a smoother and more reliable system operation, and updates are necessary for compatibility with new hardware, software, and/or operating systems, all system security and compliance updates are mandatory.

Compliance Requirements:

1. The vendor shall comply with National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST)

Special Publications (SP), in particular, SP 800-53, Recommended Security Controls for Federal Information Systems and SP 800-53A, Guide for Assessing the Security Controls in Federal Information Systems, and Federal Information Processing Standard (FIPS) publication 200, Minimum Security Requirements for Federal Information and Information Systems.

2. The vendor shall comply with NIST Special Publication 800-27A, Engineering Principles for Information Technology Security (A Baseline for Achieving Security) Revision A.

3. The vendor shall comply with all current DOI IT Security Policies.

4. The vendor’s access to BIE systems, if needed, will be dependent upon completion of a background investigation.

5. The vendor shall ensure system components follow Section 508 of the Rehabilitation

Act of 1973 (29 U.S.C. 794d).

6. The vendor shall ensure their system is following OMB Circular A-123 standards.

7. The vendor shall ensure the system follows DOI policies and guidance.

8. The vendor shall ensure system follows the Privacy Act as amended, 552a and

Section 208 of the E-Government Act of 2002, 43 in addition to 25 CFR Part 20 and 25 U.S.C. that authorize collection of data.

The contractor shall comply with the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 and Rehabilitation Act Amendments of 1998, Section 508, Information Technology Accessibility Requirements – Electronic and Information Technology. The contractor shall identify the standards that are applicable to specific products shown in your catalog and/or to the on-line web-application, which must meet Section 508 requirements.

If an identified product, service, or the on-line website is not fully compliant with the applicable standards, the contractor shall provide an explanation as to how the product or service does not comply with the identified standard(s). A checklist of the standards is found in Attachment B. In addition, information on Section 508, including the complete listing of all the standards, is accessible at: http://www.section508.gov

The Department of the Interior (DOI) Information Technology (IT) Baseline Compliance Contract Guidelines are applicable and incorporated into this contract. (See Attachments).

IT Baseline compliance policy requirements include:

• Information systems and system services provided to the DOI by the Contractor must comply with DOI IT Cybersecurity and Privacy Control Standards, privacy policies, and other related guidance.

• Contractors and information system service providers shall be responsible for recognizing and reporting security incidents.

• Contractors shall comply with the requirements of the Privacy Act of 1974 and shall not remove personally identifiable information (PII) or Privacy Act material from government facilities or systems, or facilities or systems operated by or maintained on the government’s behalf, without the express written permission of the Head of the Contracting Activity.

• Products, platforms, and services delivered as part of a contract statement of work or performance work statement that uses information and communication technology (ICT), shall conform to the ICT Accessibility Revised 508 Standards of the Rehabilitation Act.

• Contractors shall comply with all applicable records management laws and regulations that include National Archives and Records Administration (NARA) records guidance and departmental policy.

• Acquired services shall comply with the Homeland Security Presidential Directive-12 that requires all federal entities to ensure that all Contractor employees have current and http://www.section508.gov/ approved security background investigations that are equivalent to investigations carried out with the federal employee workforce.

• Contractors must manage Controlled Unclassified Information (CUI) in accordance with applicable laws, regulations, executive orders, and policies.

• If a portion of the contract requirement seeks information from ten or more members of the public, the Contractor employes shall work with the Bureau Information Collection Clearance Officer to obtain a Paperwork Reduction Act clearance from the Office of Management and Budget (OMB).

References o Federal Risk and Authorization Management Program (Fed RAMP) for cloud hosted systems: https://www.fedramp.gov o Section 208 of the E-Government Act of 2002:

o http://www.govinfo.gov/content/pkg/PLAW-107publ347/pdf/PLAW-

107publ347.pdf o Privacy Act of 1974: https://www.justice.gov/opcl/privacy-act-1974 o Office of Management and Budget (OMB) Circular A-130, Managing

Information as a Strategic Resource: https://www.cio.gov/policies-and-priorities/circular-a-130/https://csrc.nist.gov/glossary o Federal Information Processing Standards (FIPS) and the Nation Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) 800-Series Special Publications (SP):

http://www.nist.gov o Federal Information Security Modernization Act of 2014 (FISMA):

http://www.cisa.gov/federal-information-security -modernization-act

6.0 TRAVEL

Pre-Travel Approval

The contractor will require travel to support requirements outlined in said agreement. Travel arrangement shall have authorization or prior approval, in accordance with Federal Travel Regulations (FTR) 41 C.F.R. § 301-2.1. All travel requests shall be submitted to the COR to ensure the proposed travel meets FTR requirements and reasonable cost, per 41 C.F.R § 301-2.3, before approving travel requests. The COR’s approval is to ensure travel supports mission requirements/is essential to advancing the services for this Project. Travel costs that are projected to exceed standard federal travel rates shall be requested and approved in writing by the COR prior to incurring the cost.

Post-Travel Approval

Once travel is completed the reimbursement request shall be submitted to the COR for approval, prior to the final submission to the IPP. The reimbursement request shall include but is not limited to the following: traveler name, travel itinerary, purpose for travel, travel receipts (hotel, https://www.fedramp.gov/ http://www.govinfo.gov/content/pkg/PLAW-107publ347/pdf/PLAW-107publ347.pdf http://www.govinfo.gov/content/pkg/PLAW-107publ347/pdf/PLAW-107publ347.pdf https://www.justice.gov/opcl/privacy-act-1974 http://www.nist.gov/ rental car, gas), tax statement, etc., per 41 C.F.R. § 301-2.2. The COR’s review shall ensure travel meets FTR requirements and reasonable cost before travel reimbursement is submitted to IPP for final payment. For further information on Travel Costs, see FAR 31.205-46. All changes to an already approved travel (i.e., changes for an early return) shall be re-approved by the COR to ensure costs are advantageous for the Government. The traveler shall be responsible for all expenses incurred that are over the allowable reimbursement limits established in the FTR, e.g., all excess costs resulting from circuitous routes, delays, or luxury accommodations or services unnecessary or unjustified in the performance of official business, per 41 C.F.R. § 301-2.4.

Travel costs shall not incur any general and administrative (G&A) and/or profit costs. Travel costs shall be reimbursed using actual cost incurred.

Travel is a reimbursable Contract Line-Item Number (CLIN) and must be obligated and funded prior to the start of travel and approved by the BIE Chief Academic Officer. Failure to secure such approval may result in non-payment for travel expenses.

7.0 QUALITY ASSURANCE

7.1 Quality Assurance Surveillance plan (QASP).

General - A Quality Assurance Surveillance Plan (QASP) is a tool for use in government administration of the PWS with a focus on the level of performance. The government intends to perform surveillance on this contract in accordance with a QASP but reserves the right to monitor the contract in any manner necessary, at any time necessary, and at all places necessary to ensure that the rendered services conform to contract requirements. The QASP will hold the contractor accountable for quality control and to encourage the contractor to take appropriate steps to control and improve quality. The government will utilize a quality assurance (QA) representative to ensure the contractor performs quality control to adequately meet contract standards.

7.2 Offeror(s) to submit proposed QASP.

Offerors shall submit a proposed QASP for the government’s consideration in development of the government’s plan. The contractor shall be responsible for developing an efficient methodology to ensure they meet and/or exceed the required thresholds of service as outlined in this acquisition.

The QASP should include:

I. General Information and Purpose

How government will implement quality assurance for this contract.

II. Roles and Responsibilities

Government and contractor.

III. Performance Requirements and Assessments Outline of required performance standards or metrics for each contract item or activity used to measure contractor performance, e.g., timeliness, cost, and quality.

Acceptable performance and determine appropriate actions based on findings.

Probable Cause IV. Performance Reporting Reporting Frequency; Reporting Format; Deficiency Reporting; Corrective Action.

and Incentives.

7.3. The QASP shall provide continuous oversight, aiming to maintain performance levels that meet or exceed the agreed-upon task requirements.

7.4. The contractor, and not the government, is responsible for management and quality control actions to meet the terms of the contract. The role of the government is to monitor the effectiveness of the contractor’s quality control plan to ensure contract quality standards are achieved. (ref. FAR Part 46 – Government Contract Quality Assurance).

7.5. Living Document. The QASP is a tool and a living document and may be revised by the Government as necessary through the contract and/or task order performance period. The contracting officer must approve changes. The COR will submit recommended changes to the contracting officer for approval. Upon approval of the Contracting Officer (CO), unilateral changes to the QASP may be made as needed.

Any revisions to the QASP will be communicated to the Contractor in a timely manner. The contractor does not have to be made aware of planned revisions. The entire QASP is not part of the contract. While certain portions such as “performance objectives” and “maximum allowable degree of deviation from requirement (Acceptable Quality Level (AQL)),” may be part of the PWS, the method of surveillance, surveillance calendar, schedule, and frequency of surveillance and inspection are not.

Contractor Performance Assessment Reporting System (CPARS). Documented surveillance data (QASP) will be used as objective data to support contractor ratings. The inclusion of detailed documented inspection results provides objectivity to the Contractor Performance Assessment Report (CPAR). The CPAR will be prepared annually or at the end of a Task Order whichever occurs first.

7.6. Once a year COR and an auditor(s) shall visit the contractor’s office for three (3) days to evaluate and assess the contractor’s QASP performance.

7.7. Requirements for quality assurance and QASP can be found in Federal Acquisition Regulation (FAR) 46.4 - Government Contract Quality Assurance and FAR 37.604 – Quality Assurance Surveillance Plans.

8.0 ACCEPTANCE

The COR will review, for completeness, preliminary or draft documentation and final documentation that the Contractor submits within fifteen (15) calendar days after receipt of https://shortcut.dau.mil/acq/cpar_cpars documents and may return it to the contractor for correction. Absence of any comments by the COR will not relieve the contractor of the responsibility for complying with the requirements of this work statement.

Final approval and acceptance of documentation required herein shall be in writing. The contractor shall not construe any letter of acknowledgment of receipt material as a waiver of review, or as an acknowledgment that the material is in conformance with this work statement.

Any approval given during preparation of the documentation, or approval for shipment shall not guarantee the final acceptance of the completed documentation.

8.01 Acceptance Criteria

General quality measures, as set forth below, will be applied to each deliverable received from the contractor under this PWS.

• Accuracy: Work products shall be accurate in presentation, technical content, and adherence to accepted elements of style.

• Clarity: Work products shall be clear and concise. All diagrams shall be easy to understand and relevant to the supporting narrative.

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