Attachment 1 - Performance Work Statement DRAFT.pdf

Earned Wage Access

Performance Work Statement (PWS)

DRAFT

SECTION ONE: GENERAL

1. Background Information

The Transportation Security Administration’s (TSA) mission is to protect the Nation’s air, rail, transit, and highway transportation systems to ensure the safety and freedom of movement of the traveling public and open commerce. TSA is not only committed to promoting a culture founded on the values of integrity, respect, and commitment but, sets the standard for excellence in transportation security through its people, processes, and technology.

To execute its mission, TSA employs approximately 59,000 employees to secure our nations transportation systems and to screen an estimated 2.3 million passengers each day at over 440 Federalized airports, located throughout the United States and territories inclusive of American Samoa, Guam, Puerto Rico, the Northern Mariana Islands, and the U.S. Virgin Islands.

Human Capital (HC) is a support organization within TSA that provides strategic, sustainable, and comprehensive programs and services that attract, build and inspire a talented workforce through positive customer engagements. HC strives to provide flexible and innovative solutions that address the full lifecycle of a TSA employee.

In pursuit of operational excellence, HC seeks to secure Earned Wage Access (EWA). This will be utilized to give our workforce access to earned wages in between pay cycles without relying on high cost lending products, credit cards, or emergency loans. Each pay period TSA pays approximately $300M per pay period in payroll.

TSA requires services to be provided in support of TSA duty locations geographically dispersed across all U.S. States and U.S. Territories.

2. Scope

The Contractor shall provide a comprehensive, secure, and fully managed Earned Wage Access (EWA) platform for the Transportation Security Administration (TSA) workforce. The purpose is to enhance employee financial readiness and stability by providing a mechanism for employees to access earned, but as-of-yet unpaid, wages between standard bi-weekly federal pay cycles.

The service shall include provisioning and maintenance of the EWA platform in a FedRAMP-authorized environment, secure integration with TSA’s designated federal payroll system, robust employee identity verification and support, and detailed performance and security reporting. The Contractor shall ensure all services are delivered with no disruption to official payroll processing and in full compliance with federal information security standards. This PWS covers the ongoing operational service, to include a base year and subsequent option years.

3. Requirements

3.1 EWA Platform Provisioning and Maintenance

The Contractor shall:

• Provide, operate, and maintain a fully functional EWA platform, accessible to enrolled TSA employees via a commercial mobile application.

• Manage all system updates, patching, and lifecycle management for the platform and its components in accordance with established FedRAMP continuous monitoring guidelines.

3.2 Payroll System Integration and Data Exchange

The Contractor shall:

• Utilize a FedRAMP-compliant data transfer mechanism to receive necessary employee roster and pay-period earnings data.

• Process payroll data within the defined FedRAMP authorization boundary to calculate an employee’s Net Available Balance for EWA transfers.

3.3 Employee Enrollment and Services

The Contractor shall:

• Provide a streamlined, voluntary enrollment process for all eligible TSA employees.

• Provide a method for securely identifying TSA employees for use of services.

• Provide clearly defined fund transfer options for employees

• Maintain a dedicated employee support channel (phone, chat, and/or email) to assist TSA users with enrollment, platform use, and troubleshooting.

3.4 Fee Structure and Transparency

The Contractor shall provide a detailed description of the financial model for the proposed EWA service. This description must clarify:

• That the service will be provided at no direct cost to the U.S. Government.

• The Contractor shall provide all EWA services in strict accordance with the baseline fee structure established at contract award. The Contractor must ensure that all fees are transparently displayed to the employee within the application prior to the execution of any transaction.

• A full schedule of any and all potential fees charged to the employee for any service, including but not limited to instant transfers, card usage, or account maintenance.

• The Contractor shall not introduce new fees, increase existing fees, or alter the baseline fee structure charged to TSA employees without prior written notification. If the

Contractor intends to modify the fee structure during the period of performance, they must submit an Updated Fee Schedule to the Contracting Officer (CO) and Contracting Officer’s Representative (COR) for review no less than thirty (30) calendar days prior to the intended implementation date.

• All employee-paid fees shall be collected by the Contractor exclusively via direct Automated Clearing House (ACH) debit from the employee’s personal bank account or via a linked debit card. TSA and the National Finance Center (NFC) will not establish, maintain, or process voluntary payroll allotments or system-level deductions to satisfy contractor fees or advanced wage recoupments.

3.5 Continuity of Operations During Government Shutdowns

• The Contractor shall maintain full, uninterrupted EWA services for all enrolled TSA employees in the event of a partial or full federal government shutdown.

• The Contractor shall be able to support and fund continuous EWA operations for a minimum of four (4) months (120 calendar days) during a shutdown, without receiving recoupment or data transmissions from the U.S. Government.

• The Contractor shall utilize its pre-approved alternative methodology to safely calculate available balances if official payroll data exchanges (NFC) are suspended.

• The Contractor shall be prepared to cover both exempt and non-exempt employees during a government shutdown.

• In the event of a partial or full federal government shutdown, all official agency-sponsored EWA platform operations, employer-data integrations, and data exchange shall continue. During a lapse in federal appropriations, the Contractor may, at its own commercial risk, provide liquidity options directly to enrolled individuals as a standard private consumer financial product. Any capital extended during this period shall be a private arrangement between the Contractor and the employee. TSA and the U.S.

Government shall play no role in calculating balances, tracking liabilities, or facilitating the recoupment of funds advanced during a shutdown.

3.6 Fund Liability and Transfer Responsibility

• The Contractor shall assume sole financial and legal liability for all funds transferred throughout the EWA lifecycle.

• The Contractor is fully liable for any funds advanced, routed, or cleared through its platform. This liability remains with the Contractor until the funds are successfully received and cleared by either the intended TSA employee or their designated personal financial institution.

• Neither the U.S. Government nor the TSA shall be liable for any transaction failures, routing errors, ACH delays, or losses incurred during the transfer of funds between the Contractor, the payroll processor, and the employee.

3.7 Performance Metrics and Program Management

The Contractor shall:

• Track and report on Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) to measure service effectiveness and system integrity. KPIs shall include, at a minimum:

• System Availability: Monthly uptime percentage of the platform.

• Data Latency: Time from receipt of payroll data to its reflection in an employee's available balance.

• Enrollment Rate: Percentage of eligible employees who have voluntarily enrolled.

• Employee Satisfaction: Measured via periodic, voluntary user surveys.

• Prepare and deliver a Monthly Program Management Review (PMR) report summarizing enrollment metrics, system performance against KPIs, security and compliance status (including open POA&M items), and any issues or risks encountered.

• Prepare and deliver documentation (e.g., audited financial statements, statement of available capital) sufficient to demonstrate the financial capacity to fund all employee wage advances for the anticipated TSA user base without risk or liability to the U.S.

Government.

• Designate a Program Manager to serve as the primary point of contact for all contract-related matters.

3.7.1 Transition-In Support

The Contractor shall be responsible for all activities to ensure a seamless and timely start of service. The Transition-In Plan shall include, at a minimum:

• A project plan with milestones for completing the integration with TSA’s payroll provider (NFC) and launching the service.

• A communication plan for coordinating with government stakeholders.

• Identification of key personnel and their roles during the implementation phase.

3.7.2 Transition-Out Support

At contract end, or at any time during the period of performance at the request of the Contracting Officer, the Contractor shall be responsible for all activities to ensure a seamless transition to a new contractor or to the government. The Transition-Out Plan shall detail the procedures for:

• Data and Records Transfer: The Contractor shall securely transfer a complete and final copy of all TSA data to the government in a non-proprietary, machine-readable format.

This includes, but is not limited to, all employee enrollment data, historical transaction logs, and system audit records.

• Continuity of Service: The Contractor shall coordinate with the incoming vendor to ensure EWA services remain operational and uninterrupted for employees during the transition period.

• Knowledge Transfer: The Contractor shall provide documentation and support to the incoming vendor regarding the specific technical configurations of the NFC data exchange and other operational procedures.

• Asset Disposition: The Contractor shall certify the secure return or destruction of all Government Furnished Information (GFI) and provide a final certification of data sanitization.

3.8 Government Furnished Equipment (GFE) / Government Furnished Information (GFI)

3.8.1 Government Furnished Equipment

The Government will furnish computer hardware, software, or peripherals on an as needed basis.

3.8.2 Government Furnished Information

TSA will provide the latest available payroll information as needed.

3.9 Performance Constraints

Performance under this PWS and resulting task order shall be in accordance with all applicable laws and regulations policy to include the following:

• Title 5 of the United States Code – as applicable to TSA

• 5 CFR – as applicable to TSA

• TSA Management Directives (MDs) and Handbooks

• Aviation and Transportation Security Act (ATSA), Public Law 107-71 (November 19, 2001):

https://www.tsa.gov/sites/default/files/aviation_and_transportation_security_act_atsa_pub lic_law_107_1771.pdf

DRAFT

https://www.tsa.gov/sites/default/files/aviation_and_transportation_security_act_atsa_public_law_107_1771.pdf https://www.tsa.gov/sites/default/files/aviation_and_transportation_security_act_atsa_public_law_107_1771.pdf

• TSA MD 1100.57-3 Recruitment, Referral, Relocation, and Retention Incentives

• 6 USC 344: DHS Chief Human Capital Officer – See (B) Responsibilities (1) and (2) http://uscode.house.gov/view.xhtml?req=(title:6%20section:344%20edition:prelim)

• 5 USC Ch. 14: Agency Chief Human Capital Officers – See section 1402 (a)(1) and (2) http://uscode.house.gov/view.xhtml?path=/prelim@title5/part2/chapter14&edition=preli m

• Total Compensation:

• 1100.55-8 Premium Pay

• 1100.53-7 Setting Pay Upon Appointment

• 1100.57-3 Recruitment, Referral, Relocation, and Retention Incentives 1100.53-8 Setting

Pay After Appointment.

4.0 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.

4.1 Section 508 Requirements for Technology Services

1. When developing or modifying ICT, the Contractor is required to validate ICT deliverables for conformance to the applicable Section 508 requirements.

DRAFT

http://uscode.house.gov/view.xhtml?req=(title:6%20section:344%20edition:prelim) http://uscode.house.gov/view.xhtml?req=(title:6%20section:344%20edition:prelim) http://uscode.house.gov/view.xhtml?req=(title:6%20section:344%20edition:prelim) http://uscode.house.gov/view.xhtml?path=/prelim@title5/part2/chapter14&edition=prelim http://uscode.house.gov/view.xhtml?path=/prelim@title5/part2/chapter14&edition=prelim http://uscode.house.gov/view.xhtml?path=/prelim@title5/part2/chapter14&edition=prelim https://uscode.house.gov/view.xhtml?req=(title:29%20section:794d%20edition:prelim)%20OR%20(granuleid:USC-prelim-title29-section794d)&f=treesort&edition=prelim&num=0&jumpTo=true https://www.ecfr.gov/cgi-bin/text-idx?SID=e1c6735e25593339a9db63534259d8ec&mc=true&node=pt36.3.1194&rgn=div5 https://www.ecfr.gov/cgi-bin/text-idx?SID=e1c6735e25593339a9db63534259d8ec&mc=true&node=pt36.3.1194&rgn=div5

Validation shall occur on a frequency that ensures Section 508 requirements is evaluated within each iteration and release that contains user interface functionality.

2. 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.

3. 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.

4. 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

5. 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

DRAFT

https://www.dhs.gov/trusted-tester https://www.dhs.gov/compliance-test-processes https://www.dhs.gov/compliance-test-processes https://www.dhs.gov/trusted-tester 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.

6. Contractor personnel shall possess the knowledge, skills and abilities necessary to address the accessibility requirements in this work statement.

4.2 Section 508 Deliverables

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.

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.

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.

DRAFT

https://www.dhs.gov/trusted-tester https://www.itic.org/policy/accessibility/vpat

4. Other Section 508 Documentation: The following documentation shall be provided upon request for ICT items offered through this contract:

o Documentation of features provided to help achieve accessibility and usability for people with disabilities.

o Documentation on how to configure and install the ICT Item to support accessibility.

o Documentation of core functions that cannot be accessed by persons with disabilities.

o Documentation of remediation plans to address non-conformance to the Section 508 standards

5.0 Deliverables

# Deliverable Due Date Section Recipient

1 Monthly Program Management Review (PMR) Report

Monthly, NLT 10th business day

3.7 COR, CO

2 Fee Schedule NLT 30 calendar days prior to any proposed change in employee fees

3.4 COR, CO, HC

payroll team

3 Transition-In Plan At Post-Award Kickoff Meeting 3.7.1 COR, CO

4 Transition-Out Plan 90 calendar days prior to contract expiration

3.7.2 COR, CO

5 Final Data and Records Transfer

At contract expiration / transition

3.7.2 COR, CO, IT

SME