Attachment 1 - Performance Work Statement (PWS).pdf

PERFORMANCE WORK STATEMENT

Veteran Town Hall Telecommunications for

Dayton VA Medical Center

17 August 2023

Section 1: General Information

1.1 GENERAL. This is a non-personnel services contract in which the contractor shall provide Veteran Town Hall Telecommunications for Dayton VA Medical Center (DVAMC) in Ohio.

The government shall not exercise any supervision or control over the contract service providers performing the services herein. The contractor shall provide all personnel, equipment, supplies, facilities, transportation, tools, materials, supervision, and other items necessary to provide services as established in this Performance Work Statement (PWS).

1.2 SCOPE SUMMARY: The contractor shall provide DVAMC Community & Public Relations Service (CPRS) a multimedia communications solution that offers telephone communications. These communications are targeted to Veteran audiences for the purposes of two types of events, hosting Veteran Tele-Town Hall meetings and giving important information via Telephone Robocall Events of recorded messages. Utilizing telephone technology, the service shall have the capability of dialing out to thousands of pre-determined Veterans at once.

For Veteran Tele-Town Hall Meetings, there are several required services. The vendor shall call each participant prior to the event. The vendor shall provide pre-recorded robocalls to all identified participants prior to each event, regardless of size, to advertise the event, and provide date and time information. This will occur approximately ten (10) times over the course of a twelve (12) month period. Vendor shall have capability to record up to a sixty

(60) second message which is written and voiced by a DVAMC designated staff member.

This sixty (60) second message shall be played during the pre-event call and must be adaptable for both live answered calls and voicemail answered calls. The vendor shall utilize phone number lists provided by the DVAMC to call up to 15,000 phone numbers at once.

For the main Telephone Town Hall Event the vendor shall call each participant for a live call for up to sixty (60) minutes in length. This will occur approximately ten (10) times over the course of a twelve (12) month period. Veteran participants shall be granted access to an audio meeting scheduled for no longer than sixty (60) minutes. The vendor shall provide a minimum of two (2) screeners to collect questions before they are asked during the town halls. The call shall have the capability for Veterans to listen in on live call, ask questions to screeners, talk live to DVAMC panel of experts, and participate in poll questions. The Telephone Town Hall Event shall begin and end at times specified by Dayton VAMC leadership. Vendor shall provide post-event reports via secure website platform accessible to USG requiring office or by encrypted email to USG PM. Vendor shall submit an invoice for each event within two weeks of rendering services.

The Telephone Robocall Events will consist of a pre-recorded message of up to sixty (60) seconds being relayed to Veterans. There are two different frequencies and a different total number of recipients as part of this requirement.

In the first set of Telephone Robocall Events, the contractor shall utilize phone number lists provided by the DVAMC to call up to 10,000 phone numbers, at once to announce special events and resources. Vendor shall have capability to record up to a sixty (60) second message which is written and voiced by a DVAMC designated staff member. This sixty (60) second message shall be played during the Telephone Robocall Event and must be adaptable for both live answered calls and voicemail answered calls. This call shall occur approximately twelve (12) times over the course of a twelve (12) month period. Vendor shall provide post-event reports via secure website platform accessible to USG requiring office or by encrypted email to USG PM. Vendor shall submit an invoice for each event within 2 weeks of rendering services.

In the second set of Telephone Robocall Events, the contractor shall utilize phone number lists provided by the DVAMC to call up to 70,000 phone numbers, at once to announce special events and resources. Vendor shall have capability to record up to a sixty (60) second message which is written and voiced by a DVAMC designated staff member. This sixty (60) second message shall be played during the Telephone Robocall Event and must be adaptable for both live answered calls and voicemail answered calls. This call shall occur approximately two (2) times over the course of a twelve (12) month period. Vendor shall provide post-event reports via secure website platform accessible to USG requiring office or by encrypted email to USG PM. Vendor shall submit an invoice for each event within 2 weeks of rendering services.

1.3 Period of Performance: The periods of performance for this requirement to include base and options are summarized as follows:

Base Period: 30 September 2023 to 29 September 2024 Option Period One (1): 30 September 2024 to 29 September 2025 Option Period Two (2): 30 September 2025 to 29 September 2026 Option Period Three (3): 30 September 2026 to 29 September 2027 Option Period Four (4): 30 September 2027 to 29 September 2028

1.4 Place of Performance: The place of performance shall be at the contractor’s facility for DVAMC and its operating facilities:

Dayton Veterans Affairs Medical Center (DVAMC) 4100 West Third Street Dayton, OH 45428

1.5 Hours of Operation: Business hours of the DVAMC except for federally recognized national holidays.

1.6 Work Schedule: All work shall be coordinated with the government project manager (PM) and if the PM has any or all questions concerning the requirements within the contract, the PM will consult with the Contracting Officer to avoid disruptions or conflicts between the government functions and the provision of service under this contract.

1.7 Type of Contract: The government will award a Firm Fixed Price contract.

1.8 Contract Changes: If the contractor receives a request from VA personnel directing or requesting work that the contractor believes is not within the terms of the PWS or the contract, then the contractor must notify the government PM and the Contracting Officer of the request.

The only person that has the authority to modify the terms of the contract or request work for which compensation will be provided is the Contracting Officer.

1.9 Invoicing: All invoices from the contractor shall be submitted electronically in accordance with VAAR Clause 852.232-72 Electronic Submission of Payment Requests.

VA’s Electronic Invoice Presentment and Payment System – The FSC uses a third-party contractor, Tungsten, to transition vendors from paper to electronic invoice submission.

Please go to this website: http://www.tungsten-network.com/US/en/veterans-affairs/ to begin submitting electronic invoices, free of charge.

More information on the VA Financial Services Center is available at http://www.fsc.va.gov/einvoice.asp.

Section 2: Definitions & Acronyms

2.1 Definitions:

Contractor. A supplier or vendor awarded a contract to provide specific supplies or service to the government. The term used in this contract refers to the prime.

Contracting Officer (CO). A person with the authority to enter into, administers, and/or terminates contracts and makes related findings. The Contracting Officer is the only individual who has the authority to contractually bind the Government. The Contracting Officer may designate a Government employee to act as his authorized technical representative.

Project Manager (PM). The person designated as the authorized representative of the Contracting Officer acting within the limits of his/her authority. This individual shall not be authorized to award, agree to, or sign any contract or modification thereto, or in any way to obligate the payment of money by the Government. The PM advises the Contracting Officer on matters relating to this contract, verifies completion of the work, certifies invoices related to completed work, and ensures compliance with all provisions of the contract.

Corrective Action. Action taken by the contractor to correct a deficiency and identify the cause(s) of the deficiency.

2.2 Acronyms:

CO Contracting Officer PWS Performance Work Statement PM Project Manager VA Veterans Affairs

Section 3: Government Furnished Property, Equipment, and Services

3.1 GOVERNMENT FURNISHED EQUIPMENT/SUPPLIES.

3.1.1 The government will not be providing any government furnished equipment/supplies for this contract.

3.1.2 The government will provide the use of phone numbers provided by the Dayton VA to vendor for the use with Veteran Town Hall activities by way of VA form 0752 Confidentiality of Sensitive Information Non-Disclosure Agreement. The contractor shall adhere to all applicable Federal, State and Local laws, rules, regulations and procedures as required to perform services under this contract to include protection of patient personal information in accordance with the terms and conditions established in this contract.

3.2 CONTRACTOR USE OF VAMC EQUIPMENT AND SUPPLIES.

3.2.1 The contractor shall not utilize any DVAMC equipment or supplies for this contract.

Section 4: Contractor Furnished Items and Services

The contractor shall provide all personnel necessary to assure that all services are in accordance with the contract and all applicable laws and regulations. The contractor shall ensure all work meets performance standards specified in this Performance Work Statement (PWS) and referenced documents.

Section 5: Records Management

5.1 Contractor shall comply with all applicable records management laws and regulations, as well as National Archives and Records Administration (NARA) records policies, including but not limited to the Federal Records Act (44 U.S.C. chs. 21, 29, 31, 33), NARA regulations at 36 CFR Chapter XII Subchapter B, and those policies associated with the safeguarding of records covered by the Privacy Act of 1974 (5 U.S.C. 552a). These policies include the preservation of all records, regardless of form or characteristics, mode of transmission, or state of completion.

5.2 In accordance with 36 CFR 1222.32, all data created for Government use and delivered to, or falling under the legal control of, the Government are Federal records subject to the provisions of 44 U.S.C. chapters 21, 29, 31, and 33, the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) (5 U.S.C. 552), as amended, and the Privacy Act of 1974 (5 U.S.C. 552a), as amended and must be managed and scheduled for disposition only as permitted by statute or regulation.

5.3 In accordance with 36 CFR 1222.32, Contractor shall maintain all records created for Government use or created in the course of performing the contract and/or delivered to, or under the legal control of the Government and must be managed in accordance with Federal law. Electronic records and associated metadata must be accompanied by sufficient technical documentation to permit understanding and use of the records and data.

5.4 DVAMC and its contractors are responsible for preventing the alienation or unauthorized destruction of records, including all forms of mutilation. Records may not be removed from the legal custody of DVAMC or destroyed except for in accordance with the provisions of the agency records schedules and with the written concurrence of the Head of the Contracting Activity. Willful and unlawful destruction, damage or alienation of Federal records is subject to the fines and penalties imposed by 18U.S.C. 2701. In the event of any unlawful or accidental removal, defacing, alteration, or destruction of records, Contractor must report to DVAMC. The agency must report promptly to NARA in accordance with 36 CFR 1230.

5.5 The contractor shall immediately notify the appropriate Contracting Officer upon discovery of any inadvertent or unauthorized disclosures of information, data, documentary materials, records or equipment. Disclosure of non-public information is limited to authorized personnel with a need-to-know as described in the Town Hall Platform contract. The Contractor shall ensure that the appropriate personnel, administrative, technical, and physical safeguards are established to ensure the security and confidentiality of this information, data, documentary material, records and/or equipment is properly protected. The Contractor shall not remove material from Government facilities or systems, or facilities or systems operated or maintained on the Government’s behalf, without the express written permission of the Head of the Contracting Activity. When information, data, documentary material, records and/or equipment is no longer required, it shall be returned to DVAMC control or the Contractor must hold it until otherwise directed. Items returned to the Government shall be hand carried, mailed, emailed, or securely electronically transmitted to the Contracting Officer or address prescribed in the Town Hall Platform contract. Destruction of records is EXPRESSLY PROHIBITED unless in accordance with Paragraph (4).

Section 6: Specific Tasks

Standards: All digital media communication messages, content, and representation is fully controlled and managed by the DVAMC CPRS Public Affairs staff.

All phone numbers and other data from Veterans and VA employees is the intellectual property of DVAMC, which shall not be utilized by the contractor for any purpose.

The contractor shall purge all phone numbers and other data associated with this contract from the contractor’s information systems upon request by an authorized government representative specified by the contracting officer in writing.

6.1 Performance Requirements Summary. The performance requirements are the thresholds of minimum acceptable levels of service critical to successful performance of this contract which are summarized as follows:

PERFORMANCE REQUIREMENTS SUMMARY

Performance Objectives

Performance Standard Acceptable Quality

Level (AQL)

Method of Monitoring

1) Telephone Town Hall Events

Telephone Town Hall Event for 1‐15,000 participants.

Vendor shall have capability to record up to a sixty (60) second message.

Vendor shall transmit reminder calls up to 60 second with pre‐recorded message.

Vendor shall call each participant for up to 60 minutes in length.

Minimum two (2) screeners

Vendor shall provide polling ability during call for all participants.

This call shall occur approximately ten (10) times over the course of a twelve (12) month period.

100% Compliance

The PM or government representative designated in writing by the CO will conduct random checks to ensure compliance with this performance standard.

2) Telephone Robocall Event 1‐10,000 Participants

Telephone Robocall Event for 1‐10,000 participants.

Vendor shall have capability to record up to a sixty (60) second message.

Sixty (60) second message shall be played during the Telephone Robocall Event and must be adaptable for both live answered calls and voicemail answered calls.

This call shall occur approximately twelve (12) times over the course of a twelve (12) month period.

100% Compliance

The PM or government representative designated in writing by the CO will conduct random checks to ensure compliance with this performance standard.

3) Telephone Robocall Event 1‐70,000 Participants

Telephone Town Hall Event for 1‐70,000 participants

Vendor shall have capability to record up to a sixty (60) second message.

Sixty (60) second message shall be played during the Telephone Robocall Event and must be adaptable for both live answered calls and voicemail answered calls.

This call shall occur approximately two (2) times over the course of a twelve (12) month period.

100% Compliance

The PM or government representative designated in writing by the CO will conduct random checks to ensure compliance with this performance standard.

3) Data Security Town hall participant response data is deliverable and accessible by VHA via HTTPS or FTPS protocol and allows for secure movement of collected data from VENDOR to VHA following FIPS 140.2 Compliance as required for data exchange when exchanging information defined as Protected Health Information (PHI) or Personally Identifiable Information (PII).

100% Compliance

The PM or government representative designated in writing by the CO will conduct random checks to ensure compliance with this performance standard.

4) Post Event Reporting

Vendor shall provide post‐event reports via secure website platform accessible to USG requiring office or by encrypted email to USG PM.

The following metrics will be available within 24 hours of call completion “prefer real time”.

Example of minimally required reports follows:

Total calls made

Total calls answered

Total calls disconnected

Time call was active in Minutes

98% On‐time Rate

The PM or government representative designated in writing by the CO will conduct random checks to ensure compliance with this performance standard.

Percent of participants staying on the phone line for the duration of the call

5) Planning & Implementation

The contractor shall provide remote live or online training sessions for VA Employees;

training may be recorded; any system upgrades. Vendor shall provide training sessions free of charge; assist managers in creating user manuals; create pulse campaigns; technical support online and via phone.

98% Compliance

The PM or government representative designated in writing by the CO will conduct random checks to ensure compliance with this performance standard.

6) Invoicing Accuracy, Timeliness and Billing Errors

The contractor shall submit invoices in a timely manner for work performed monthly in the arrears not later than 2 weeks after performance in accordance with the PRICE/COST SCHEDULE, the PWS and the overall terms and conditions established in the contract.

98% On‐time Rate

The PM or government representative designated in writing by the CO will conduct random checks to ensure compliance with this performance standard.

7) Compliance with English Language Requirement

The contractor shall ensure that all employees are fully proficient in the English language at a level sufficient to seamlessly perform all services required in accordance with the terms and conditions of this contract.

100% Compliance

The PM or government representative designated in writing by the CO will conduct random checks to ensure compliance with this performance standard.

8) Compliance with FAR 52.219‐14 Limitations on Subcontracting Requirements

The contractor shall submit confirmation of compliance with the FAR 52.219‐14 ‐‐ Limitations on Subcontracting requirement that “at least 50 percent of the cost of contract performance incurred for personnel shall be expended for employees of the concern” as specified by the Contracting Officer (CO) in writing within four (4) hours of request.

100% Compliance

The Contracting Officer (CO) will conduct random compliance checks with the contractor as necessary.

9) Compliance with DOL Wage Determination Labor Rate Requirement

The contractor shall submit confirmation of compliance with the current Department of Labor (DOL) wage determination (WD) hourly rate if requested by the Contracting Officer (CO) in writing within four (4) hours of request which may include an itemized list of the hourly rate being paid for all employees performing services under this contract.

100% Compliance

The Contracting Officer (CO) will conduct random compliance checks with the contractor as necessary.

NOTE: The performance of these requirements by contractor will be documented by the government in the CPARS system based on the contractor’s ability to comply with the terms and conditions established in the contract.

6.2 Contractor Personnel

6.2.1 The contractor or representative shall be available during normal duty hours to respond by telephone within thirty (30) minutes of notification by the PM and shall be available to meet with PM or designated representative within 2 hours after notification to discuss problem areas.

After normal duty hours, the contractor or representative shall be available within 3 hours.

6.2.2 The contractor’s employees shall be fluent in English and shall be able to read, write, speak, understand and communicate effectively in English.

6.2.3 Prior to beginning performance under this contract, the contractor shall provide the following: Contact phone numbers and email addresses of employees who will provide services under this contract.

6.2.4 The contractor shall notify the PM in writing whenever there is a change of personnel appointed to fulfill supervisory or shift leader function or when there is a planned absence of key personnel.

6.2.5 The contractor shall also be responsible for adhering to all requirements under the Privacy Act due to the possibility that confidential medical record information may be accessible and/or visible to contractor employees during performance of their daily duties. The contractor shall obtain a signed “Confidentiality Certificate” from each employee prior to allowing them to start work under this contract. The contractor shall keep a copy of confidentiality certificate on site for inspection purposes.

6.3 Building Security. Since there are no requirements for the contractor to be within the VAMC, there are no building requirement security measures necessary for this contract.

6.4 Safety. Since there are no requirements for the contractor to be within the VAMC, there are no building requirement safety measures necessary for this contract.

6.5 Interference to Normal Function. The contractor shall provide alternatives to performance of work with this contract if there are interruptions of their work at any time to avoid interference with delivering the tasks within this contract.

6.6 Damage and Equipment Loss. Since there is not equipment or supplies provided to the contractor this section is not applicable.

Section 7: Quality Assurance Surveillance Plan

To evaluate contractor performance and ensure quality of work provided by the contractor, the PM will conduct weekly meetings with the Contractor to assure all tasks are delivered in a timely manner as outlined in the contract.

8.0 GENERAL REQUIREMENTS

8.1 General: To evaluate contractor performance and ensure quality of work provided by the contractor, the PM will conduct weekly meetings with the contractor to assure all tasks are delivered in a timely manner as outlined in the contract.

8.2 Quality Control: The contractor shall develop and maintain an effective quality control program to ensure services are performed in accordance with this PWS. The contractor shall identify and define the management concept for ensuring compliance with all contract requirements. The contractor shall develop and implement procedures to identify, prevent, and ensure non-recurrence of defective services. The contractor will have an on-going quality assurance and /or quality improvement program designed to objectively and systematically measure, assess, and improve performance to enhance services. The contractor’s quality control program is the means by which the contractor assures that all work complies with the requirement of the contract. The contractor shall provide a copy of the Quality Control Program (QCP) with their offeror as specified by the Contracting Officer and upon request thereafter.

After acceptance of the quality control plan, the contractor shall immediately notify the contracting officer of any proposed changes to their quality control program and submit a change request in writing to the contracting officer. The contractor shall furnish copies of these records if requested by the Contracting Officer, COR, COTR and/or government representative(s) designated by the CO in writing. The contractor’s quality control program shall incorporate all items specified in the Performance Requirements Summary (PRS) of this PWS.

8.3 Quality Assurance. The government shall evaluate the contractor’s performance under this contract in accordance with the Quality Assurance Surveillance Plan. This plan is primarily focused on what the government must do to ensure that the contractor has performed in accordance with the performance standards established in the PRS and the PWS. It defines how the performance standards will be applied, the frequency of surveillance, and the minimum acceptable defect rate(s) which shall include but is not limited to the following:

8.3.1 Feedback from Veterans and their Families, Visitors, Volunteers and VA staff:

Feedback may be obtained from either the results of formal customer satisfaction surveys or from compliments/complaints. In order for complaints to be considered valid, the individual(s) filing the complaint must do so in writing using a locally modified version of VA Form 21-4138 (Statement In Support of Claim). Copies of this form will be available from the CO designated government representative(s) and the VAACC Volunteer Service Desk at the main entrance. The CO designated government representative(s) shall collect completed compliment/complaint forms as they are submitted and retain them as part of the government’s QA/QC file. Complaints shall be investigated by the CO designated government representative(s) and if found to be valid the contractor shall be notified and instructed to correct the cause of the complaint. The CO designated government representative(s) shall additionally document validated complaints on a QASP PRS checklist.

8.3.2 Random Monitoring/Surveillance: As stated in the performance standards of the QASP, the Quality Assurance Evaluators (QAEs) as assigned by the CO designated government representative will monitor the contractor’s performance under the contract against the PRS. QAEs will be familiar with the QASP prior to the beginning of monitoring performance and will only have authority to document performance and provide documentation to the COR for his/her review. Documentation of performance will be retained as part of the Government’s QA/QC file. The CO designated government representative(s) shall enter all results of monitoring on a QASP PRS checklist.

8.3.3 System Generated Reports: As stated in the performance standards of the QASP, the CO designated government representative(s) will receive notifications from VA TMS when an employee is due/overdue for training. The CO designated government representative(s) shall ensure that the contractor’s On-Site manager is aware that employees are due/overdue for training or prohibited from performing duties under the contract until the training is complete as appropriate. System generated reports will be retained as part of the Government’s QA/QC file. The CO designated government representative(s) shall enter all results of this monitoring on a QASP PRS checklist.

8.3.4 Notification from VA Police: As stated in the performance standards of the QASP, the CO designated government representative(s) will receive notifications from VA Police of any incident that leads to the generation of a police report of property damage, report of theft or the arrest of an employee of the contractor. The CO designated government representative(s) immediately notify the CO of the incident and appropriate contractual action will be taken. Notifications of these incidents will be retained as part of the government’s QA/QC file. The CO designated government representative(s) shall enter all results of this monitoring on QASP PRS checklist.

8.3.5 Documenting Performance: The government shall maintain a QA/QC file of the contractor’s performance under the contract documenting positive and negative performance. The CO designated government representative(s) shall quarterly (based on the Federal Fiscal Year) generate a report for both the CO and the contractor based on the QASP PRS checklist for the three months of the quarter. Any communications (except routine) between the government and the contractor shall be summarized and any actions taken by the Government that affect the contract during the reporting period shall additionally be included. Other performance related issues or miscellaneous item will be included in the quarterly report.

8.3.5.1 If the contractor’s performance for any PRS line item does not meet the PRS performance standard during a monitoring period, the CO designated government representative shall generate a Contract Discrepancy Report (CDR) and present it to the CO for issuance to the contractor as appropriate. The CDR(s) shall specify the nature of the discrepancy, if there are required corrected actions and the timeline for taking corrective actions. The contractor shall acknowledge receipt of the CDR in writing and develop a Corrective Action Plan (CAP) if required. The government shall review the contractor’s CAP to determine acceptability.

8.3.5.2 CDRs and CAPs will become part of the government’s QA/QC file and may form the basis for contractual actions by the CO if deemed necessary to correct the contractor’s performance under the contract.

8.3.6 QASP Review and Updates: Prior to the exercising of any contract option periods, the CO, CO designated government representative(s) and contractor shall review the QASP to determine if any changes to the QASP are needed. The government retains final authority on what is contained in the QASP.

8.4 CONTRACTOR PERFORMANCE ASSESSMENT RATING SYSTEM (CPARS). The contractor is required to register in the Contractor Performance Assessment Rating System (CPARS). As prescribed in Federal Acquisition Regulation (FAR) Part 42.15, the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) evaluates contractor past performance on all contracts that exceed the dollar threshold specified in the FAR and may share those evaluations with other Federal Government contract specialists and procurement officials. The FAR requires that the contractor be provided an opportunity to comment on past performance evaluations prior to each report closing. To fulfill this requirement VA uses an online database. The CPARS database information is shared with the Past Performance Information Retrieval System (PPIRS) database, which is available to all Federal Agencies.

8.4.1 Each contractor whose contract award is estimated to exceed the dollar threshold specified in the FAR shall be required to register with the Contractor Performance Assessment Rating System (CPARS) database at the following https://www.cpars.gov/ or by calling (207) 438-1690. Registration should occur no later than thirty days after contract award and must be kept current should there be any change to the contractor’s registered representative.

8.4.2 For contracts with a period of one year or less, the contracting officer will perform a single evaluation when the contract is complete. For contracts exceeding one year, the contracting officer will evaluate the contractor’s performance annually. Interim reports will be filed each year until the last year of the contract when the final report will be completed. The report shall be assigned in CPARS to the contractor’s designated representative for comment. The contractor representative will have thirty days to submit any comments and re-assign the report to the VA contracting officer.

8.4.3 For contracts with a period of one year or less, the contracting officer will perform a single evaluation when the contract is complete. For contracts exceeding one year, the contracting officer will evaluate the contractor’s performance annually. Interim reports will be filed each year until the last year of the contract when the final report will be completed. The report shall be assigned in CPARS to the contractor’s designated representative for comment. The contractor representative will have thirty days to submit any comments and re-assign the report to the VA contracting officer.