Attachment 3- Quality Assurance Plan.docx

C.8.5 Quality Control C.8.5.1 Quality Control Plan A Quality Control Plan is required and shall be a component in the Contractor’s Plan of Operations submitted to the Government following the prework meeting. The Quality Control Plan shall identify the steps the Contractor will take to ensure data collected is complete, accurate, and meets contract standards and requirements.

C.8.5.2 Quality Assurance Plan The Government’s Quality Assurance Plan is established in the section below. The plan outlines the minimum number of compliance inspections the government will perform on plots that have been completed by the contractor for quality control. At a minimum the government will inspect 10% of the plots submitted, and on each inspected plot a minimum of 10% of the trees. An example is provided in Exhibit 11.

Exhibit 11: Example of Number of Plots/Trees to Inspect (Government)

Number of plots/trees

Government Inspects 10%

C.9 Inspection and Acceptance

When the Contractor has completed all requirements on a block of plots the Contractor will submit that block of data sheets and/or electronic file(s) for those plots to the Government for compliance inspection. Blocks will remain intact from initial turn-in through acceptance.

An inspection block, as submitted by the Contractor, will contain a minimum of 50 plots and a maximum of 150 plots, and will consist of complete stands. The initial inspection may be done on less than 50 plots if requested by Contractor.

C.10 Compliance Inspection

The CO will, by formal review, determine if the specified progress and methods of work are being carried out. Failure to comply with specified work standards may be cause for termination of the Contractor’s right to proceed.

C.11 Inspection of Work

The Government will inspect the stand examinations to determine compliance with contract specifications and to provide a basis for payment. The Contractor shall submit completed work within seven (7) days after completion of each block to the CO. The Government is not under any obligation to inspect more than 50 plots of submitted and completed work per week.

Completed work, consisting of any required paper forms, and electronic data will be turned in for inspection in blocks. When electronic data is provided, the inspection will be based on a printout of the electronic data.

The Government will make the compliance inspection of each block of completed stands within a number of days defined by the following formula: inspection time period = [7 days * (# Plots Submitted) / 50] without cost to the Contractor. For example, if the Contractor submitted 100 plots [7* (100/50) the Government would have 14 days to inspect them. No charge will be made for the first rework inspection. Thereafter, any contract re-inspection required will be at the Contractor's expense. Re-inspection charges may include, but are not limited to: inspector's wages for travel time to and from work site; inspector's wages to re-inspect; per diem cost (meals, lodging, field costs); COR wages; and vehicle use rate and mileage.

C.12 Demonstration of Inspection Procedures

Upon written request from the Contractor, the Government will perform one demonstration inspection of one sample plot at no cost to the Contractor as an example of inspection procedures and demonstration of potential problems. The Contractor shall accompany the Government inspector on the inspection.

C.13 Pass-fail check of specified standards and procedures for each block.

Site examinations deficient in any of the following specifications are unacceptable on a "pass-fail" basis and will be returned to the Contractor with the entire block for rework. The determination of noncompliance with these items may be made during the office edit or during field inspection. Many of the following items appear on the Inspection Point Score Calculation Form included in the exhibits.

1. All completed forms and electronic data not submitted to the Forest Service in a timely manner after Contractor completion.

2. Forms/maps that are illegible or cannot be reproduced on a copying machine.

3. Electronic data that cannot be read by Government computers.

4. Located plot centers not within acceptable distance of plot location based on Government provided data or where plot location bias is evident.

5. Stands having less than the prescribed number of sample plots examined. Refer to the Stand Data Sheet provided at the prework meeting.

6. Sample plot center falls outside the stand boundary as identified on the stand map. Reference GIS data, Topographic stand and pre-assigned sample plot map/s.

7. Any sample plot center which cannot be located because of improper plot center labeling or because of improper reference point labeling, or for any other reason attributable to noncompliance with specifications.

8. Stands with less than the minimum number of site and/or growth trees (as specified).

9. Stands submitted with incomplete information on any form; paper or electronic.

10. Any form with inaccurate stand location and stand number data.

11. Stands where government supplied information are incompletely or inaccurately transcribed onto the forms.

12. Stands with an error or incomplete information in a field designated “Unacceptable” in the Point Value column (A) on the Common Stand Exam Inspection Form beginning at Slide 1.

C.13.1 Point deduction for each deficient entry or procedure on an inspection site

Acceptable tolerance levels for individual measurements are shown on each Exam Inspection Form located in the exhibits. Any item or measurement indicated by inspection to be outside these tolerance levels will be assigned a point deduction. Points will only be assigned to data fields specified as “Required” in the Performance Work Statement and point deductions will be calculated separately for each form. An inspection/payment block may fail based on an individual form score or on the total form score calculation.

The number of errors for each field for the entire inspection/payment block is recorded in column 'B', "Number of Errors". The Point Deduction, column 'C', is calculated by multiplying the number of errors, column B, by the "Point Value", column 'A'. The Point Deductions are then totaled at the bottom of column 'C' in the "Total Deductions" field (D). This is then divided by the number of stands, plots or tree data records inspected- Field (E) to calculate the "Form Score" -Field (F). Field (E) is the number of stands, plots, or tree data records actually inspected for that Form.

In determining pass/fail for Form Score or Total Score for inspections the government score will prevail.

C.14 Error trend

If during inspection of selected plots or review of submitted data, the Government determines an error trend is occurring in the information being recorded by the Contractor, the Government will notify the Contractor of the findings. If the same trend continues in future inspection blocks, the blocks will be returned for rework even if the blocks have passing inspection scores. For example, all tree heights are measured taller by 15% when 10%+/- is the tolerance. Even though all other measurements are within tolerance, the work could be returned for correction.

C.15 Determination of Acceptable Work

An inspection, as stated above, will be performed by the Government for the evaluation of contract specification compliance. The following will be used for determination of acceptable or unacceptable work. Note that the form is a standardized template for Common Stand Examinations, and only those fields specified as “Required” in the Performance Work Statement will be assessed on the contract.

Side 1

PROJECT NAME --- CONTRACT NUMBER

FOREST / UNIT

DATE BLOCK RECEIVED

OFFICE INSPECTION

ALL REQUIRED MATERIALS RETURNED IN GOOD CONDITION

CORRECT NUMBER OF PLOTS COMPLETED IN EACH STAND

ALL REQUIRED FORMS AND FIELDS COMPLETED AND LEGIBLE

MIN. NO. OF SITE/GROWTH TREES COLLECTED FOR EACH SETTING

ELECTRONIC DATA COMPLETE AND ACCEPTABLE

FIELD INSPECTION

ALL REFERENCE POINTS AND PLOT CENTERS RELOCATABLE

ALL PLOT LOCATIONS CORRECT AND UNBIASED

ALL STANDS HAVE A PLOT DISTRIBUTION THAT EQUALLY SAMPLES ALL PORTIONS OF THE ENTIRE STAND

SUFFICIENT ERRORS ACCUMULATE TO INDICATE A DISCREPANCY TREND

ALL INFORMATION ON SAMPLE DESIGN FORMS COMPLETE AND CORRECT

ALL SETTINGS AND PLOTS HAVE CORRECT SETTING ID

TOTAL FORM SCORE CALCULATION

Setting Form Score

Sample Design Form Score

Plot Form Score

Total Tree Form Score

TOTAL SCORE (sum of all scores)

OFFICE AND FIELD INSPECTION

-- ANY UNACCEPTABLE ITEM FAILS INSPECTION BLOCK

INSPECTION BLOCK

TOTAL FORM SCORE CALCULATION

PASS

FAIL

Errors in any field that has a Point Value of "unacceptable" will fail the block

INSPECTION CREW SIGNATURES:

DATE

DATE

COMMENTS AND FOLLOW-UP ACTION on side 2 side 2

POINTS INSPECTED

COMMENTS -- OFFICE EDIT:

COMMENTS -- FIELD INSPECTIONS:

FOLLOW-UP ACTION:

SETTING INSPECTION FORM

Total Deductions (sum of Col ‘C’)

D

Number of Stands Inspected

E

Setting Form Score (D / E)

F

SAMPLE DESIGN INSPECTION FORM

Total Deductions (sum of column 'C')

D

Number of Stands Inspected

E

Sample Design Form Score (D / E)

F

PLOT INSPECTION FORM

FIELD NUM

NAME

Total Deductions (sum of column 'C')

D

Number of Plots Inspected

E

Plot Form Score (D / E)

F

1) Year required if field #13 is other than code 10 or blank

TREE INSPECTION FORM

SAMPLE PLOT -- Variable Radius and/or Fixed Area Plot/Transect

Deductions (sum of column 'C')

D

Tree Records Inspected

E

Sample Score (D / E)

F

1) Tree Count Accuracy Standards:

Intensive, Extensive and Quick Plot Exam Level Height Diameter Trees Range Range on Point Tolerance *All All 0 0 Trees <0.5 feet 1-5 ± 2 trees <0.5 feet 6+ ± 50% >0.5 feet <0.5 in. 1-5 ± 1 tree >0.5 feet <0.5 in 6+ ± 20% All .5" - breakpoint d.b.h 1-5 ± 1 tree All .5" - breakpoint d.b.h. 6+ ± 10% All breakpoint d.b.h. + 1+ 0 trees

*There is no tolerance for recording a tree when none are actually present in any of the above size classes. The recording of more than one variable plot tree in a stand that is either incorrectly included or not included will result in a failed block. Accuracy tolerance for borderline variable plot trees is ± 0.3 feet.

2) DBH/DRC Accuracy Standards:

Quick Plot Exam Level

± .5 inch 0.1 inches – 4.9 inches (< 15 feet in height) ± 1 inch 0.1 inches - 4.9 inches (> 15 feet in height)

± 5% 5.0 inches+

C.16 Rework of Unacceptable Work

The Government reserves the right to require unacceptable blocks, as determined under Section C.15, Determination of Acceptable Work, to be reworked. Upon written notification by the CO that a block is unacceptable, the Contractor may be required to complete and submit rework before beginning work on another block. The Government will specify rework requirements for each unacceptable block. In the case of data errors, the Government can require that they be corrected. In the case of plot location errors, the Government may require that the plots be relocated and measured.

b. Point deduction failures require:

For failure due to a Form Score: Correct individual items or measurements in the Form that failed. (i.e., if Tree Form fails, then only that form would need to be reworked). This may require revisiting all stands and sample plots in the block.

For failure due to a Total Score: Correct all items and measurements on all forms. This may require revisiting all stands and sample plots in the block.

For a failure due to a Form Score and a Total Score: If a block fails due to both a Form score and a Total score, then the rework will be the same as for a Total score failure.

c. Trend error failures require rework of all items identified as having an error trend.

The Government will re-inspect blocks of data that have been reworked to determine compliance.

If reworked and re-inspected blocks fail during the first re-inspection, additional rework may be allowed at the discretion of the Contracting Officer. Failure to pass inspection on rework may result in contract default.

C.17 Re-inspection upon Contractor Request

If the original inspection results are not acceptable to the Contractor, a re-inspection may be requested, in writing, up to seven (7) days after receiving notification of unacceptable work. If the re-inspection confirms the results of the original inspection, the Contractor shall reimburse the Government for actual costs incurred for performing re-inspection. If re-inspection indicates that work does meet acceptable standards, the Government assumes the cost of re-inspection.

C.18 Payment

Payments should be based on each block of accepted plots.

Work that has not been performed in accordance with the terms of this contract shall not be paid. Payment will be made only for work completed and accepted.

The Department of Agriculture (USDA) mandated the transition of all Integrated Acquisition System (IAS) payments to the US Treasury Invoice Processing Platform (IPP). This allows electronic routing and approval of IAS related invoices.

Treasury's IPP enables vendors to electronically enter, submit, as well as track invoice status. The invoice information entered by the Vendors in IPP is used to route the invoice through the appropriate approval process, based on the contract.

The Contractor and COR should discuss the elements of a proper invoice prior to submission for payment. Invoices should include the Contract and/or Purchase Order number, unique invoice number, invoice date, name and address of contractor, vendor identification code (VID = taxpayer id number (TIN) + assigned alpha character, provided to contractor by Contracting Officer), and total due for the accepted plots.