Attachment A - EDI PWS.pdf

ATTACHMENT A – ELECTRONIC DATA INTERCHANGE (EDI) CENTER OPERATIONS TASK

E.1. BACKGROUND

E.1.1. CURRENT EMPLOYMENT STATISTICS

E.1.2. QUARTERLY CENSUS OF EMPLOYMENT AND WAGES

E.2. SCOPE AND DESCRIPTION OF SERVICES

E.2.1. OBJECTIVE

E.2.2. PERIOD OF PERFORMANCE

E.2.3. PLACE OF PERFORMANCE

E.2.4. GENERAL INFORMATION

E.2.5. TASK INDEX

E.3. QCEW TASKS

E.3.1. FILE RETRIEVAL

E.3.2. PRE-PROCESSING

E.3.3. PROCESSING

E.3.4. POST-PROCESSING

E.4. CES TASKS

E.4.1. FILE RETRIEVAL

E.4.2. PRE-PROCESSING

E.4.3. PROCESSING

E.4.4. POST-PROCESSING

E.5. QUESTIONS AND FIRM FOLLOW-UP

E.5.1. QUESTIONS AND FIRM FOLLOW-UP REQUIREMENTS

E.6. PROGRAMMING

E.6.1. PROGRAMMING REQUIREMENTS

E.7. QUALITY CONTROL AND TRAINING

E.7.1. QUALITY CONTROL AND TRAINING REQUIREMENTS

E.8. PROJECT MANAGEMENT

E.8.1. PROJECT MANAGEMENT REQUIREMENTS

E.9. DELIVERABLES SCHEDULE

E.10. PERFORMANCE REQUIREMENTS SUMMARY MATRIX

E.11. OPTIONS

E.11.1. INCREASED PROCESSING OPTION:

APPENDIX A: EDI DATA APPENDIX

APPENDIX B: LOW-COMPLEXITY FIRM NOTES

APPENDIX C: MEDIUM-COMPLEXITY FIRM NOTES

APPENDIX D: HIGH-COMPLEXITY FIRM NOTES

APPENDIX E: CES PROCESSING CHECKLIST

APPENDIX F: QCEU PROCESSING CHECKLIST

APPENDIX G: PROCESS STATUS EDIT CHECKLIST

APPENDIX H: FAILED REPORTED COUNT REPORT

APPENDIX I: CES CLOSING DATE CALENDAR AND QCEW PROCESSING CALENDAR

APPENDIX J: PERSONNEL QUALIFICATIONS AND DUTIES

APPENDIX K: CES — PROCESSING REVIEW CHECKLIST

APPENDIX L: QCEW — PROCESSING REVIEW CHECKLIST

APPENDIX M: GLOSSARY

APPENDIX N: BLS CONFIDENTIALITY AND SECURITY REQUIREMENTS

E.1. BACKGROUND

The Electronic Data Interchange (EDI) Center in Chicago focuses on collecting employment, hours, earnings, and wage information from large, multiple establishment companies with locations in multiple states. These raw data are transmitted from firms to the EDI Center as electronic files. The EDI Center staff reviews, edits, and then transmits processed data to either the states or federal government. The EDI Center collects data for two Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) programs, Current Employment Statistics (CES) and Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages (QCEW).

All glossary words are bolded the first time they appear in this document. Please see Appendix M.

E.1.1. CURRENT EMPLOYMENT STATISTICS

The Bureau of Labor Statistics collects data each month on employment, hours, and earnings from a sample of nonfarm establishments through the Current Employment Statistics (CES) program. The CES survey includes about 122,000 businesses and government agencies, which cover approximately 666,000 individual worksites drawn from a sampling frame of Unemployment Insurance (UI) tax accounts covering roughly 11.0 million establishments. The active CES sample includes approximately one-third of all nonfarm payroll employees in the 50 states, the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico, and the U.S. Virgin Islands. From these data, a large number of employment, hours, and earnings series in considerable industry and geographic detail are prepared and published each month.

The CES survey collects the following data elements from business establishments:

• All employees (AE)

• Women Employees (WE)

• Production and Nonsupervisory Employees (PE)

• AE Payroll

• AE Hours

• AE Commissions (paid at least once per month)

• AE Overtime Hours (manufacturing only)

• PE Payroll

• PE Hours

• PE Commissions (paid at least once per month)

• PE Overtime Hours (manufacturing only)

The primary statistics derived from the CES survey are monthly estimates of employment, hours, and earnings for the nation, states, and major metropolitan areas. Preliminary national estimates for a given reference month are typically released on the third Friday after the conclusion of the reference period in conjunction with data derived from a separate survey of households, the Current Population Survey (CPS). The reference period for the CES survey is the pay period which includes the 12th of the month. For more information on the CES production schedule, please see Appendix I- CES Closing Date Calendar.

The CES central collection option (which requires just one transmittal per month) encourages large employers, who may have refused in the past to complete the CES in all or some states, to begin reporting their data at the worksite level. Companies submit their data to the EDI Center using a 350-position ASCII record format. The formats are coordinated so those data elements common to both programs have common definitions, format locations, and lengths.

Each month the EDI Center processes approximately 100 large CES firms, with approximately 500,000 incoming records. The EDI Center is responsible for over half of all reports collected (55%). The remaining 45% of reports collected by CATI, web, and other methods, at the government’s four CES Data Collection Centers come from data received from approximately 122,000 businesses and government agencies.

For more information on CES, please visit https://www.bls.gov/ces/.

E.1.2. QUARTERLY CENSUS OF EMPLOYMENT AND WAGES

The Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages Program is a cooperative program involving the BLS and the State Employment Security Agencies (SESAs). The QCEW program produces a comprehensive tabulation of employment and wage information for workers covered by state unemployment insurance

(UI) laws and federal workers covered by the Unemployment Compensation for Federal Employees

(UCFE) program. The QCEW program serves as a near census of monthly employment and quarterly wage information by six-digit NAICS industry at the national, state, and county levels.

The BLS developed the central collection of the Multiple Worksite Report (MWR) and the Report of

Federal Employment and Wages (RFEW) data to streamline the process of data collection from large employers and clients of payroll outsourcing firms. With the opening of the EDI Center in February 1995, multi-state employers have the option of submitting their data for all states to one location instead of multiple state agencies.

The MWR and the RFEW are key components of this program. The MWR asks most multi-location employers to provide employment and wage data for all of their establishments covered under one

Unemployment Insurance (UI) account in a state. Most multi-location employers with a total of 10 or more employees combined in their secondary locations are required or requested to complete the

MWR. The Multiple Worksite Report is designed to collect information showing the distribution of the employment and wages of business establishments by industry and geographic area. Information on the

MWR form is used to more accurately classify employment and wage data of multiple establishment employers by industry and by location within a state. The RFEW allows the QCEW program to obtain worksite level information from federal agencies and reporting agents for federal employers.

The MWR central collection option (which requires just one transmittal per quarter) encourages large employers, who may have refused in the past to complete the MWR or RFEW in all or some states, to begin reporting their data at the worksite level. Companies submit their data to the EDI Center using a 350-position ASCII record format. The formats are coordinated so those data elements common to both programs have common definitions, format locations, and lengths.

Each quarter the EDI Center processes approximately 270 QCEW firms, with approximately 800,000 incoming records. Refer to Appendix A for historical data on number of QCEW firms processed per quarter. The EDI Center is responsible for approximately 25% of all MWR and RFEW records collected, representing 15% of all MWR and RFEW employers. The remaining 75% of MWR and RFEW records are collected by other methods not included in this contract.

https://www.bls.gov/ces/

For more information on QCEW, please visit https://www.bls.gov/cew/.

E.2. SCOPE AND DESCRIPTION OF SERVICES

E.2.1. OBJECTIVE

The purpose of this contract is to collect MWR, RFEW, and CES data through the Electronic Data Interchange Center. The contractor shall provide data collection and processing support services for the government EDI Center staff at the EDI Center in the BLS Chicago Regional Office. Limited telework flexibility is available under conditions listed in section E.2.4.7. The contractor shall provide staff to support collection and processing of large multi-establishment corporate reports for the MWR, RFEW, and CES. The contractor shall provide computer programing staff to support these processes.

Additionally, the contractor shall provide quality control, training, and project management to support contractor operations at the EDI Center.

The contractor shall keep appropriate records according to the Firm Notes referenced in Appendixes B, C, and D and notes of all data transmissions. The contractor shall process the data through government provided editing programs and conduct necessary follow-up to resolve data discrepancies. MWR, RFEW, and CES data may be received via several different electronic means. In addition to microdata-level review, the contractor shall check to make sure the microdata file passes basic macro-level checks like completeness of the aggregation, correct reference month or quarter, and summary-level data item reasonability. The contractor shall transfer all information to the local export tables for the government to export.

Other than processing files for large multi-establishment corporations, the EDI Center is responsible for collecting federal employment and wage data. The EDI Center also processes accounts for Professional Employer Organizations (PEOs). A PEO is a firm that performs human resources and payroll services for businesses in an arrangement known as co-employment. Files submitted by PEOs include all of their client businesses, which tend to be more dynamic than traditional firms (i.e. individual businesses join and exit PEOs at a fairly high frequency). The programmer positions in the EDI Center provide support for processing system operations in the areas of development, testing, and operations. They also develop programs to translate company-supplied data formats into the government standard input formats, develop and maintain the center intranet site, and manage information needed for center operations.

Requested Position Descriptions can be found in Appendix J.

Each month the EDI Center processes approximately 100 CES firms with approximately 500,000 records.

Each quarter approximately 270 MWR/RFEW firms are processed with approximately 800,000 records.

Refer to Appendix A for historical data on number of QCEW firms processed per quarter and number of

CES firms processed per month. BLS staff process a portion of these firms and the contractor staff process the remaining firms that are assigned by the government. Specific tasks and deliverables covered by this work statement are listed below.

E.2.2. PERIOD OF PERFORMANCE

This contract has a period of performance of a base period and four (4) option periods.

https://www.bls.gov/cew/

(a) Phase-In period(s) is not to exceed 45 calendar days.

(b) The base period of this contract will begin on September 9, 2025.

(c) A kick-off meeting will take place shortly after award.

Pursuant to clause 52.217-9, Option to Extend the Term of the Contract, in the event that the Contracting Officer exercises an option, the period of performance for Option Periods I through IV will be 12 months.

E.2.3. PLACE OF PERFORMANCE

The EDI Center is located in the government owned facility in Chicago, IL.

EDI Center Address Operation Hours*

Contractor

Workstations

Chicago 230 S. Dearborn St., Chicago, IL 60604

6:00am – 6:30pm 31

*Operation hours are subject to change by the government.

Contractor staff in the Computer Programmer Sr. and Computer Programmer Jr. positions may work remotely from any location in the continental United States. The government will not pay for any travel expenses incurred by these contractor staff.

E.2.4. GENERAL INFORMATION

E.2.4.1. KEY PERSONNEL

The contract holder shall identify the key personnel that will be responsible for managing this contract.

The Project Manager (PM) is considered key personnel for the contract as a whole. See Appendix J for PM requirements. The PM shall be the single point of contact for the management of this contract. The PM is responsible to the Contracting Officer’s representative (COR) and the Contracting Officer (CO) for compliance with all the requirements of this contract. Historically, this has not been a full time position.

The PM shall supervise and maintain a hierarchical, comprehensive management organization over staff working on the contract. A staff management plan delineating the lines of authority shall be maintained and provided to the COR on a quarterly basis. While the PM is the official point of contact for the management of this contract, administrative tasks are expected to be delegated to contractor administrative staff to ensure the PM can focus on operations and performance. The PM must meet with the COR no less than once per month to discuss issues related to the administration of the contract and actual performance. The contractor shall not remove or divert key personnel unless written notice is provided at least 30 business days prior to the removal. Furthermore, a replacement for the key person must be approved by the CO at least 10 business days prior to the removal to ensure business continuity and transfer of institutional knowledge.

If any of the key personnel named in the contractor’s proposal, as accepted by the government, are unable to perform because of death, illness, resignation from the contractor’s employ, or other reasons, the contractor shall submit a written notice within 24 hours to the CO. A detailed explanation of the circumstances necessitating the proposed substitutions, complete resumes for the proposed substitutes, and any other information that the CO deems pertinent to approve the substitution shall be submitted to the CO as soon as possible, but no later than 30 days after this initial written notification. No substitution is to be made without prior written approval by the CO.

E.2.4.2. HOLIDAYS

The contractor shall not perform work on government holidays or non-work days (including weekends) without prior written approval of the CO. Approved work performed on holidays or non-work days shall be billable at regular rates.

The following is a list of government holidays:

• New Year’s Day

• Martin Luther King Day

• President’s Day

• Memorial Day

• Independence Day

• Juneteenth National Independence Day

• Labor Day

• Columbus Day

• Veterans Day

• Thanksgiving Day

• Christmas Day

E.2.4.3. UNSCHEDULED DISMISSALS

Unless requested by the Government Task Monitor (GTM) and approved by the CO, in the event that the government facility closes, on-site contractor personnel working under this contract shall be dismissed. In any situation regarding unscheduled dismissal and/or the closure of government offices, the contractor shall not be compensated for lost hours. In the event extraordinary conditions require continued contractor support when government offices are closed, at the specific request of the GTM, and with the approval of the CO, the contractor shall provide sufficient personnel to support. Such work shall be compensated at the normal contractual rate.

On occasion, the government facility remains open, but contractor staff are unable to work due to unforeseen circumstances (e.g., IT downtime, building maintenance issues). Should those situations arise, the GTM has the discretion to offer contractor staff the opportunity to telework for the remainder of the day. Contractor staff who elect to work from alternate locations on those days will not be compensated for their commuting time from the federal government facility to the alternate work locations.

E.2.4.4 CONFIDENTIALITY AND SECURITY

The contractor shall comply with the BLS Confidentiality and Security Requirements. Please see Appendix N–BLS Confidentiality and Security Requirements. Contractor personnel with access to BLS confidential information must become agents of the BLS by signing a BLS Agent Agreement and completing BLS confidentiality training.

The contractor shall safeguard all government equipment, information and property provided for contractor use. At the close of each work period, government facilities, equipment, and confidential materials shall be secured, whether onsite or in telework status.

E.2.4.5. CONTRACTOR PERSONNEL CONDUCT

Contractor personnel’s conduct shall not reflect discredit upon the government. he contractor shall ensure that personnel present a professional appearance. The contractor’s employees shall observe and comply with all local policies and procedures posted at each site concerning fire, safety, environmental protection, sanitation, security, and possession of firearms or other lethal or illegal weapons or substances. The contractor is responsible for ensuring that any contractor employees providing services under this contract conduct themselves and perform services in a professional, safe, and responsible manner. The contractor shall ensure no contractor employees conduct political related activities or events in any government or government-leased facilities.

E.2.4.6. DATA RIGHTS

The government has unlimited rights to all documents and materials produced under this contract. All documents and materials, to include the source codes of any software, produced under this contract shall be government owned and are the property of the government with all rights and privileges of ownership and copyright belonging exclusively to the government. These documents and materials may not be used or sold by the contractor without written permission from the CO. All materials supplied to the government shall be the sole property of the government and may not be used for any other purpose. This right does not abrogate any other government rights.

E.2.4.7. TELEWORKING

Telework flexibility is provided to the contractor. Only contractor staff with satisfactory performance shall be deemed eligible to telework. Contractor staff eligible to telework must conform to the requirements set forth by BLS.

The contractor shall submit a Telework Plan for BLS approval that identifies metrics for how the contractor will deem interviewers as eligible to telework and determine which staff should be on site within a given day. The Telework Plan shall ensure that on-site staff be representative of the contractor’s staff and at a minimum include recent hires, trainers, low-performers in need of support, high-performers to provide mentoring and training, and enough supervisors on site to monitor analysts working in federal facilities. Individual contractor staff who lack an adequate work environment (e.g. no suitable off-site workspace, or personal residence having inadequate Internet connection) shall be permitted to work on-site. Contractor staff who are determined to be eligible for telework but have a preference to work on-site shall be permitted to work on-site. The PM and contract management team must rely on productivity data to demonstrate that contractor staff in a telework status are as productive as when they are working on-site in federal facilities. Telework in any location other than contractor staff’s residence must be approved by the GTM.

Contractor staff deemed eligible to telework under a Telework Plan approved by BLS must complete the DOL Telework training requirements prior to being permitted to work remotely. Telework-eligible contractor staff must be within commuting distance of their physical work locations and must be available to be recalled into the office by the contractor with one business days’ notice. Contractor staff on a telework status who experience hardware or technical issues that cannot be addressed remotely shall report to the federal facility to have equipment repaired no later than the next business day when they are scheduled to work following the determination that technical issues must be resolved on-site.

The contractor shall not be compensated for commute times for Page 7 teleworking staff bringing their government-furnished equipment for troubleshooting or repairs.

BLS may, at its discretion, limit the number of contractor staff permitted in the office at a given time, in which case the Telework Plan should be used to determine which contractor staff will be in a telework status. BLS reserves the right to review the Telework Plan at its discretion and request changes. BLS also reserves the right to rescind the Telework Plan and recall contractor staff into the office with five business days’ notice.

All teleworking sites must be documented and approved by the COR prior to use. All telework sites must meet the security requirements described in the BLS Confidentiality and Security Requirements.

E.2.4.8 GOVERNMENT FURNISHED MATERIALS

E.2.4.8.1. FURNISHED BY THE GOVERNMENT

The government will provide contractor workstations, including a computer, monitor, all necessary software, telephone and access to shared network printers, and normal office supplies (pens, paper, staplers, etc.) to contract staff at the EDI Center. Analyst and programmer workstations consist of a cubicle. Supervisory workstations are typically in a private office, dependent on availability. The total number of workstations, which includes cubicles and private offices, available to contract staff is located in the chart in Section E.2.3 and represents the maximum number of staff that can work at the EDI Center. Supervisors shall be required to be at the EDI Center whenever contract staff is working in accordance with the Telework Plan.

The government will not provide private desktop printers for the offices. The government will not provide additional equipment for home offices such as standing desks, additional keyboards, or monitors. The contractor shall be responsible for providing any equipment deemed necessary for reasonable accommodations approved for contractor staff.

The government will not provide office space for a project management office. The government will provide a laptop computer to the PM.

The government will retain title to all government-furnished property. All materials developed by the contractor under this contract shall become the property of the U.S. Department of Labor

(DOL).

The government-furnished property and the materials developed by the contractor under this contract shall only be used for the performance of this contract.

The government will maintain all facilities and equipment that shall be provided for use by the contractor. Additionally, the contractor shall ensure that its personnel do not misuse any government furnished property.

E.2.4.8.2. CONTRACTOR RESPONSIBILITY

If due to the default, negligence (whether of action or omission), or dishonesty of the contractor or its employees, or any combination of the prior activities, any government-owned or controlled property is lost or damaged as a result of the contractor’s performance of this contract, the contractor shall be responsible to the government for such loss or damage. Any separating contractor staff shall return all equipment upon their last day to the data collection center including laptops, wired and wireless headsets and docking stations, and power cords for the laptops. After five workdays, if the equipment is not returned the contractor shall replace it or pay for the replacement cost. The government at its option, may, in lieu of payment, therefore, require the contractor to replace at its own expense, all property lost or damaged. The contractor shall not provide computer hardware or software without approval from the government. The contractor shall provide a plan on how to reimburse the government for equipment lost or damaged by contractor staff.

E.2.4.8.3. FURNISHED BY THE CONTRACTOR

Copiers and scanners located throughout the EDI Center are available for contractor use; however, if the contractor desires to have a copier or scanner for their project management office, they may do so at their own expense.

E.2.4.9. SUPPORTING DOCUMENTS

The contractor shall abide by all applicable regulations, publications, manuals, and local policies and procedures. The contractor shall adhere to and use the versions and revisions in effect. The contractor shall comply with the policies and procedures set forth in all such documents.

E.2.5. TASK INDEX

The following tasks must be conducted within the guidelines of the BLS Confidentiality and Security document. For more information, please see Appendix N.

Task Sub-task Sub-task Number

QCEW File Retrieval E.3.1.

QCEW Pre-Processing E.3.2.

QCEW Processing E.3.3.

QCEW Post-Processing E.3.4.

CES File Retrieval E.4.1.

CES Pre-Processing E.4.2.

CES Processing E.4.3.

CES Post-Processing E.4.4.

Questions and Firm Follow-up

Questions and Firm Follow-up requirements

E.5.1

Programming Programming requirements E.6.1.

Quality Control and Training Quality Control and Training requirements

E.7.1.

Project Management Project Management requirements

E.8.1.

Deliverable Schedule Deliverable Schedule E.9.

Options Increased Processing E.10.1.

E.3. QCEW TASKS

E.3.1. FILE RETRIEVAL

E.3.1.1. The government will provide a list of firms to be processed by the contractor. The contractor shall assign firms to the appropriate level contractor analysts.

E.3.1.2. The contractor shall create the appropriate firm folder on the EDI Server per firm notes. The government will provide the contractor with the input files and initial firm notes. Input files will be in the format of an Excel spreadsheet or text file. Sample firm notes are provided in

Appendixes B, C, and D. The government reserves the right to have the input file in another type of file format.

E.3.1.3. The contractor will receive notification the file is available. The contractor shall retrieve the firm file from the appropriate location: Email, FTP server, or Web upload server. The government reserves the right to change the method of file transmittal.

E.3.1.4. The contractor shall copy and paste the firm file to the appropriate firm folder on the EDI

Server and name it based on the government file-naming convention as noted in the Firm

Notes referenced in Appendixes B, C, and D. If the file is late arriving, the contractor shall contact the firm respondent via email as noted in firm notes. If the file is more than one week late from the due date, the contractor shall notify the EDI Manager. The government will provide the contractor a schedule of due dates. The 2017 QCEW Processing calendar is located in Appendix I.

E.3.1.5. FILE RETRIEVAL PERFORMANCE MEASURES

E.3.1.5.1. QUALITY STANDARDS

E.3.1.5.1.1. All data shall be processed in time to meet deadlines.

E.3.1.5.2. ACCEPTABLE QUALITY LEVEL (AQL)

E.3.1.5.2.1. The contractor shall validate that the correct reference month or quarter is being processed 100 percent of the time.

E.3.1.5.3. MONITORING METHOD

E.3.1.5.3.1. The contractor PM and supervisory team shall monitor file retrieval activities by analyzing reports detailing performance metrics at the individual and collective levels.

The contractor is expected to remediate issues as they are identified to increase the likelihood that acceptable quality levels are met.

BLS will be monitoring performance concurrently and notifying the contractor PM of any potential issues they have identified.

The contractor PM will meet with the COR and Government Task Manager on a monthly basis to review file retrieval, discuss challenges, and identify improvements for future attempts.

E.3.2. PRE-PROCESSING

E.3.2.1. The contractor shall create the appropriate firm processing status which consists of entering the proper year and quarter on the EDI Website in SPIFF Pre-Processing system.

E.3.2.2. The contractor shall follow pre-processing procedures noted in firm notes and load specified file into SPIFF pre-processing system (see sample pre-processing procedures in firm notes in

Appendixes B, C, and D.) The contractor shall address any file or data issues, including comparing aggregated data to prior quarters to check for reasonableness.

E.3.2.3. The contractor analysts shall address any firm note issues.

E.3.2.4. The contractor shall copy and paste SPIFF file outputs into assigned firm folder. The government reserves the right to change the method of file transmittal or output.

E.3.2.5. PRE-PROCESSING PERFORMANCE MEASURES

E.3.2.5.1. QUALITY STANDARDS

E.3.2.5.1.1. All data shall be processed in time to meet deadlines.

E.3.2.5.2. ACCEPTABLE QUALITY LEVEL (AQL)

E.3.2.5.2.1. All MWR/RFEW quarterly data processing shall be completed by the government designated week 10 export deliverable deadline for QCEW. All

MWR/RFEW files shall begin pre-processing within three business days.

E.3.2.5.3. MONITORING METHOD

E.3.2.5.3.1. The contractor PM and supervisory team shall monitor pre-processing activities by analyzing reports detailing performance metrics at the individual and collective levels. The contractor is expected to remediate issues as they are identified to increase the likelihood that acceptable quality levels are met.

BLS will be monitoring performance concurrently and notifying the contractor PM of any potential issues they have identified.

E.3.3. PROCESSING

The contractor PM will meet with the COR and Government Task Manager on a monthly basis to review pre-processing, discuss challenges, and identify improvements for future attempts.

E.3.3.1. The contractor shall input the SPIFF Load file into SLED processing system and begin following the government established processing procedures as noted on the government standard checklist located in Appendix F. Processing includes resolving all new units, missing units, employment and wage changes, and all changes in administrative information like firm name, address and other identifying information. The contractor shall address any file or data issues.

E.3.3.2. The contractor shall process pre-edits. At the pre-edits module the contractor shall resolve all issues following the established government procedures referenced in the QCEW

Processing Checklist in Appendix F.

E.3.3.3. The contractor shall process new units in two steps: crosswalk error module and new units module. At the crosswalk error module the contractor shall assign UI number and RUN. At the new units module the contractor shall assign NAICS, county, town, and appropriate comment code. The contractor shall determine the NAICS code using firm notes, government tools, internet research, and prior experience.

E.3.3.4. The contractor shall validate RUN aggregations and correct all errors in aggregation based upon established government procedures referenced in the QCEW Processing Checklist in

Appendix F.

E.3.3.5. The contractor shall verify that the SINGLE RUN does not meet the MWR requirements as established in government procedures indicated in the singles module in Appendix F. The contractor shall update the RUN in the crosswalk if the SINGLE RUN does meet the MWR requirement.

E.3.3.6. The contractor shall process missing units according to the missing units module of the checklist in Appendix F.

E.3.3.7. The contractor shall process employment and wage edits according to checklist in Appendix

F. Processing employment and wage edits consists of comparing current employment and wages to employment and wages from previous quarters. The contractor shall add a comment code to records that fail employment and wages edits as indicated by SLED.

Comment code usage is based on firm notes.

E.3.3.8. The contractor shall process the closed worksite review module according to the checklist in Appendix F following govenment procedures. Processing the closed worksite review module consists of running the SLED generated closed worksite review report and resolving all issues following government procedures referenced in the QCEW Processing Checklist in

Appendix F.

E.3.3.9. The contractor shall process PEO Client Data Processing Module and correct all errors based upon established government procedures referenced in the QCEW Processing

Checklist in Appendix F. The contractor shall process the employment warnings module according to the checklist in Appendix F following government procedures. Processing the employment warnings module consists of running the SLED generated employment warnings report and resolving all issues following government procedures referenced in the

QCEW Processing Checklist in Appendix F.

E.3.3.10. The contractor shall process predecessor/ successor module according to the checklist in

Appendix F following government procedures. A predecessor/ successor event involves documenting the movement of worksite(s) from one UI account to another UI account.

E.3.3.11. The contractor shall process the post aggregation singles module according to the checklist in Appendix F following government procedures. Processing the post aggregation singles module consists of running the SLED generated post aggregation report and resolving all issues following government procedures referenced in the QCEW Processing Checklist in

Appendix F.

E.3.3.12. The contractor shall process the non-employment/non-wage module according to the checklist in Appendix F following government procedures. Processing the non-employment/non-wage module consists of running the SLED generated non-employment/ non-wage report and resolving all issues following government procedures referenced in the QCEW Processing Checklist in Appendix F.

E.3.3.13. The contractor shall process the detail edits module according to the checklist in Appendix

F following government procedures. Processing the detail edits module consists of running the SLED generated detail edits report and resolving all issues following government procedures referenced in the QCEW Processing Checklist in Appendix F.

E.3.3.14. PROCESSING PERFORMANCE MEASURES

E.3.3.14.1. QUALITY STANDARDS

E.3.3.14.1.1. All data shall be processed in time to meet deadlines.

E.3.3.14.2. ACCEPTABLE QUALITY LEVEL (AQL)

E.3.3.14.2.1. The contractor shall process a maximum 625,000 incoming records. The government will assign the incoming records to the contractor. Refer to

Appendix A for historical data on processing times of firms of different incoming record sizes. See Option E.10.1 for the Increased Processing

Option.

E.3.3.14.2.2. All MWR/RFEW quarterly data processing shall be completed by the government designated week 10 export deliverable deadline for QCEW. All processing work of financial firms shall be completed by week five of the processing quarter. The 2023 QCEW Processing Calendar is located in

Appendix I.

E.3.3.14.2.3. 50% of total assigned incoming records for the current quarter shall be processed by week five of the processing quarter. The 2023 QCEW

Processing Calendar is located in Appendix I.

E.3.3.14.2.4. 90% of total assigned incoming records for the current quarter shall be processed by week eight of the processing quarter. The 2023 QCEW

Processing Calendar is located in Appendix I.

E.3.3.14.2.5. 100% of total assigned files with greater than 5000 incoming records shall be processed by week eight of the processing quarter. The 2023 QCEW

Processing Calendar is located in Appendix I.

E.3.3.14.2.6. 100% of assigned PEO files shall be processed by week nine of the processing quarter. The 2023 QCEW Processing Calendar is located in

Appendix I.

E.3.3.14.3. MONITORING METHOD

E.3.3.14.3.1. The contractor PM and supervisory team shall monitor processing activities by analyzing reports detailing performance metrics at the individual and collective levels.

The contractor is expected to remediate issues as they are identified to increase the likelihood that acceptable quality levels are met.

BLS will be monitoring performance concurrently and notifying the contractor PM of any potential issues they have identified.

E.3.4. POST-PROCESSING

The contractor PM will meet with the COR and Government Task Manager on a monthly basis to review processing, discuss challenges, and identify improvements for future attempts.

E.3.4.1. The contractor shall update firm notes based on any new information and changes to processing steps found during quarterly processing.

E.3.4.2. When all processing procedures are completed, the contractor shall enter all firm processing data metrics into the EDI website. The government will provide a checklist of procedures on how to enter firm processing data metrics. See Appendix G for a sample of the checklist and firm processing data metrics on the EDI website.

E.3.4.3. The contractor shall update the EDI website with any changes to firm name, address, telephone number, changes to firm point of contact, and address information.

E.3.4.4. POST-PROCESSING PERFORMANCE MEASURES

E.3.4.4.1. QUALITY STANDARDS

E.3.4.4.1.1. All data shall be processed in time to meet deadlines.

E.3.4.4.2. ACCEPTABLE QUALITY LEVEL (AQL)

E.3.4.4.2.1. All MWR/RFEW processing work shall be completed by the 10-week deadline.

E.3.4.4.3. MONITORING METHOD

E.3.4.4.3.1. The contractor PM and supervisory team shall monitor post-processing activities by analyzing reports detailing performance metrics at the individual and collective levels. The contractor is expected to remediate issues as they are identified to increase the likelihood that acceptable quality levels are met.

BLS will be monitoring performance concurrently and notifying the contractor PM of any potential issues they have identified.

E.4. CES TASKS

The contractor PM will meet with the COR and Government Task Manager on a monthly basis to review post-processing, discuss challenges, and identify improvements for future attempts.

E.4.1. FILE RETRIEVAL

E.4.1.1. The contractor shall assign firms to the appropriate level contractor staff. The government will provide a list of firms to be processed by the contractor. CES firm files are processed monthly.

E.4.1.2. The contractor shall create the appropriate firm folder on the EDI Server per firm notes.

Government will provide the contractor with the input files and initial firm notes. Input files will be in the format of an Excel spreadsheet or text file. Sample firm notes are provided in

Appendices B, C, and D. The government reserves the right to provide files in another type of file format.

E.4.1.3. The contractor shall receive notification when the file is available. The contractor shall retrieve the firm file from the appropriate location: Email, FTP server, or Web upload server. The government reserves the right to change the method of file transmittal.

E.4.1.4. The contractor shall copy and paste the firm file to the appropriate firm folder on the EDI

Server and name it based on government file-naming convention. If a file is late arriving, the contractor shall contact the firm respondent via email as noted in firm notes. If the file continues to be delinquent, the contractor shall follow government procedures. The government will provide to the contractor a schedule of due dates.

E.4.1.5. FILE RETRIEVAL PERFORMANCE MEASURES

E.4.1.5.1. QUALITY STANDARDS

E.4.1.5.1.1. All data shall be processed in time to meet deadlines.

E.4.1.5.2. ACCEPTABLE QUALITY LEVEL (AQL)

E.4.1.5.2.1. All usable files shall be retrieved in a timely enough manner to allow files to be processed within two business days unless approved by the government.

However, if a file arrives within two business days of a CES closing date, the contractor shall process that file before 4:00 pm CT on the upcoming closing date. See Appendix I for an example of CES closing dates schedule.

E.4.1.5.3. MONITORING METHOD

E.4.1.5.3.1. The contractor PM and supervisory team shall monitor file retrieval activities by analyzing reports detailing performance metrics at the individual and collective levels.

The contractor is expected to remediate issues as they are identified to increase the likelihood that acceptable quality levels are met.

BLS will be monitoring performance concurrently and notifying the contractor PM of any potential issues they have identified.

E.4.2. PRE-PROCESSING

The contractor PM will meet with the COR and Government Task Manager on a monthly basis to review file retrieval, discuss challenges, and identify improvements for future attempts. The contractor shall create the appropriate firm processing status which consists of entering the proper year and month on the EDI Website in SPIFF Pre-Processing system.

E.4.2.1. The contractor shall follow pre-processing procedures noted in firm notes and load specified file into SPIFF pre-processing system (see sample pre-processing procedures in firm notes in

Appendixes B, C, and D). The contractor shall address any file or data issues including comparing aggregated data to prior months to check for reasonableness with supervisor or government staff.

E.4.2.2. The contractor shall address any firm notes issues.

E.4.2.3. The contractor shall copy and paste SPIFF file outputs into appropriate firm folder.

E.4.2.4. PRE-PROCESSING PERFORMANCE MEASURES

E.4.2.4.1. QUALITY STANDARDS

E.4.2.4.1.1. All data shall be processed in time to meet deadlines.

E.4.2.4.2. ACCEPTABLE QUALITY LEVEL (AQL)

E.4.2.4.2.1. All usable files shall be pre-processed in a timely enough manner to allow files to be processed within two business days unless approved by the government. However, if a file arrives within two business days of a CES closing date, the contractor shall process that file before 4:00 pm CT on the upcoming closing date. See Appendix I for an example of CES closing dates schedule.

E.4.2.4.3. MONITORING METHOD

E.4.2.4.3.1. The contractor PM and supervisory team shall monitor pre-processing activities by analyzing reports detailing performance metrics at the individual and collective levels. The contractor is expected to remediate issues as they are identified to increase the likelihood that acceptable quality levels are met.

BLS will be monitoring performance concurrently and notifying the contractor PM of any potential issues they have identified.

E.4.3. PROCESSING

The contractor PM will meet with the COR and Government Task Manager on a monthly basis to review pre-processing, discuss challenges, and identify improvements for future attempts.

E.4.3.1. The contractor shall load SPIFF Load file into the COMET processing system and begin following government established processing procedures as noted on the government standard checklist located in Appendix E. Procedures include resolving all new units, all edit and screening errors, and all changes in administrative information like firm name, address and other identifying information. The contractor analyst shall address any file or data issues.

E.4.3.2. The contractor shall assign new units a Report Number according to firm notes and the established government procedures referenced in the CES Processing Checklist in Appendix

E. Note that some report numbers are temporary report numbers. Processing the new units module consists of running the COMET generated new units report, and resolving all issues following the government procedures referenced in the CES Processing Checklist in

Appendix E.

E.4.3.3. The contractor shall process the edits and screening errors according to the checklist in

Appendix E following the government procedures. Processing the edit and screening errors module consists of running the COMET generated edit and screening report, the Failed

Reporter Count report, and resolving all edit and screening errors following the government firm notes and procedures. See Appendix H for an example of a Failed Reporter Count report.

E.4.3.4. PROCESSING PERFORMANCE MEASURES

E.4.3.4.1. QUALITY STANDARDS

E.4.3.4.1.1. All data shall be processed in time to meet deadlines.

E.4.3.4.1.2. 100% of usable files shall be processed within two business days unless exempted by the government. However, if a file arrives within two business days of a CES closing date, the contractor shall process that file before 4:00 pm CT on the upcoming closing date. See Appendix I for an example of CES closing dates schedule.

E.4.3.4.2. ACCEPTABLE QUALITY LEVEL (AQL)

E.4.3.4.2.1. The government will assign the incoming records to the contractor. The contractor shall process a maximum 325,000 records. Refer to Appendix A for historical data on processing times of firms of different incoming record sizes. See Option E.10.1 for the Increased Processing Option.

E.4.3.4.3. MONITORING METHOD

E.4.3.4.3.1. The contractor PM and supervisory team shall monitor processing activities by analyzing reports detailing performance metrics at the individual and collective levels.

The contractor is expected to remediate issues as they are identified to increase the likelihood that acceptable quality levels are met.

BLS will be monitoring performance concurrently and notifying the contractor PM of any potential issues they have identified.

E.4.4. POST-PROCESSING

The contractor PM will meet with the COR and Government Task Manager on a monthly basis to review processing, discuss challenges, and identify improvements for future attempts.

E.4.4.1. The contractor shall update firm notes based on any new information and changes to processing steps found during monthly processing.

E.4.4.2. When all processing procedures are completed, the contractor shall enter all firm processing data metrics into the EDI website. The government will provide a checklist of procedures on how to enter firm processing data metrics. See Appendix G for a sample of the checklist and firm processing data metrics on the EDI website.

E.4.4.3. The contractor shall update the EDI website with any changes to firm name, address, telephone number, changes to firm point of contact, and address information.

E.4.4.4. The contractor shall review the COMET Registry for updates following the government procedures referenced in the CES Processing Checklist in Appendix E.

E.4.4.5. The contractor shall process the CONES file following the government procedures referenced in the CES Processing Checklist in Appendix E.

E.4.4.6. The contractor shall process the Benchmark file following the government procedures referenced in the CES Processing Checklist in Appendix E.

E.4.4.7. POST PROCESSING PERFORMANCE MEASURES

E.4.4.7.1. QUALITY STANDARDS

E.4.4.7.1.1. All data shall be processed in time to meet deadlines.

E.4.4.7.2. ACCEPTABLE QUALITY LEVEL (AQL)

E.4.4.7.2.1. The contractor shall complete all post processing subtasks within 10 business days following the CES closing date unless otherwise specified by the government. See Appendix I for an example of CES closing dates schedule.

E.4.4.7.3. MONITORING METHOD

E.4.4.7.3.1. The contractor PM and supervisory team shall monitor post-processing activities by analyzing reports detailing performance metrics at the individual and collective levels. The contractor is expected to remediate issues as they are identified to increase the likelihood that acceptable quality levels are met.

BLS will be monitoring performance concurrently and notifying the contractor PM of any potential issues they have identified.

E.5. QUESTIONS AND FIRM FOLLOW-UP

The contractor PM will meet with the COR and Government Task Manager on a monthly basis to review post-processing, discuss challenges, and identify improvements for future attempts.

E.5.1. QUESTIONS AND FIRM FOLLOW-UP REQUIREMENTS

E.5.1.1. The contractor shall address any file or data issues that arise during pre-processing or processing using established EDI procedures. File or data issues involved in firm follow-up will often come in the form of less than ten On-track tickets per month.

E.5.1.2. The contractor shall answer state and government questions and also make state changes within government-designated timeframes and by deadlines.

E.5.1.3. The contractor shall contact reporters for incomplete or missing information.

E.5.1.4. QUESTIONS AND FIRM FOLLOW-UP PERFORMANCE MEASURES

E.5.1.4.1. QUALITY STANDARDS

E.5.1.4.1.1. The contractor shall provide responses to questions which are clearly worded and accurately address the issue(s) cited in the original query.

E.5.1.4.1.2. The contractor shall make state-requested Ul/RUN changes and update predecessor/successor information and liability dates as needed.

E.5.1.4.1.3. The contractor shall provide timely follow-up with respondents who missed their typical processing cycle, document in email with notes that include who in the firm was contacted and when. If no response is obtained, the contractor shall document all relevant information.

E.5.1.4.2. ACCEPTABLE QUALITY LEVEL (AQL)

E.5.1.4.2.1. All questions from state agencies and BLS regional offices shall be provided with a preliminary response, at minimum, within five business days and shall be addressed completely within 15 business days by the contractor.

E.5.1.4.2.2. The contractor shall answer all questions from QCEW Program Office within five business days.

E.5.1.4.2.3. The contractor shall answer all questions from CES Program Office within five business days.

E.5.1.4.3. MONITORING METHOD

E.5.1.4.3.1. The contractor PM and supervisory team shall monitor question follow-up activities by analyzing reports detailing performance metrics at the individual and collective levels. The contractor is expected to remediate issues as they are identified to increase the likelihood that acceptable quality levels are met.

BLS will be monitoring performance concurrently and notifying the contractor PM of any potential issues they have identified.

E.6. PROGRAMMING

The contractor PM will meet with the COR and Government Task Manager on a monthly basis to review question follow-up activities, discuss challenges, and identify improvements for future attempts.

E.6.1. PROGRAMMING REQUIREMENTS

E.6.1.1. The government will provide all necessary software. The software will be used to maintain current EDI developed applications such as SPIFF and the EDI Website. The contractor programmers shall write programs to reformat firm-supplied data into formats compatible with the government systems and run jobs to reformat data into specified standard data formats. Current programs are in Visual Basic, however future programs can be in other BLS approved and provided programming languages.

E.6.1.2. The contractor…