Attachment A-Performance Work Statement Draft.docx

PWS for Nationwide Public Safety Broadband Network (NPSBN) Investment, Oversight, Engagement, and Outreach Services Performance Work Statement

DRAFT PERFORMANCE WORK STATEMENT

for the First Responder Network Authority Nationwide Public Safety Broadband Network (NPSBN) Investment, Oversight, Engagement, and Outreach Services

Draft Performance Work Statement (PWS) for the Nationwide Public Safety Broadband Network (NPSBN) Investment, Oversight, Engagement, and Outreach Services

1.0 General

1.1 Introduction

The Middle Class Tax Relief and Job Creation Act of 2012 established the First Responder Network Authority (FirstNet Authority), and charged it with the responsibility to ensure the building, deployment, and operation of a Nationwide Public Safety Broadband Network (NPSBN) designed to meet the information and communications technology needs of first responders and public safety users. The FirstNet Authority is an independent authority within the National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA) under the Department of Commerce.

FirstNet is providing emergency responders with a nationwide, high-speed broadband network dedicated to public safety. The overall objective of FirstNet is to increase collaboration between emergency responders to help save more lives, solve more crimes, and keep communities safer.

FirstNet fulfills a fundamental need of the public safety community and a key recommendation of the 9/11 Commission. Using a nationwide spectrum license, the FirstNet NPSBN is a single platform for daily public safety communications. When natural disasters, threats to the nation’s security, or other emergencies occur anywhere in the country, FirstNet’s NPSBN enables local, state, territory, tribal, and federal emergency responders to communicate at the direction of the incident commander.

1.2 Objective

As required by FirstNet Authority (FNA) enabling legislation, this Nationwide Public Safety Broadband Network (NPSBN) Investment, Oversight, Engagement, and Outreach Services contract supports FNA’s ability to take actions necessary to ensure the building, deployment, and operation of the nationwide public safety broadband network, consult with public safety entities, and reinvest in the NPSBN. The contract will provide critical services to support these efforts and includes but is not limited to: public safety outreach and engagement, technical analysis, and efficient program and project management. This work will drive the improvement of the network through strategic investments that address first responders’ evolving operational needs.

1.3 Scope of Work

The purpose of this Performance Work Statement (PWS) is to obtain Contractor support to provide services in the following areas:

· Public Safety Stakeholder Engagement

· Internal and External Communications

· Data Analytics

· Program Management

· Performance Management

· Telecommunications Engineering Support

· Business and Wireless Network Investment Support

· Administrative Support

Each specific Blanket Purchase Agreement (BPA) Call Order Performance Work Statement will specify the deliverable set and performance measures applicable to the individual Call Order. Call orders that do not map to one or more of the Requirements/Task Areas within the BPA are not within scope and cannot be sourced under the BPA.

The customer that submits a Call Order will define their individual performance measures as well as deliverables. Example of the deliverables are included with each requirements/task area but will be expanded based on the individual customer Call Order. The examples are not exhaustive, and other services, as required, may be associated with the requirements/task areas defined in this PWS.

2.0 Requirements/Tasks

Transition In

The contractor shall provide transition-in services. The contractor shall complete Transition-In services as noted in the call order PWS which shall not exceed (60) calendar days of the contract start date. The contractor shall work professionally with the outgoing contractor to achieve a successful and timely transition. The contractor shall transition all services without interruption or degradation of service levels. The contractor shall verify system and facility access with the Government. The Contractor shall submit a transition-in plan as indicated in the deliverables schedule. The transition-in plan shall describe the approach to transition tasks from the outgoing Contractor. The offeror’s approach shall incorporate the following: The offeror’s transition approach, process, and timelines; The offeror’s approach to risk management and mitigation and ensuring disruptions are minimized; The offeror’s knowledge transfer and training methodology; How the offeror will handle personnel security adjudication; and the offeror’s approach to coordination with the outgoing contractor. Additionally, the transition plan shall include an extensive list of questions and issues the Contractor proposes to address with the outgoing Contractor.

The contractor shall submit a Final Transition-In Plan. The final transition-in plan must be detailed and include start-up activities that may be required to transition to full operational capability to successfully assume all duties under this contract. The final transition-in plan must include identification of key transition events and objectives with a corresponding completion timeline. During transition in, the contractor shall become familiar with performance requirements and establish the management organization.

The plan for transition-in shall include, but is not limited to and will be noted in the call order PWS:

· Management of Phase-In Activities

· Initial Staffing Levels and Timeline to achieve Full Staffing Level

· Management of Knowledge Transfer Activities

· Development and Dissemination of Operational Instructions, Procedures, and Control Directives

· Ensuring Minimal Disruption of Work and Maintaining Continuity of Operations

· Transfer of Government Furnished Property, Material, Equipment and Data, if Applicable

· Monitoring and Reporting of Transition Progress

Transition Out

Provide a Transition‐Out Plan 180 days before the end of the Call Order that includes at a minimum the following information:

· A detailed work break‐down structure with intermediate and major milestones.

· A list of all major milestones and deliverables.

· Processes and standards used to ensure meeting the key performance indicators (KPIs) during the transition.

· A list of all required items from the Office of the Chief Information Officer (OCIO).

· Governance methods, to include written methods of cooperation with the incoming vendor and regular reporting to the program office.

· Data transition and operational guarantees.

· Transfer and/or return of government furnished property, material, equipment, and data, if applicable.

The Contractor shall carry out the Transition-Out based on the Government‐approved Transition‐Out Plan in full cooperation with the incoming Contractor and their transition‐in plan, and without degradation of service based on the KPIs.

Public Safety Stakeholder Engagement

· The Contractor shall develop an engagement plan to prepare for public safety stakeholder engagements.

· The Contractor shall maintain the engagement plan for public safety stakeholder engagements.

· The contractor shall attend weekly meetings.

· The Contractor shall develop draft meeting materials for public safety stakeholder engagements.

· The Contractor shall provide support and expertise to maintain and enhance ESRI based GIS systems, products, and processes used for internal and external engagements.

· The Contractor shall facilitate public safety stakeholder engagements.

· The Contractor shall provide technical support for virtual public safety stakeholder engagements with up to 500 participants.

· The Contractor shall support planning and execution of 5x5 or other agency events: The Public Safety Innovation Summit, including program and project management, all conference related tasks and support execution of the conference each year.

· The Contractor shall document draft meeting summaries after public safety stakeholder engagements.

· The Contractor shall develop and disseminate surveys to collect feedback from public safety stakeholders.

· The Contractor shall analyze data sets and develop draft reports that summarize the FirstNet Authority’s engagement and findings with public safety stakeholders.

· The Contractor shall revise and maintain a manual and templates for the Network Experience Engagement Program (NEEP) program.

· The Contractor shall develop draft documentation to guide NEEP engagements.

· The Contractor shall support planning and implementation of the FirstNet Academy, including program and project management, content development, and delivery of content, to increase understanding of FirstNet features and capabilities.

· Develop draft curriculum that can be used in a Learning Management System (LMS) environment to educate and train public safety stakeholders on FirstNet.

· The Contractor shall translate engagement materials and correspondence from Spanish to English and from English to Spanish.

· The Contractor shall create documentation, reports, and materials used by the FirstNet Watch Desk program.

Internal and External Communications

· The Contractor shall support internal communications for the FirstNet Authority.

· The Contractor shall support external communications for the FirstNet Authority.

· The Contractor shall support the FirstNet Authority’s social media efforts.

· The Contractor shall support the FirstNet Authority's website content management efforts.

· The Contractor shall provide graphics, photo editing, motion graphic, and layout support and ensure all final delivered graphics products are 508 compliant.

· The Contractor shall support the FirstNet Authority's podcast series.

· The Contractor shall support the FirstNet Authority’s video products.

· The Contractor shall support weekly content planning for internal and external communications products, as well as strategic communications planning for campaigns.

· The Contractor shall support media efforts led by the FirstNet Authority team.

· The Contractor shall support communications planning for public affairs events hosted by the FirstNet Authority.

· The Contractor shall maintain source files and final communications products on the FirstNet Authority’s designated records management/sharing site(s).

· The Contractor shall support digital asset management.

· The Contractor shall provide surge support for crisis communications on an ad-hoc basis.

Data Analytics

· The Contractor shall support the development of the FirstNet Authority Data Strategy to articulate how the organization will accelerate adoption of data, analytics, and artificial intelligence (AI) to enable joint operational situational awareness and data-driven decision-making.

· The Contractor shall develop scripts to curate select datasets for integration into business intelligence data products.

· The Contractor shall enhance existing data pipelines developed to restructure, clean, and transform required datasets for integration into the enterprise data warehouse.

· The Contractor shall enhance and develop new business intelligence data visualizations to provide the right information at the right time for leadership to have joint operational situational awareness and make informed decisions.

· The Contractor shall develop areas within the current data management and exploratory analyses efforts where AI/ML will expand capabilities and deliver performance enhancements.

· The Contractor shall deliver spatial data science solutions to extract deeper insights to uncover hidden patterns and improve predictive modeling.

· The Contractor shall demonstrate significant, multi-year experience supporting federal agencies while using advanced/modern data visualization and analysis technologies. For example, while basic PowerPoint and Excel tools are fundamental, the Contractor shall demonstrate an expert level of capability with tools such as ArcGIS, PowerBI, advance A/V technologies, AI/ML, such but not limited to FirstNet Authority uses Open Signal and Palantir, and vendors must show expertise using these tools and toolsets of similar capabilities.

· The Contractor shall leverage PowerBI and other analytical tools to convey status via dashboards and other visual reporting mechanisms to review, measure, and track approved program and project metrics.

Program Management

· The Contractor shall implement all project management life cycle phases which shall include drafting and finalizing a program/project plan, providing updates, ensuring appropriate resource levels with relevant experience for projects, and incorporating feedback from Government personnel.

· The Contractor shall develop the project schedule, including the identification/definition/sequencing of activities, estimation of activity durations, identification of milestones, and the aggregation of activities into project/program timelines.

· The Contractor shall maintain and monitor project schedules on a weekly basis and incorporate revisions and updates as necessary.

· The schedule is to have sufficient detail to capture milestones, tasks, and related activities necessary for project success.

· The schedule shall include identification of activity status, adjustments to durations, updating of timelines, and the identification of activities at risk.

· The Contractor shall provide a detailed integrated master schedule (Microsoft) for assigned projects or Call Orders using Microsoft Project or similar software.

· The Microsoft is to be developed upon project initiation and updated monthly, or more frequently based on project activities.

· The Contractor will work collaboratively with the FirstNet program manager to ensure alignment on Microsoft content.

· The Contractor shall develop program management communication plans to inform stakeholders of project changes, capture issues affecting the execution of deliverables, and communicate expectations for completing each task.

· The Contractor is to prepare the project communication plan using Microsoft Office's available tools or other tools as provided by the Government. The Contractor shall update the communications plan on a quarterly basis.

· The Contractor shall communicate program/project progress and status to both the team as well as the project stakeholders (interested parties within FirstNet Authority) on the priorities of tasks and deliverables.

· The Contractor shall obtain feedback on a monthly basis as the project progresses.

· The Contractor shall demonstrate exceptional verbal, written, and graphical literacy in their staffing plans and submissions. Proposed staff must be capable of drafting highly technical documents and presentations in compressed timeframes that are fully referenced and researched, technically accurate, and easy to consume or pivot for a wide variety of potential audiences that include senior executive leadership and the Board, government oversight bodies, public safety stakeholders, international standards bodies, vendors, the general public, etc.

· The Contractor shall maintain and execute a program management communication plan to deliver customized content per project stakeholder on a frequency determined via stakeholder assessment.

· Contractor is to communicate through Microsoft suite documents or other tools provided by the Government on a frequency determined by team, appropriate to the phase of the project.

· Communications shall be of sufficient detail and customized to target stakeholder audience.

· The Contractor shall report program/project progress and status to both the team as well as the project stakeholders on the priorities of tasks and deliverables.

· Contractor shall support program management communication plans to obtain feedback as the project progresses to ensure project stakeholder satisfaction.

· The Contractor shall review, measure, and track approved program and project metrics for success.

· The Contractor shall establish and maintain an action item register to ensure completion of action items, issues, tasks, and milestones.

· The action item register should provide sufficient detail to both ensure comprehensive understanding and to facilitate action item progression and is to be updated and published on a weekly basis, or more frequently as program timelines dictate.

· The Contractor shall prepare and maintain a project organizational documents to include Roles and Responsibilities matrices (RACI) and functional organizational charts for working groups where required.

· The RACI and organizational charts are to be of sufficient detail to communicate project scope, with the RACI to be of sufficient detail to clearly define activity and task ownership.

· On an as-needed basis upon request, the Contractor shall provide topic-specific comments, summaries, and analysis to support project/program communication and success.

· The Contractor shall review and provide summary analyses of deliverable or other assignments, as required, within five (5) working days of assignment, or as required, with no more than one (1) request for change.

· The Contractor shall create, update, and maintain program/documents as well as document management processes and procedures according to established protocols and industry standards.

· The Contractor shall implement and maintain a common project document repository, as required and provide meeting minutes, as required, within five (5) working days of the meeting with no more than one (1) request for change.

· The Contractor shall provide weekly updates to document repositories in the event of additions or modifications as well as implement and maintain a common project document repository, as required.

· The Contractor shall create program schedules and milestones to ensure that accurate and timely information is collected and monthly reporting on program portfolio progress/status.

· The Contractor shall prepare meeting materials and documentation (e.g., agendas, slides) for program/project management reviews and related meeting, facilitate meetings as requested and develop formal meeting minutes, actions, and outcomes.

· The Contractor shall develop a monthly status report to include tasks/Call Order-level action items to document and monitor and mitigate issues and risks to overall program success.

· The Contractor shall use FAC-P/PM principles to develop and consistently implement Standard Operating Procedures (SOP) for program and project management tasks including but not limited to: schedules, action items registers, meeting minutes, milestone gate review(s), risk analysis, business impacts, etc. The SOP needs to incorporate setting up the information in a way that allows outcomes to be managed and measured. [Example: An action item register should identify the forecasted date an action should complete. The data needed in the SOP should identify the format of the date field (e.g., XX/XX/XXXX), whether a start and close date is needed, the principle of using end of day or start of day when establishing what the date is covering, etc.] The overall objective is to establish consistency in capturing program data with SOPs being implemented for measurement and management of said data.

· The Contractor shall have 10 years of experience in implementing all project management life cycle phases including initiation, planning, execution, monitoring, and closure. Key activities included establishing project and program plan and goals and objectives based on a thorough understanding of program management principles & techniques.

· The Contractor shall develop the project schedule, including the identification/definition/sequencing of activities, estimation of activity durations, identification of milestones, and the aggregation of activities into project and program timelines.

· The Contractor shall provide a detailed IMS for assigned projects using Microsoft Project or similar software.

· The Contractor shall develop, track, and document metrics and KPIs addressing key areas of the program, incorporating guidance provided.

· The Contractor shall provide topic-specific comments, summaries, and analysis to support project and program communication and success.

· The Contractor shall provide documentation support to include meeting minutes, deliverable management as needed, and other ad hoc documentation support.

· The Contractor shall create, update, and maintain program documents as well as document management processes and procedures according to established protocols and industry standards.

· The Contractor shall develop project and program schedules to ensure that information is collected and reported regularly on project and program progress and status using Project Management Institute (PMI) industry standards.

· The Contractor shall develop action items from various sources, to include but not limited to, monitoring and tracking program plans, actions, risk matrix, conducting reviews and managing the items.

· The Contractor shall identify any problems, issues, risks or delays to their assigned work efforts and make recommendations as to their resolution, and any corrective action that was taken to correct identified problems.

· The Contractor shall coordinate projects within the program and their interdependencies.

· The Contractor shall provide day-to-day support of the teams including scheduling meetings, taking notes, develop and maintain project documents, and coordinating efforts across the organization, etc.

Performance Management

· The Contractor shall establish a baseline assessment of organizational performance management processes in place at the FirstNet Authority to support process improvement and unification.

· The Contractor shall create a comprehensive performance management framework to unify analysis, measurement, and improvement of operational and strategic performance.

· The Contractor shall provide all documents, artifacts, and templates necessary to execute the performance management framework so that the FirstNet Authority can take ownership and maintenance of the processes.

· The Contractor shall establish a tracking methodology to measure and report on operational and strategic performance.

· The Contractor shall create reports displaying the various performance metrics’ status and progress to inform leadership.

· The Contractor shall define and track performance metrics that align with the strategic objectives and goals.

Telecommunications Engineering Support

· The Contractor shall develop white papers, research-based reports, and other technical analyses addressing various complex and/or technical issues. These documents shall be developed on an as-need basis and shall address telecommunications and network-related topics as identified by FirstNet.

· The Contractor shall review mobile telecommunication coverage maps, and other related documentation/statistics provided by the FirstNet Authority or its vendor to determine accuracy of coverage provided. The FirstNet Authority may provide requested analysis support on a routine (monthly or quarterly) or as-need basis.

· The Contractor shall provide summarized results of the analyses and develop of reports to summarize data, as required.

· The Contractor shall provide, and maintain, a detailed documentation of analyses and process steps for audit purposes.

· The Contractor shall develop coverage maps leveraging Planet (or other relevant software) and other software tools provided by FirstNet.

· The Contractor shall develop reports and analyses in Microsoft Excel and PowerPoint for ease of distribution and review by FirstNet personnel.

· The Contractor shall review wireless technology and network metrics data provided by the FirstNet Authority or its vendor and provide recommendations for project and program improvement. Reviews and recommendations are to be conducted on request from the FirstNet Authority and provide clear direction for distinct improvements based on data analysis.

· The Contractor shall analyze and provide feedback on industry standard software and systems to include, but not limited to: InfoVista’s Planet tool, MapInfo, ESRI Arc-GIS, Tableau, Microsoft Power Automate, Sharepoint and PowerApps and telecommunication drive test postprocessing tools such as Accuver’s XCAL, and Rohde and Schwarz tools.

· The Contractor shall perform various types of technical analyses for 3GPP 4G LTE, 5G, and future industry standard networks including analysis on network deployment, performance, and usage data. The analyses and related results shall be on request of FirstNet and shall leverage industry tools to enable assessment of network deployment and performance status against target objectives.

· The Contractor shall conduct various types of analyses on 4G LTE and 5G data including analyses on network deployment, performance, and usage data. The Contractor shall utilize and leverage industry standard software and systems which have historically included InfoVista’s Planet tool, MapInfo, ESRI Arc-GIS, Tableau, Microsoft Power Automate, Sharepoint and PowerApps and drive test postprocessing tools such as Accuver’s XCAL, and Rohde and Schwarz tools.

· The Contractor shall support the remediation of existing MS Applications, and the development, and creation of multiple MS applications such as but not limited to the following MS applications: SharePoint, Lists, and Forms, MS Teams Integration, and Power Platform (i.e. Power BI, Power Apps, and Power Automate).

· The Contractor shall be an expert in telecommunication field which historically included a detailed understanding of project management best practices and current understanding of the build, operations, and management of an interoperable nationwide wireless network. This includes knowledge of 4G and 5G Radio Access Network (RAN) as well as understanding of coverage and capacity planning for a wireless network. Circuit Card (UICC) management, and Operational Support System (OSS)/Business Support System (BSS).

· The Contractor shall identify any problems, issues, risks or delays to their assigned work efforts and make recommendations as to their resolution, and any corrective action that was taken to correct identified problems and update the risk matrix monthly to include summaries of risk management activities completed during the month. A risk assessment matrix is to be produced, inclusive of risk characterization, risk ranking, risk owners, risk mitigation, and risk response strategies and corrective action. The risk assessment is limited to the data review and analysis based on data provided by FirstNet and its vendor.

· The Contractor shall create white papers and technical papers to support informed decision making that results in the advancement of the FirstNet mission.

· The Contractor shall review and comment on program documents to support informed decision making that results in the advancement of the FirstNet mission.

· The Contractor shall engage, at the direction of the FirstNet Authority, with stakeholders at all levels across the organization which has historically included subject matter experts, business partners, vendors, and task managers.

· The Contractor shall review the Nationwide Public Safety Broadband Network (NPSBN) data to identify trends within the NPSBN's various ecosystems. This includes the review NPSBN cellular data coverage maps and report findings to the FirstNet Subject Matter Expert (SME).

· The Contractor shall assist with the development, review, and summarization of projects, project reports, and program data.

· The Contractor shall review product integration and service activation test data and make recommendations for project and program and process improvements.

· The Contractor shall be an expert in telecommunication field. Historically, this has included intimate knowledge of project management best practices and current understanding of the build, operations, and management of an interoperable nationwide wireless network. This includes knowledge of 4G and 5G Radio Access Network (RAN) as well as understanding of coverage and capacity planning for a wireless network. Circuit Card (UICC) management, and Operational Support System (OSS)/Business Support System (BSS).

· The Contractor shall provide cybersecurity-related technical and operational expertise to the FirstNet Authority that will be primarily used by NCDAP to support oversight of the development, deployment, and operation of the NPSBN, which is a nationwide mobile broadband network comprised of Long-Term Evolution (LTE), 4th Generation (4G), and 5th Generation (5G) technologies. This expertise will include cybersecurity related support for mobile wireless network architecture critical design reviews, mobile wireless network compliance assessments, mobile wireless network risk assessments, mobile wireless network security control assessments and verifying and validating mobile wireless network cybersecurity solutions and implementation.

Business and Wireless Network Investment Support

· The Contractor shall contribute to the FirstNet Authority Roadmap by 1) gathering and analyzing information from public safety (operational needs), industry (technologies), and government, 2) Providing written updates to Roadmap documents and 3) obtaining and incorporating feedback from across the FirstNet Authority.

· The Contractor shall conduct research and analysis regarding technical advances and industry trends related to public safety operations and public safety communications so that NPSBN investments maximize impact over the life of the NPSBN and incorporates the most promising advancements in technology in wireless broadband communications. These will be required on an as needed basis to include up to two (2) reports annually.

· The Contractor shall translate and summarize the research and analysis reports for various decision makers within the FirstNet Authority and provide written assessments of the technical advances and trends within the wireless marketplace and in public safety operations and how those advances can be translated into the Roadmap and potential investments into the NPSBN.

· The Contractor shall conduct and document economic and financial research to support the development of investment support materials needed to support the Roadmap Alignment Process (RAP) which could include documents such as need statements, analysis of alternatives, and business cases. This would occur annually within the RAP.

· The Contractor shall develop assessment reports on the communications marketplace to include the evolution of technology, wireless spectrum developments, impact of industry mergers and acquisitions, strategic partnerships and how it can impact the FirstNet network and provide written with supporting analysis which will require use of publicly available information and access to industry data. These reports will be requested on an as-needed basis to include a minimum of one a year.

· The Contractor shall provide reports that synthesize the state of the mobile broadband industry and public safety communications marketplace to highlight critical mission needs for the FirstNet Authority’s development, evaluation, and execution of the investments. This is to be conducted on an as needed basis.

Administrative Support

· The Contractor shall prepare, analyze, and assist in hiring, staffing, administrative support to staff and management.

· The Contractor shall conduct special analysis, reports, surveys, inquiries, and evaluations regarding administrative matters using procurement, financial, or any other government systems.

· The Contractor shall prepare oral and written reports and presentations; that present clear, concise and effective, analytical results or evaluations and studies performed regarding administrative matters, and provide staff support for formal presentations.

· The Contractor shall evaluate opportunities for improvements in management systems, present advice and recommendations for review and implementation.

· The Contractor shall be proficient as a SharePoint Content Manager that is responsible for managing, organizing, maintaining content such as but not limited to governance, user training, site structure, permission and access control within a SharePoint environment or other web-based platforms environment.

· The Contractor shall assist in being the liaison for various Federal Agencies providing support to the Agency’s Memorandum of:

· Understanding (MOU)/Interagency Agency Agreements (IAA).

· Maintains Administrative tickler for Admin requirements such as data calls.

· Correspondence, MOU/IAAs, contracts to ensure all deadlines are met early or on time.

· The Contractor shall make significant recommendations for improved work methods, organizational structure, records and files management processes, staffing patterns, procedures for administering administrative services, guidelines and procedures.

· The Contractor shall provide administrative and management advice and assistance to managers, supervisors, and employees on matters pertaining to human resources, travel, training, time and attendance, equipment, supplies, office space, telecommunications, record keeping, general logistics support, and the government purchase and travel card programs.

· The Contractor shall assist purchase card holders in maintaining documentation for micro purchases for the Agency. This includes ensuring proper documentation is maintained for purchase card purchases in accordance with Agency policy and coordinates with financial personnel on proper and timely monthly accounting reallocation and submittal of statements prior to end of month deadlines.

3.0 Deliverables

The type, number, and schedule of deliverables shall be specified in an individual Order. The schedule will be consistent with any applicable requirements, guidance and agency decision making needs. All deliverables shall be provided to the COR and/or Government POC for review and approval/acceptance. An Order may specify that the contractor shall provide the following:

3.1 A project management plan, data collection and analysis plan, and quality assurance plan at the beginning of the Call Order, and revisions if directed by the ordering Contracting Officer.

3.2 Progress, budget, and management reports on a regular schedule showing, for each subtask or activity identified in the Order, status of subtask completion, labor hours and costs charged, and percentage of Order funds expended.

3.3 Electronic files or paper copies of: reports, presentations, spreadsheets, supporting studies, results of model runs, an early draft of portions of a document, a preliminary draft for internal review, a draft for approval review, an approved draft for distribution, draft responses to agency and public comments, a preliminary final for internal review, a final for approval review, and an approved final for distribution.

3.4 Materials to support, and transcripts and records of meetings, conferences, and other external/public involvement.

3.5 Other deliverables as specified in individual orders.

4.0 Place of Performance

The primary place of performance is the FirstNet Authority headquarters in the following locations:

Reston, Virginia Washington, D.C.

Boulder, Colorado

Work is permitted off-site in the United States and six United States territories as determined by the COR/POCs in each individual Order. However, contractors shall be required to attend occasional meetings at headquarters.

5.0 Period of Performance

6.0 Other Direct Costs

The contractor shall obtain approval from the Government for implementation of recommendations and purchases in accordance with all federal, Department of Commerce, and FirstNet Authority contracting regulations.

7.0 Travel

The Contractor may be required to travel throughout the United States or internationally during the performance of Calls on this BPA to attend conferences, public safety engagements, and any other meeting related to FirstNet Authority projects. The Contractor may be required to travel to off-site locations within the 50 states of the United States (U.S), six (6) U.S. Territories, and internationally in support of this BPA. All travel requires Government approval/authorization and notification to the Call Order COR and Mission Unit POC. All travel must be pre-approved, estimates must be provided, and funding allotted before incurring costs.

Once the travel is approved by the COR, the Contractor shall be responsible for arranging the travel. All lodging and associated meal costs will be reimbursed at Government per diem levels. These costs shall not exceed per diem, unless approved by the COR in writing, and in accordance with the Federal Travel Regulation. Receipts for approved travel expenses must be submitted at time of invoice submission. All travel shall be in accordance with the Federal Travel Regulation at https://www.gsa.gov/policy-regulations/regulations/federal-travel-regulation-ftr.

Local travel for contract employees residing within the IRS designated mileage radius of the FirstNet Authority’s locations (Reston, Virginia; Washington, D.C.; and Boulder, Colorado) will not be reimbursed by the FirstNet Authority.

8.0 Contract Type

The Government contemplates the award of a hybrid Firm-Fixed Price (FFP), Time and Materials (T&M), and Labor Hour (LH) contract. The contract type will be further defined in the individual Call Order.

9.0 Contractor Quality Assurance.

The contractor shall perform work under an order timely and of high quality; complete and accurate, consistent with requirements and guidance, and comprehensible to the intended audience (i.e., agency decision makers, and technical and general readers). An Order will specify minimum requirements for the quality of each deliverable. The COR and/or Government POC will conduct a thorough review of each deliverable against the minimum standards before determining whether to accept the deliverable as having been provided according to the schedule. An Order will specify performance standards and metrics that, at a minimum, require the contractor to prepare high-quality deliverables and adhere to the established schedule. The contractor shall be evaluated daily, periodically, random sampling, or in accordance with the performance standards and metrics specified in the Order. Failure to meet the performance standards listed in the Order may result in one or more of the following actions at the Government’s discretion:

· Issuance of findings that require a formal corrective action plan.

· Re-performance of task by the contractor without additional compensation.

· Negative ratings in the annual Contractor Performance Assessment Reporting System (CPARS) evaluation.

· Termination for default and assessment of damages. Performance standards that may be included in an Order include, but are not limited to, those listed below.

· The contractor identifies in writing any issues that potentially threaten schedule compliance and possible corrective actions for resolving issues and avoiding delay without undermining quality.

· The COR or Government POC records whether each deliverable is complete and consistent with the schedule.

· The COR or Government POC assesses whether issues were raised sufficiently early to avoid impacting schedule attainment and corrective actions were appropriate.

Document Quality

• Consistency with requirements

• Consistency with guidance

• Proper application of sliding scale

• Responsiveness to internal comment

• Responsiveness to public comment

• Accuracy

· Quality, defined in the standards below, is integral to the preparation of each deliverable, not added in through repeated rounds of review and revision.

· Each deliverable meets the requirements of the First Responder Network Authority, NTIA, and Department of Commerce regulations and policies.

· The document reflects applicable guidance.

· Each deliverable covers content in level of detail commensurate with its importance to the analysis.

· Each revised deliverable appropriately addresses all comments provided on the prior iteration. Previously identified errors are not repeated.

· Each deliverable that is based, in part, on public comment appropriately addresses all public comments received.

· Each deliverable is consistent with the technical data and analyses, and the deliverable is internally consistent (e.g., among the main body, appendices, and summary).

· The deliverable is free of technical errors. Cited names of statutes, places, species, and other elements are correct. Values are consistent between text, figures, and tables; in tables, all columns and rows are formatted properly, and totals add up correctly. Footnotes and table notes are cited correctly.

· The deliverable is free of typographical, editorial, and grammatical errors (e.g., sentence fragments, incorrect punctuation, misspelled words, incorrect spacing, and inconsistent capitalization).

· The COR or Government POC in consultation with internal reviewers, assesses the quality of each deliverable using the assessment methods below.

· The COR or Government POC uses reviewer comments or other means to verify that required content is appropriately addressed.

· The COR or Government POC uses reviewer comments or other means to verify that First Responder Network Authority, NTIA, and Department of Commerce guidance was followed.

· The COR or Government POC reviews each deliverable against the annotated outline (developed during scoping) that identifies the topics to be analyzed in greater or lesser detail.

· The COR or Government POC reviews the revised deliverables against the comments provided to the contractor.

· The COR or Government POC reviews the contractor’s completed internal/external comment tracking system and the deliverable to verify that comments are appropriately addressed.

· The COR or Government POC reviews each deliverable to check for comprehensive internal consistency and accuracy.

· Technical and geographic terminology and units of measure are used consistently throughout the summary, chapters, tables, illustrations, and appendices.

· · All references identified in the text are included in the reference section. All reference citations, including URLs, are complete and accurate.

· All abbreviations and acronyms are included in an explanatory list and written out at first use. The deliverable minimizes use of abbreviations that are not widely understood.

· The deliverable consistently uses conditional verbs when describing actions for which decisions have not been made.

· The writing style predominantly uses active voice.

· The deliverable presents content as though it was prepared by a single author.

· The COR or Government POC ensures that these elements are in the document style guide that the COR or Government POC provides to the contractor and in any quality assurance plan the contractor provides to the COR and/or Government POC, and that the contractor followed the guide.

10.0 Monthly Status Report

The contractor shall submit a monthly Budget-Expenditure Report (see Attachment A) to the BPA COR and BPA Contracting Officer on the 5th of each month, that includes information on all active BPA Call Orders.

11.1 Month Status Report-Call Order Level

It will be determined at the order level if the contractor shall submit a monthly status report and a Budget-Expenditure Report to the call order COR and/or Government POC on the overall status of the call order and expenditures. The details of the report shall be determined at the call order level.

11.0 Hours of Operation

Under this BPA, the Contractor is permitted to conduct business hours between 6:00 am and 10:00 pm (local time), Monday through Friday except federal holidays or when the Government facility is closed due to local or national emergencies, administrative closings, or similar Government directed facility closings. The Contractor must at all times maintain an adequate workforce for the uninterrupted performance of all requirements/tasks defined within this PWS when the Government facility is not closed for these reasons. Core work hours are 9:30 am to 2:00 pm (local time). The Contractor staff is expected to work during core work hours.

12.0 Holidays and Administrative Leave

(a) The Government hereby provides NOTICE and Contractor hereby acknowledges RECEIPT that Government personnel observe the listed days as holidays:

● New Year’s Day

● Martin Luther King’s Birthday

● Washington’s Birthday

● Memorial Day

● Juneteenth Day

● Independence Day

● Labor Day

● Columbus Day

● Veterans Day

● Thanksgiving Day

● Christmas Day

(b) In addition to the days designated as holidays, the Government observes the following days:

● Any other day designated by Federal Statute

● Any other day designated by Executive Order

● Any other day designated by the President’s Proclamation

(c) It is understood and agreed between Government and the Contractor that observance of such days by Government personnel shall not otherwise be a reason for an additional period of performance, or entitlement to compensation except as set forth within the contract. If a Contractor believes that an unplanned absence impacted the price or period of performance, they should notify the Contracting Officer of the changed condition and submit a claim for equitable adjustment (see FAR 52.233.1) Nothing in this clause abrogates the rights and responsibilities of the parties relating to “stop work” provisions as cited in other sections of this BPA. The Contractor shall comply with the aforementioned Government holidays and any other day designated by Federal Statute, Executive Order, or Presidential proclamation; therefore, the Government offices are closed to the Contractor’s staff on the day(s) these holidays are observed.

Any requests for approval to work on a holiday must be submitted to the Contracting Officer Representative (COR) in writing.

13.0 Meetings

13.1 General

The Contractor shall attend scheduled progress meetings requested by the Contracting Officer’s Representative and/or the Contracting Officer. The Contracting Officer, Contracting Officer’s Representative (COR), and other Government personnel, as appropriate, may meet periodically with the Contractor to review the Contractor's performance. At these meetings the Contracting Officer will apprise the Contractor of how the Government views the Contractor's performance and the Contractor will apprise the Government of any existing or potential problems being experienced. Appropriate action shall be taken to resolve outstanding issues. The progress meetings may be held weekly, bi-weekly, monthly, or quarterly. The determination for the frequency of meetings will be made mutually by both parties based on, among other things, the continuity of satisfactory progress under the various Calls or the lack of operational basis to conduct regularly scheduled meetings. These meetings shall be at no additional cost to the Government.

13.2 Post Award Kickoff Meeting

The Post-Award Kickoff Meeting for this contract shall be held within 10 business days of contract award; the government will conduct the meeting at a mutually agreed upon time.

14.0 Key Personnel

The contractor shall assign and identify the following key personnel who will provide management, administration, and technical interface with Government personnel in the day-to-day performance of the BPA and Call Orders.

· Program Manager (PM)

· Minimum of 10+ years of experience.

· Demonstration of educational qualifications of proposed Key Personnel.

· Demonstration of relevant experience for large scale program support services contracts.

· Demonstration of relevant knowledge and experience with a multi-state and/or national public safety communications program or project.

Key personnel are those personnel considered essential to successful contractor performance. Any other key personnel may be designated at the discretion of the Contracting Officer at the call order level.

The Project Manager shall be identified in the submitted quote and shall commence work upon award of any issued call order.

All requests for approval of substitutions of key personnel under this contract must be in writing at least twenty-five (25) calendar days in advance of the effective date and provide a detailed explanation of the circumstances necessitating the proposed substitutions. They must contain a complete resume for the proposed substitute or addition, and any other information requested by the Contracting Officer Representative. All substitutions proposed during the duration of any BPA Call Order must have at a minimum, the qualifications of the person being replaced. The Contracting Officer Representative will evaluate such requests and promptly notify the contractor in writing of his/her determination to accept or reject the substitution. Failure to comply will be considered a condition endangering the performance of the award and may be the basis for a termination for default.

When the contractor becomes aware that any contract employee will be or is unavailable to work under this contract for a continuous period exceeding ten working days, the contractor shall immediately notify the Contracting Officer Representative or Contracting Officer or the appropriate government representative and replace such personnel with personnel of equal or superior qualifications, within ten working days of notification or as required by the government.

Substitutions may be made in…