Attachment A Sample Task Order.docx

ATTACHMENT A: SAMPLE TASK ORDER

TASK ORDER NUMBER: 0001

TASK ORDER TITLE: National Diversity Internship Program (NDIP)

PERIOD OF PERFORMANCE: 1 year from date of award of TO;

Check session below:

PLACE OF PERFORMANCE: All work shall be performed onsite at a Government furnished location.

Statement of Work

BACKGROUND

The Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) National Diversity Internship Program (NDIP) provides internship opportunities to diverse undergraduate and graduate students who are currently enrolled, full-time, or part-time, in a degree-seeking program at an accredited post-secondary institution and recent graduates who have graduated within one year of the internship session which they are applying. Various internship opportunities are offered during the spring, summer, and fall for students from accredited Minority Serving Institution (MSI) categories such as Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs), Hispanic Serving Institutions (HSIs), Tribal Colleges and Universities (TCUs), Asian American and Native American Pacific Islander Serving Institutions (AANAPISIs) and disability communities. The spring and fall sessions are 15 weeks long, running from January to May and September to December, respectively. The summer session is 10 weeks long, running from June to August.

SCOPE

The Contractor shall provide support with recruiting diverse students from prospective post-secondary and graduate Minority Serving Institutions (MSIs). The Contractor shall provide students to participate in internship opportunities and gain experience while being exposed to Agency operations, increase their understanding of the Agency’s mission, and encourage them to pursue careers with the VA. The Contractor support shall include NDIP program recruiting with a focus on underrepresented and underserved communities, application evaluation and processing, data collection and retention, disability support services, professional development training, travel and/or housing procurement and reporting.

This internship program requires each student to complete 40 hours per week (full-time) or 20 hours per week (part-time) onsite at the VA Headquarters or a field unit facility. Part-time students must be local to the area they are assigned, and no housing or transportation will be provided.

Tasks include, but are not limited to, VA project assignments as well as attending seminars, workshops, training sessions, field trips. Generally, all events shall occur during standard business hours. However, these activities can, and on prior occasions have occurred immediately preceding, or immediately following standard business hours.

The Contractor services include recruitment and referral of interns to the Agency and, when applicable, procurement of housing and travel. The Contractor shall recruit and refer qualified students during at least two (2) internship sessions of each fiscal year. Those Contractors who do not meet the minimum referrals required will be removed from the contract. In remote locations, a commuting allowance may be included in the task order. In concert with the Contractor, the PM, COR, and receiving supervisor should review the work location, housing location, and commute to and from to assess the safety and feasibility. The interns are paired with mentors and their respective assignments based on factors such as, but not limited to, Agency needs, student knowledge and skills for the assignment, educational background, career interest and preference for location and type of internship opportunity. The Contractor shall be responsible for ensuring that all interns are eligible for placement within VA as based on the opportunity selected. This includes vaccination requirements, housing and travel to the internship site and ability to work either full-time or part-time onsite. The Contractor shall only submit students for selection based on ability to travel and work the schedule indicated in the opportunity. All VA NDIP information distributed to qualified students shall be reviewed and approved by the COR no later than 30 days before the start of the internship session. Contractor shall provide general workplace/dress code attire guidelines in the onboarding package to the selected interns.

NDIP interns will not be assigned to positions such as clinical settings, direct patient care, processing clinical data, or research positions that fall under the purview of the VA Office of Academic Affiliations (OAA). Interns are permitted to perform administrative duties in a clinical setting; however, it cannot be directly related to clinical work or data. VA will not provide NDIP interns academic credit through the NDIP, however, the Contractor may offer student’s academic credit through their programs.

The NDIP contract shall provide tasks that meet the following requirements:

The Contractor shall be responsible for identifying potential students and group affiliates from MSIs as defined in 7.14.

The Contractor shall be responsible for providing and managing the housing needs and travel logistics of all selected interns and ensuring that student meets the NDIP eligibility requirements, including the definition of a “student” as defined in 7.7. The Contractor shall maintain official school documentation provided with each application and make it available to VA upon request. Interns must also meet the Contractor’s internship eligibility requirements.

The Contractor shall provide NDIP information to qualified students, including the following: the requirements for an internship with VA and a description of the required components of a complete internship application package defined in 6.0, including any necessary forms.

The Contractor shall provide Monthly Status Reports (also known as the MPR). The MPR shall include all recruitment method/processes, outreach efforts to MSIs, but not limited to a list of colleges, universities, job fairs. Provide HCSC the schedule and advance notification of outreach efforts for each internship session, and the results of the efforts to be included in the MPR.

The Contractor shall provide monthly Risk Summaries Report that identify any problems that arose and a description of how the problem was resolved. If problems have not been completely resolved, the Contractor shall provide an explanation including their plan and timeframe for resolving the issue.

TASK AREAS

To meet the objective of this contract, the Contractor shall perform, at a minimum, the following work tasks each year of the contract’s PoP.

Task A- Administration Management

The Contractor shall provide a Program Manager. The Program Manager shall serve as the liaison between interns and the Task Order COR, which includes attempting to resolve any issues or problems related to the intern’s experience within the program and communicating with the Task Order COR to determine the best course of action to reach resolution. This individual shall 1) receive and respond to all calls and inquiries from the Task Order COR and interns; 2) provide guidance, answer questions, and resolve problems; and 3) respond to inquiries within one (1) business day of receipt. The Contractor shall notify the CO and COR within three (3) business days of Program Manager changes.

The Contractor shall identify a Program Manager to serve as the primary emergency contact during all intern sessions. In the event of an emergency, or urgent situation, either identified by the VA facility, HCSC, the Contractor, or the intern, the Contractor shall triage the situation immediately with the CO, HCSC, and emergency personnel (if applicable). HCSC should be informed of each step taken to address the situation and provided a written summary report of what occurred within two (2) business days.

The Contractor shall coordinate all correspondence with NDIP applicants throughout the application process, which may include, but is not limited to, notifying applicants of whether their application materials have been received, requesting any missing information from applicants (as necessary), providing applicants with status updates, informing applicants of whether or not they have been selected for the program, terms and conditions of the internship (full time or part time), answering any applicant questions, and informing selected interns of required documentation and their respective deadlines.

Task B - Recruitment Support Services.

The Contractor shall be responsible for identifying potential students and group affiliates from MSIs. Contractor shall provide recruitment method/processes, outreach efforts to MSIs, but not limited to a list of colleges, universities, job fairs. Provide HCSC the schedule and advance notification of outreach efforts for each internship session, and the results of the efforts to be included in the MPR.

The Contractor shall recruit and refer qualified students during at least two (2) internship sessions of each fiscal year. Those Contractors who do not meet the minimum referrals required will be removed from the contract.

The Contractor shall ensure that qualified students meet the minimum requirements as stated in 7.7 above.

The Contractor shall distribute the following NDIP information to all interested, qualified students; program requirement knowledge and skills needed to qualify for NDIP and a description of the required components of a complete internship application package defined in 6.0 including any necessary forms. The Contractor shall ensure the qualified students have access to NDIP information through outreach and the Contractor application website.

Selection of interns will be in accordance with qualification requirements as stated within the contract PWS and any additional criteria identified on the individual intern request (e.g., degree program area; skills, ability, and knowledge).

The Contractor shall ensure that interns meeting the definition of Health Care Personnel (HCP) as defined in 7.15 assigned to VHA Locations comply with VHA Directives 1192.01 Seasonal Influenza Vaccination Program for VHA Health Care Personnel (HCP) and 1193.01(1) Coronavirus Disease 2019 Vaccination Program for Veterans Health Administration Health Care Personnel.

It is a VHA policy that all VHA HCP are required to receive an annual seasonal influenza vaccination and to be fully vaccinated against COVID-19 or obtain an approved accommodation for medical, pregnancy, or religious reasons, when required by law. Compliance with VHA Directives 1192.01 and 1193.01(1) are a condition of the internship. HCP interns not in compliance with these directives will have their internship terminated.

The Contractor shall assist interns seeking an accommodation to being fully vaccinated for medical, pregnancy, or religious reasons. The intern HCP assigned to VHA location must complete the required information using the designated VA system for electronic submission, or should submit a completed COVID-19 Vaccination Form, VA Form 10230c, requesting an accommodation, acknowledging the requirement to follow the safety protocol requirements and guidelines of VHA Directives 1192.01 and 1193.01(1) and/or any other mitigation strategies required as part of the accommodation, absent additional accommodations.

Task C – Program Documentation and Reporting

The Contractor shall collect internship candidate applications via an online application portal and meets the needs of applicants with disabilities. The Contractor shall ensure that all applicants and candidates with disabilities can access information in accordance with Section 508 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973, 29 U.S.C. 791, et seq., and can access information about a process for requesting and obtaining reasonable accommodations to support their work in the Federal Government, which incorporates the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990, as amended, 42 U.S.C. 12201-12204 and 12210 (as such sections relate to employment).

The Contractor shall ensure the student’s application collects and includes the following information:

a. Name, citizenship status (a lawful permanent resident or otherwise legally eligible to work in the United States per FAR Part 22.18), current address, primary email, secondary email (if available) and a current phone number.

b. Academic status, major, expected graduation year, and Grade Point Average (GPA).

c. Name and type of post-secondary institution the student is enrolled in (e.g., HBCU, HSI, TCU).

d. A copy of their most recent transcript/Grade Record/Report.

e. A letter of reference from a department chair, professor, or academic advisor.

f. A current resume’ reflecting work experience, volunteerism, awards, leadership, and extra-curricular activities not to exceed two (2) pages; for Graduate and Doctoral students, Curriculum vitae (CV) may not exceed three (3) pages.

g. Demographic info (gender, race, ethnicity, national origin, disability, Veteran’s status)

h. Applications packages will be submitted via email.

The Contractor shall ensure internship application packages include all requested information and documentation listed above. Application packages may not contain or refer to the name of the vendor. Only packages that include the necessary information and documentation for participation will be considered “complete.” Furthermore, only candidates who meet the criteria, as stated in the task order request, will be considered eligible.

The Contractor shall maintain an accurate, secure, and confidential database of applicant information and provide Intern Placement Reports, generated from the database, that include:

a. Name and address of post-secondary school (noting if the school is a Minority Serving Institution (MSI) or Minority Institution of Higher Education (MIHE) while specifying each MSI category identified in 7.7.

b. Mentor, internship site, Mentor email address and phone numbers.

c. Academic status and year.

d. Placement (spring, summer, fall) Session.

e. Grade point average and major.

f. Demographic information (gender, race, ethnicity, Veteran status, disability status, reasonable accommodation needed).

g. CLIN, Order Request.

h. Examine how diverse candidates are represented at each stage of the process (e.g., application rates, selection rates and completion rates).

The Contractor shall provide the COR with the intern placement report no later than 10 business days after the start date of each session (spring, summer, fall) in which they have placements, to include the above information.

9.3.5 The Contractor shall collect and maintain additional information for those applicants selected as interns, such as mentor’s name, title, organization, office, email and work address, and telephone number, shall be included. The Contractor shall use this data to develop ad hoc reports for VA as directed by the COR.

9.3.6 The Contractor shall track and maintain intern time sheets (online system, excel spreadsheet, word document) intended to monitor progress of interns throughout the PoP. This document shall list each intern by name and track the hours worked by each intern from the first week of the program through the end of the session. Timesheets must be approved by the intern’s mentor. The Contractor shall provide instructions to the Mentors on completing and signing the intern’s timesheets within three (3) business days of the intern start date.

The Contractor shall provide Monthly Status Reports (also known as the MPR) that include recruitment method/processes, outreach efforts to MSIs, but not limited to a list of colleges, universities, job fairs. Provide HCSC the schedule and advance notification of outreach efforts for each internship session, and the results of the efforts to be included in the MPR.

9.3.8 The Contractor shall deliver Risk Summaries that contain a historical log of issues and risks, the status, their probabilities and impacts, and the responses undertaken by VA and the Contractor to address them. If issues have not been completely resolved, the Contractor shall provide an explanation including their plan and timeframe for resolving the issue.

9.3.9 The Contractor shall provide the COR with a Close Out report in excel format, listing all interns who applied for job opportunities within the VA (identified separately) or other Federal Government by the close of the internship.

9.3.10 The Contractor shall bring actual or potential issues and concerns to the attention of the COR and Contract Specialist (CS) as soon as they are known. Oral reports shall be followed by emailed written reports to the COR within one (1) business day of the original notification, unless otherwise stated by the Contracting Officer (CO).

Deliverables:

A. National Diversity Internship Student B. Timesheets C. Monthly Progress Reports D. Risk Summaries E. Close Out Reports F. Recruiting Vendor Welcome Package G. Recruitment Plan for Contract PoP H. Recruitment Outcomes I. Bi-weekly Reports regarding intern placement, invoicing.

Task D - Intern Requests (Order Request (OR))

9.4.1 The Contractor shall develop and distribute a Welcome Package tailored to VA that shall be sent to all interns upon intern selection to his/her assigned work location. The package shall include detailed instructions about the VA NDIP program schedule and other key information including, but not limited to:

· Dates of the internship,

· Stipend payment schedule,

· Payroll tax withholdings,

· Travel arrangements and instructions,

· Housing arrangements and instructions,

· Local hospital and health care services information,

· Local transportation information,

· Leave privileges (i.e., sick),

· Weather/climate of location assigned during internship to ensure intern has appropriate clothing and accessories (it is the responsibility of the intern to provide those items),

· Proposed project assignments,

· An internship agreement,

· General Dress code guidelines, and

· VA requirements for COVID-19 and flu immunizations for HCP assigned to VHA locations.

The Contractor shall tailor Welcome Packages for each respective city to which interns are assigned, as travel arrangements, housing arrangements/instructions, hospitalization information and local transportation options vary by location.

The Contractor shall coordinate and procure, on behalf of intern participants, nationwide housing, if needed, that must have reservations for move-in as early as the Friday prior to the start date of each session. The Contractor shall manage move-in on the dates of the Friday through Sunday prior to the start date of the session, unless otherwise given written approval by the COR. The Contractor shall include verification, upon request, that housing is Federal Emergency Management Administration (FEMA) approved and compliant with the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) Accessibilities Guidelines. All housing shall be: (1) a comfortable extended stay housing facility with accompanying amenities of a kitchen area, on-site laundry, wireless internet access; (2) furnished; (3) less than a one (1) hour commute by local transportation from the intern’s assigned worksite; (4) within walking distance of 0.25 miles to public transportation and restaurants; and (5) accessible to medical and emergency services and facilities, places of worship, and local cultural activities. The Contractor shall at all costs, avoid housing interns in areas of civil unrest, high crime areas, and violence by way of monitoring media and local authorities. The Contractor shall coordinate and procure housing for the entire term of the program (10 weeks for summer, 15 weeks for fall and spring), including any extra days needed for move-in.

The Contractor shall arrange and procure all travel, as required for NDIP interns who live outside the commuting areas (more than 50 miles, one way) of their assigned duty locations. The Contractor shall arrange ground transportation for interns from bus/airport/train terminals, ensuring that interns arrive at their assigned housing locations on schedule, and without incident. In remote locations, a transportation allowance may be included in the task order.

The Contractor shall make bi-weekly (every two (2) weeks) stipend payments to interns during the program and withhold appropriate payroll taxes and other required deductions. Stipend payments shall include transportation allowances for the area of the internship.

The Contractor shall provide contractor POC information, to include email addresses, telephone numbers, to interns and sponsor/mentor information no later than one (1) week prior to the beginning of the session.

The Contractor shall communicate with the program manager and mentors weekly to address any intern related issues reported by the Task Order COR, such as tardiness, non-attendance, poor performance, work conditions and other foreseeable and incidentals with the CO and the Task Order COR and appropriate action will be determined on a case-by-case basis.

The Contractor shall communicate required vaccinations needed for eligibility for assignment at the internship site.

MEETINGS

When contract meetings are required, the Contractor shall attend all meetings as required, kick-off meeting, progress meetings. Meetings may occur as either formal or informal and held via onsite at the Government location, teleconference, video conference or any other format agreed upon between the Government and Contractor. The Contractor shall attend the mandatory kick-off meeting that may be located onsite at a Government location or via a virtual meeting to be determined by the Program Office.

TRANSITION ACTIVITIES

Transition (End of Contract): The Contractor shall provide services needed to assist in a smooth orderly transition between the incumbent Contractor and a successor Contractor to ensure minimum disruption to vital Government business. These services may include but are not limited to data and other file transfer, material transfer, coordination with a successor Contractor, and other activities to assist in orderly transfer and establishment of continued operation of the contractual services. The Contractor shall cooperate fully in the transition.

PRICE SCHEDULE

(Travel and Housing)

WK

(No Travel and No Housing)

WK

(No Travel and No Housing)

WK

CONTRACTOR RESPONSIBILITIES AND DELIVERABLES

CLAUSES AND PRESCRIPTIONS

All IDIQ clauses and prescriptions apply.