Attachment A - Statement of Work.pdf

Department of Veterans Affairs

STATEMENT OF WORK

CANCER REGISTRY SERVICES

The Department of Veterans Affairs Pittsburgh Healthcare System (VAPHS) requires Cancer

Registry services. The intent of this Request for Quotation is to establish a Single Source, Firmed

Fix Price, Requirements Contract. The contract will be five years with a performance start on

12/1/2020 and an ultimate end date of 11/30/2025.

1. GENERAL

The Contractor shall provide Cancer Registry Services for the VA Pittsburgh Healthcare

System (VAPHS) in strict accordance with the Statement of Work as well as all contract clauses.

The Contractor shall provide all necessary staffing and resources needed to properly maintain the

VAPHS Cancer Registry database in accordance with 100% of the current American College of

Surgeons Commission on Cancer Registry standards and Veterans Health Administration (VHA)

Cancer Registry requirements. The Contractor shall have current experience managing an accredited Cancer Registry program within the last twelve months and have recent experience as a consultant with the American College of Surgeons (ACOS) Commission on Cancer (CoC). The duties and responsibilities of the Contractor may include:

a. Case finding – The Contractor shall electronically screen and accept all cases into the Cancer

Registry database, shall flag all cases as “suspense” with demographics and ensure cases are primary site coded. The Contractor shall be responsible for monthly review of disease indices, pathology reports, radiology reports, treatment logs, and other computerized methods to identify reportable cancer cases. The Contractor shall be responsible for transcribing and interpreting information from patient records regarding treatment provided to an estimated 800 new cancer patients annually using the approved Veterans Administration (VA) abstracting software program (currently the VistA Oncotrax). The Contractor shall review and abstract the cancer patient’s medical record on an ongoing basis in compliance with the industry standards of the

North American Association of Central Cancer Registries (NAACCR), National Cancer Institute

Surveillance, Epidemiology and End Results Program (SEER), World Health Organization

International Classification of Diseases for Oncology (ICDC), American Joint Commission on

Cancer (AJCC) Staging Manual Criteria, VA Central Cancer Registry (VACCR) Reportable

List, American College of Surgeons / Commission on Cancer (ACOS / CoC), and the VAPHS

Cancer Registry. The contractor will be a VA experienced Certified Tumor Registrar (CTR), and produce proof of current credential status to provide abstracting services. The Contractor shall abstract cases within 4-6 months of the cancer diagnosis.

b. Rejects – The Contractor shall delete those cases in the database that need to be purged because the case does not meet the requirements for a reportable case.

c. Case Abstracting and Coding – Abstracting is defined as coding and entering patient and disease specific information into the Veterans Administration Vista Cancer Registry database or other databases as identified within this statement of work, e.g. the Rapid Quality Reporting

System (RQRS database). The Contractor shall utilize approved codes as indicated, i.e. ICD-O, ICD-9-CM, ICD-10-CM, etc. as appropriate. The Contractor shall abstract oncology cases with

100% accuracy and shall ensure that all Commission on Cancer requirements/standards are met.

The Contractor shall ensure that all cases are cleared (within pre-established timeframes) in terms of passing all edits required by the VA Central Cancer Registry or by the American

College of Surgeons Commission on Cancer, e.g. .National Cancer Database edits, Vista

Oncology package edits, Gen-edits Program edits, etc. Responsible to transcribe and interpret information from patient records regarding treatment provided to new cancer patients annually using the approved Veterans Administration (VA) abstracting software program (currently the

VistA Oncotrax). The Contractor shall review and abstract the cancer patient’s medical record on an ongoing basis in compliance with the industry standards of the North American

Association of Central Cancer Registries (NAACCR), National Cancer Institute Surveillance, Epidemiology and End Results Program (SEER), World Health Organization International

Classification of Diseases for Oncology (ICDC), American Joint Commission on Cancer (AJCC)

Staging Manual Criteria, VA Central Cancer Registry (VACCR) Reportable List, American

College of Surgeons / Commission on Cancer (ACOS / CoC), and the Pennsylvania Cancer

Registry (PCR). The contractor will be a VA experienced Certified Tumor Registrar (CTR), and produce proof of current credential status, to provide abstracting services. The Contractor shall abstract cases within 4-6 months of the cancer diagnosis.

d. Follow-up – The Contractor shall complete data entry to include all required Commission on

Cancer Registry fields, including but not limited to text, recurrence, treatment and required death information fields. The Contractor shall be responsible for tracking the care all patients receive in the years following their cancer diagnosis at the VAPHS Medical Center, and at other health care institutions. A trained follow-up clerk may provide these services. The Contractor shall provide the Cancer Registry function of Follow-up as described in the Standards of the American

College of Surgeon’s Commission on Cancer (ACOS CoC) Facility Oncology Registry Data

Standards (FORDS). These functions shall include computer input, data review and report generation tailored to the needs of the VA. The Contractor shall provide follow-up of living cancer patients in compliance with accepted industry standards, posting information on recurrence, subsequent therapy, date of last contact, vital status, cancer status, any comments supporting the findings. The Contractor shall include outcome data when applicable. The

Contractor shall maintain follow-up at a minimum of 90% on all patients in the registry data base, this is required to use registry data for survival (outcome) analysis, which is industry standard. Cases are delinquent (lost) if the follow-up interval exceeds 15 months. The

Contractor shall provide a list of patient’s completed follow-up along with the Contractor’s monthly invoice.

e. Consult Hours: The Contractor shall provide Consult Hours that shall include time spent working with Health Information Managers, the Cancer Committee and the Cancer

Program/Hospital Administrator. Consult hours shall also include ensuring that all current

ACOS and related Cancer Registry standards pertaining to the VAPHS Cancer Registry are met, that all data entered into the Cancer Registry is 100% accurate and that all pre-established timeframes related to the Cancer Registry are met. Consult hours shall also include producing reports, ensuring that the Cancer Registry Policy and Procedure Manual meets the Commission on Cancer Standards and is up to date, and assisting and advising all Cancer Program staff and related staff with Commission on Cancer survey readiness and preparation. Consult hours shall also include preparation of data for transmission to the Central VA Office and any other entity as required by the VA or American College of Surgeons. The contractor will provide consultative services both by telephone and on site to assist in the Commission on Cancer approval process.

f. National Cancer Database (NCDB): The Contractor shall conform to all ACOS Commission on Cancer requirements relating to the National Cancer Database (NCDB), including timely accurate submissions; timely accurate resubmissions; correcting edits; and monitoring CoC flash newsletters to ensure compliance with all Cancer Registry and related deadlines, etc. Cancer

Registry data submitted by the Contractor to the NCDB shall meet the established quality criteria

100% of the time, as outlined in the NCDB Call for Data. Annually, cases submitted by the

Contractor to the National Cancer Data Base (NCDB) that were diagnosed on January 1, 2003 or later meet the established quality criteria and resubmission deadlines as specified in the annual

Call for Data.

g. Staging Alerts – At the time of case finding the Contractor shall send an email to the attending physicians confirming the completion of the staging form required by the American

Joint Commission on Cancer. The Contractor shall carbon copy the Chief and Assistant Chief, Health Information Management on all email messages sent from the Contractor to VA staff.

h. Rapid Quality Reporting System - The Contractor shall monitor the quality of the Cancer

Registry data. The Contractor shall monitor the facility’s performance based on the CoC performance indicators, using the CoC reporting tools for the Rapid Quality Reporting System

(RQRS). The Contractor shall keep the COR, Cancer Liaison Physician, the Chair of the Cancer

Program and the Cancer Program Administrator advised of the performance status as requested by the above-mentioned staff and no less than once monthly. (RQRS is a real time data collection program to assess hospital-level performance using National Quality Forum (NQF) endorsed quality of cancer measures).

i. Quality Assurance Surveillance Plan (QASP) – The Contractor shall provide quality work, complete work, and accuracy as evidenced by meeting Commission on Cancer, National Cancer

Data Base, Pennsylvania Cancer Registry, National Cancer Registrars Association (NCRA), and

VA Central Cancer Registry standards and requirements. The Contractor shall perform a 100% quality assurance review on all newly abstracted cases for compliance noting any deficiencies or non-deficiencies. The Contractor shall forward a list to the COR via e-mail monthly noting any deficiencies or non-deficiencies.

The Contractor shall institute a Cancer Registry Quality Assurance Surveillance Plan/Program to evaluate the quality of 100% of their staff’s Cancer Registry data and 100% of their staff’s

Cancer Registry activities done on behalf of the VAPHS. The Contractors’ quality assurance plan shall do the following:

1. Set the review criteria

2. Set the quality control timetable

3. Specifies the quality control methods, sources, and individuals involved

»» Required activities

•• Random sampling of annual analytic caseload

Identify the activities to be evaluated:

QASP required activities

»» Case finding

»» Abstracting timeliness

»» Accuracy of abstracted data

•• Class of Case

•• Primary Site

•• Histology

•• AJCC Stage

•• Collaborative Stage

•• First Course of Treatment

•• Follow-up information, including Date of First Recurrence, Type of First Recurrence, and

Cancer Status

»» The percentage of information coded as unknown (usually coded as 9 or a string of 9s)

»» NCDB data submission, correction of data errors, and resubmission of corrected data. .

Required accuracy – 100%

»» Cancer Registry data submitted to the NCDB meet the established quality criteria included in the annual NCDB

**All other standards as outlined in the most current edition of the ACOS Commission on

Cancer manual are met or exceeded.

The Contractor shall conduct monitoring at least once monthly and the Contractor shall send their Quality Assurance Surveillance Plan (QASP) report findings to the COR and Cancer

Program Administrator monthly, at a minimum. The QASP should also include the Contractor’s process for conducting monthly random case finding audits and include a sample of the audit findings to demonstrate that all eligible analytical cases are reviewed and processed. The

Contractor shall send report findings back to the facility’s COR and Cancer Program

Administrator monthly and/or upon request. In addition, the QASP shall include monthly abstracting quality control audit checks on 100% of cases abstracted by the Contractor’s staff to ensure abstracts are 100% edit (error) free prior to invoicing The QASP shall reflect the

Contractor’s process for error corrections for all tasks performed by the Contractor’s staff and all tasks as required by the American College of Surgeons-Commission on Cancer for full accreditation; all errors identified either by the Contractor or by the facility’s COR or by the facility’s Certified Tumor Registrar or any representative of the VAPHS within one working day. The Contractor shall monitor each area of Cancer Registry activity and shall ensure all duties performed e.g. case finding, accessioning, follow up, edit corrections, data submissions, abstracting, etc. (i.e. all Cancer Registry tasks required by the American College of Surgeons-

Commission on Cancer) are performed by a Certified Tumor Registrar. The Contractor shall provide written reports upon request and at least once monthly to the COR and Cancer Program

Administrator and take corrective action on any areas that fall below the measures specified in the QASP (the QASP must be submitted with the Contractors’ proposal for approval prior to award of contract). The Contractor’s Cancer Registry Quality Assurance Surveillance Plan shall ensure that:

• 100% of cases are abstracted within 4 - 6 months of the patient’s first contact with the program.

• 80% follow-up rate is maintained on all patients from the Cancer Registry reference date.

• 90% follow-up rate is maintained on all patients diagnosed within the last 5 years.

• Complete error free data is properly submitted annually (or as required by the NCDB) for the National Cancer Database (NCDB) call for data.

• Data is submitted to the VA, PCR Cancer Committee and to the VA Central Cancer

Registry upon request prior to or within deadlines.

• Data re-submitted, e.g. to the NCDB and to all other requestors, e.g. VA Central Cancer

Registry on cases diagnosed on or after the Cancer Registry reference date meet the quality criteria and resubmission deadline specified in the VA Central Registry or NCDB

Calls for Data.

• Monthly reviews are conducted of the quality of Cancer Registry abstracting through

100% of the annual analytic caseload. The plan shall also identify the activities to be evaluated and shall set the benchmarks for required accuracy to meet all ACOS cancer program standards; and shall include the review of all pathology/radiology/Computerized

Patient record System (CPRS) and Vista Imaging reports.

i. Education/CTR Certification: The contractor shall show proof that those providing abstracting services are Certified Tumor Registrars through the National Cancer Registrars

Association. Contractor personnel functioning under this contract shall be certified by the

National Cancer Registrars Association. The Contractor shall verify its personnel’s current certification status with the National Cancer Registrars Association and shall provide evidence of certification with their proposal submission. Ongoing cancer-related education enhances knowledge and skills. All Contractor Cancer Registry staff who performs case abstracting must:

•• Hold a current Certified Tumor Registrar (CTR) credential. The CTR credential is granted through the National Cancer Registrars Association, which provides details on eligibility, testing, and recredentialing. High-quality Cancer Registry data are essential to accurately access treatment outcomes and patient survival. Successful operation of the Cancer Registry requires credentialed staff that is trained and knowledgeable in all aspects of oncology data collection and case abstracting. Abstracting is defined as coding and entering patient- and disease specific information into the Cancer Registry data base. Certified Tumor Registrars apply knowledge obtained from formal education and work experience to correctly interpret and code cancer diagnosis, stage, treatment, and outcomes information for each case that is seen at the VA

Pittsburgh Healthcare System CoC accredited program that meets CoC reporting requirements.

The case abstracting responsibilities of the CTR are documented by the Contractor.

In addition, the Contractor shall provide documentation upon request and annually that all members of their Cancer Registry staff shall participate in one cancer-related educational activity other than cancer conferences. Certified Tumor Registrar (CTR) Contractor staff participate in at least one cancer related educational activity other than cancer conferences at the local, state or national level; this education could include topics in the following areas: Advances in cancer diagnosis and treatment, changes in cancer program standards and changes in data collection requirements. Each year, all Contractor staff that work on this contract shall participate in 1 cancer-related educational activity other than cancer conferences; all members of the

Contractor’s Cancer Registry staff shall participate in ongoing cancer-related education at the local, state, regional, or national level. All Contractor Cancer Registry staff shall participate in a cancer related educational activity each year. All CTR staff shall attend a national or regional cancer related meeting once during the 3-year survey cycle.

Per the Commission on Cancer Standards, Full-time and part-time registry staff for whom annual education is required are:

•• CTR staff

•• Contract CTR staff who are contracted to work for

3 or more consecutive months during the calendar year, regardless of the number of hours worked

•• Management or supervisory personnel

This education could include topics in the following areas:

•• Advances in cancer diagnosis and treatment

•• Changes in cancer program standards

•• Changes in data collection requirements

Educational activities that can be used to fulfill the standard include, but are not limited to, the following:

•• A cancer-related lecture offered by the program (local activity)

•• A face-to-face meeting or workshop

•• Local—involves 1 program or facilities located in 1 city (local activity)

•• State—involves 1 state (state activity)

•• Regional—involves more than one state organization working collaboratively to develop the workshop. Agendas and meeting notices indicate the collaborative effort (regional activity)

•• National—is sponsored by a national organization and targeted to a national audience (national meeting)

•• A video conference (local activity)

•• A webinar (local activity)

•• A Web-based training module (local activity)

•• Journal-based articles that offer continuing education credits (local activity)

Educational activities exclude patient management cancer conferences in any format. National organizations that sponsor national meetings include:

•• American Health Information Management Association (cancer-related educational activities)

•• Association of Community Cancer Centers

•• Commission on Cancer

•• National Cancer Registrars Association

•• National Comprehensive Cancer Network

•• North American Association of Central Cancer Registries

k. Policy and Procedure manual - The Contractor shall maintain current Cancer Registry policies and procedures in compliance with CoC, NCDB, PCR and VACCR standards, and submit them to the COR at the VAPHS annually (or upon request) for review. The Contractor’s

Cancer Registry policy and procedure manual must be specific to the VAPHS and specify that current CoC data definitions and coding instructions are used to describe all reportable cases.

The Contractor shall use the data standards defined by the CoC appropriate for the year of diagnosis for any specific case. The Contractor’s Cancer registrars shall be required to comply with additional mandates pertaining to case and data reporting as established by the Veterans

Administration, federal or state government or by the VAPHS’s cancer committee. The Cancer

Registry policy and procedure manual includes:

•• Abstracting

•• American Joint Committee on Cancer (AJCC) and Collaborative Stage staging policies

•• Cancer Registry reference date

•• Case eligibility

•• Case finding

•• Case accessions

•• Confidentiality and release of information

•• Computer operations

•• Dates of implementation or changes in policies for registry operations

•• Disaster recovery policy

**Documentation of first course of treatment

•• Follow-up

•• History of the registry for the program or health system (which may include facility mergers, network formation, facility name changes, vendor information, and identification of previous staff)

•• Job descriptions

•• Maintaining and using the suspense system

•• NCDB reporting requirements and mechanisms

•• Operational requirements for facility-based cancer registries

•• Policy for CoC SAR documentation

•• Quality control of registry data

•• Registry purpose

•• Request log

•• Required coding manuals

•• Retention of documents

•• State registry reporting requirements and mechanisms

For the Policy and Procedure Cancer Registry manual, the Contractor provides a table of contents in accordance to Commission on Cancer standards.

l. Outcome Studies / Special Studies: The Contractor shall provide Cancer Registry data for outcome studies / special studies and assisting with preparation of the reports. The Contractor shall provide outcome studies / special studies for the medical staff, Cancer Committee, Cancer

Conference / Tumor Board, Veterans Administration Central Cancer Registry (VACCR), and quality management upon request. The Contractor shall compare the data to the national data to determine effectiveness of treatment, programs and survival. The contractor shall also provide patient care evaluation studies for the annual cancer program report.

m. Corrections: The Contractor shall correct any mistakes in the registry cases made by them.

This includes any data corrections as a result of edit error reports received from the NCDB, PCR or VACCR or records rejected because they lack supporting English text and/or have missing data elements. The Contractor shall correct all inconsistencies found through any quality assurance review within 1 month (or sooner if it impacts adversely on accreditation of the cancer program) of submission of inconsistencies, errors, warnings, or any other data quality problems.

n. Other The Contractor shall ensure all American College of Surgeons Commission on Cancer

Registry standards, requirements and initiatives are implemented and met; this includes ensuring all Rapid Quality Reporting System (RQRS) requirements are met and includes developing a

Cancer Registry policy and procedure manual which meets the current Commission on Cancer

Standards. If abstract are inadvertently re-opened after being in the completed status (e.g. when

Vista Oncotrax patches are put in for example) , the Contractor shall maintain thorough documentation as to the reason the case reopened on 100% of the cases entered into by the

Contractor, shall resolve the issue within one working day and shall re-close the case and send the documentation to the COR or designee (monthly with the monthly invoice (this documentation may be reviewed by the ACOS Surveyor during the accreditation process). The

Contractor may be asked to speak directly to an ACOS Cancer Program Surveyor; if requested, the Contractor shall speak with the ACOS Surveyor. The Contractor shall be responsible for preparing Cancer Registry reports for the Cancer Committee which meets 4-6 times a year. The

Contractor shall prepare reports on TNM staging, timeliness of abstracting, follow-up, and quality improvement of the Cancer Registry services. The Contractor shall bear all of the costs of reports prepared for Cancer Committee meetings.

o. ACoS / Commission on Cancer Approval: The Contractor shall be responsible for coordinating the Cancer Registry portion of the Commission on Cancer / American College of

Surgeons surveys in collaboration with the facility COR., facility Certified Tumor Registrar and facility Cancer Program Administrator and/or Physician Cancer Liaison; for assisting with preparation of the survey; and updating the Survey Application Record in collaboration with the assigned VAPHS representative. The Contractor shall ensure that VAPHS meets the standards of the American College of Surgeons Commission on Cancer Registry standards. The

Contractor and the Cancer Program Administrator share responsibility for the survey by the

ACoS. The Contractor shall also provide phone consultation about Cancer Registry issues to the

VAPHS upon request during normal working hours, Mondays through Fridays, 8:00am -4:30pm.

Eastern Standard Time.

p. Reporting Cancer Data / Transmission of Data: The Contractor shall be responsible for transmitting required submissions / resubmissions to the VA Center Cancer Registry (VACCR), National Cancer Data Base (NCDB), and the Pennsylvania Cancer Registry within prescribed timeframes; shall requests/maintain the required software for the transmissions; shall submit complete and accurate reports, and make corrections, as required. The Contractor shall demonstrate knowledge of the VACCR, NCDB, and PCR reporting requirements, complete required privacy reports and submit them to the privacy officer in collaboration with the VA

Pittsburgh Healthcare System Cancer Registry contact.

q. Data User Agreement with Veterans Administration and the State of Michigan: The

Contractor shall ensure a current Data User Agreement or any other paperwork required by

VA/VHA policy is in force with the State of Pennsylvania prior to submitting or transmitting requested data.

r. Continuing Education / Competency: The Contractor shall show proof of attendance at recent continuing education activities including state Cancer Registry trainings and Cancer

Registry association education meetings. The Contractor shall maintain competency/training folders and make them available as requested. The Contractor and Contractor staff shall have a working knowledge of VA abstracting software programs and computer hardware. If the COR has a concern about competency, the Contractor staff may be requested to take the NCRA

Cancer Registrar Employment Screening at the contractor’s cost (see:

http://www.creducationcenter.org/html/cancer_registrar_employment_ab.html) to evaluate competency, or the COR may request a VA CTR review a specified number of abstracts to evaluate competency and ensure required elements are being completed. If the National VA

Central Cancer Registrar documents continued uncorrected errors and quality problems from the

Contractor, this shall be considered adequate documentation to terminate the contract due to quality concerns.

s. VA-Specific / Privacy Training - The contractor will complete the VHA Privacy Policy

Training and Cyber Security training, and any other mandated training, at their own cost before access is given, at no cost to the government.

t. Computerized Patient Record System (CPRS) in VISTA. VA will provide contractor with electronic access to CPRS for use by the Certified Tumor Registrars. Contractor employees are responsible to access the system a minimum of once every ninety (90) days. Failure to access

VA system at least once every ninety (90) days will result in the contractor’s employees being locked out of the VA system. If necessary, VA will provide Contractor with remote access to the

Computerized Patient Record System (CPRS) in VISTA. It is expected that electronic access will be done monthly. Contractor’s abstracting personnel may perform the abstracting functions from remote locations by computer modem and shall comply with the VA standard of case completion of four to six (6) months after date of diagnosis. A list of cases completed shall be provided to the Contracting Officer’s Representative (COR) along with monthly invoices. Abstracting shall encompass the full and complete data set (required, optional and supplemental fields) to present a complete patient summary in the VistA Oncotrax package. Text field shall be utilized to document finds on Physical Exam, Scans, Scopes, Labs, Diagnostic OPS and Pathology.

Collaborative Stage and AJCC TNM staging shall be performed on all cases meeting the criteria as established by SEER and the American Joint commission on Cancer, latest Manual for the

Staging of Cancer, in conjunction with accepted principles. All required abstract fields must be completed with 100% accuracy.

2. CONTRACTORS RESPONSIBILITIES

Contractor will be responsible for completing and providing all Background Investigation documentation, Information Security, Rules of Behavior , Privacy Training, and completing the

VAPHS VPN request for computer access as it pertains to the to all designated VA personnel.

http://www.creducationcenter.org/html/cancer_registrar_employment_ab.html

3. WORKLOAD

CASELOAD QUANTITIES ARE ESTIMATES ONLY. The total minimum quantity, or guaranteed minimum, for the contract is 5 units per line item over the life of the contract. The maximum total quantity to be ordered under the contract shall not exceed double the estimated quantities in the schedule.

4. INVOICES AND PAYMENT

Payment shall be made in arrears upon receipt of properly prepared invoice. Contractor shall submit original invoice to:

OB-10/IPPS: ONLY ELECTRONIC INVOICES MAY BE ACCEPTED.

Invoices are to reference Contract Number (assigned upon award of contract), obligation number, period of performance, and list all supplies and services furnished within the period being invoiced.

5. NATIONAL HOLIDAYS

The 10 holidays observed by the federal Government, i.e., New Year’s Day, Martin Luther

King’s Birthday, Memorial Day, Independence Day, Labor Day, Columbus Day, Veterans Day, Thanksgiving, and Christmas and any other specifically declared by the President of the United

States to be a Federal holiday.

6. INFORMATION MANAGEMENT

Documentation and record keeping shall be in accordance with the VAMC policies and procedures. All timeframes required by VAPHS policies and procedures for documentation and authentication in the electronic medical record shall be adhered to. Strict adherence to all documentation related to the performance of invasive procedures shall be maintained.

7. CONFLICT OF INTERST

The Contracting Officer Technical Representative and/or Contracting Officer will monitor in accordance with VHA Handbook 1660.3, that no individuals involved in the selection or contracting process are, or have ever been involved, or perceived to being involved, with a potential conflict of interest. If a selection panel is convened, the individual(s) on the panel will need to complete a conflict of interest agreement document that will be kept with the finalized contract.

8. CONTRACTOR PERSONNEL SECURITY REQUIREMENTS

All contractor employees who require access to the Department of Veterans Affairs’ computer systems shall be the subject of a background investigation and must receive a favorable adjudication from the VA Office of Security and Law Enforcement prior to contract performance. This requirement is applicable to all subcontractor personnel requiring the same access. If the investigation is not completed prior to the start date of the contract, the contractor will be responsible for the actions of those individuals they provide to perform work for VA, until the time such investigation is completed, and VA has accepted the proposed individual.

a. Position Sensitivity – The position sensitivity has been designated as: Moderate Risk.

b. Background Investigation – The level of background investigation commensurate with the required level of access is National Agency Check with Written Inquiries.

c. Contractor Responsibilities-The contractor shall bear the expense of obtaining background investigations. If the investigation is conducted by the Office of Personnel Management (OPM), the contractor shall reimburse VA within 30 days of receipt of VA Bill of Collection.

d. The contractor shall prescreen all personnel requiring access to the computer systems to ensure they are a U.S. citizen or maintain an appropriate visa and are able to read, write, speak and understand the English language.

e. The contractor shall submit or have their employees submit the following required forms to the VA Office of Security and Law Enforcement within 30 days of receipt:

• Standard Form 85P, Questionnaire for Public Trust Positions

• Standard Form 85P-S, Supplemental Questionnaire for Selected Positions

• FD 258, U.S. Department of Justice Fingerprint Applicant Chart

• VA Form 0710, Authority for Release of Information Form

• Optional Form 306, Declaration for Federal Employment

• Optional Form 612, Optional Application for Federal Employment

f. The contractor, when notified of an unfavorable determination by the Government, shall withdraw the employee from consideration from working under the contract.

g. Failure to comply with the contractor personnel security requirements may result in termination of the contract for default.

h. Procedures for Background Security Investigations:

i. The Contracting Officer will obtain a list of employees proposed to work under the contract from the Contractor. This list must include the following information:

Individuals Name

SSN #

DOB, and

Contractor’s address (versus individual’s address to facilitate receipt of paperwork)

j. Fingerprint charts are the responsibility of the contractor and must be done locally.

Completed fingerprint charts and the list of names must be provided to the contracting officer, who will forward to Office of Security and Law Enforcement (OSLE).