B02 Attachment 1 PWS MRL Quick Reference Sheets_Final.pdf

US Department of Agriculture (USDA)

Performance Work Statement

Contents Project Title

General Information

1.0 Background and Purpose

2.0 Scope of Work

Contractor Requirements

3.0 Technical Requirements / Tasks

4.0 Deliverable / Schedule

7.0 Travel

6.0 Key Personnel

7.0 Security Requirements

8.0 Data Rights

9.0 Section 508 - Electronic and Information Technology Standards

10.0 Performance Requirement Summary

Project Title MRL Specialty Crop Quick Reference Sheets

General Information

1.0 Background and Purpose

MRL/tolerance represents the highest level of a pesticide residue that is legally tolerated in or on food and/or feed when a pesticide is applied according to label directions (Good Agricultural Practices/GAP). Exported crops and products must meet MRL standards to be accepted in foreign destination markets. The Codex Alimentarius, an international standard-setting body jointly administered by the World Health Organization (WHO) and Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) of the United Nations, establishes science-based MRL standards for specific pesticide-commodity/crop combinations.

Many countries refer to the Codex Alimentarius standards and some also establish and enforce different national standards. This results in divergent MRLs or, in many cases, the absence of established MRL standards needed for trading some food and agricultural products and crops. The divergences in national standards, coupled with and frequent changes in these standards, create challenges for the international agricultural marketplace. Producers and exporters cannot assume that an MRL established by the United States and/or Codex Alimentarius will be accepted by any particular trading partner. This uncertainty can inhibit trade and result in the rejection of agricultural products upon arrival in the destination market. Such rejections can negatively affect the entire agricultural sector due to adverse publicity and increased testing requirements.

2.0 Scope of Work

Through this contract, USDA will obtain access to up-to-date, comprehensive information on pesticide maximum residue limits (MRLs) / import tolerances for U.S. specialty crop exports for different international markets. This contract will produce and maintain a total of sixty (60) commodity-specific informational MRL Quick Reference Sheets (QRS) for U.S.

specialty crops with information on MRLs approved in the United States, Codex Alimentarius, and additional export markets.

Contractor Requirements

3.0 Technical Requirements / Tasks

3.1 Production of MRL Quick Reference Sheets (QRS)

The contractor shall produce and maintain a total of sixty (60) crop-specific (i.e. one sheet for each crop or product) informational MRL Quick Reference Sheets for U.S. specialty crops with information on MRLs in the United States, Codex Alimentarius, and ten additional export markets. The sheets shall include a minimum of fifty (50) chemical compounds (unless fewer than 50 chemicals are registered domestically for that crop/use) used by growers in the United States for each crop as determined by consulting with growers and trade industry associations, as relevant for the particular crops.

These shall be disaggregated by active ingredient and contain information on the class of product (herbicide, insecticide, fungicide, etc.), and include the trade names used in the United States and the active ingredient’s registrant. The sheets shall contain MRLs in parts per million in the United States, Codex Alimentarius, as well as Canada, European Union, Japan, Mexico, South Korea, Taiwan, and the United Kingdom and the top three additional foreign markets by dollar amount exported for each crop which are different from either U.S. or Codex MRLs, along with an indication of whether each foreign market is known to be testing that MRL. The contractor will validate the top markets with FAS and agriculture industry groups familiar with the crop.

3.2 The Maintenance of MRL Quick Reference Sheets

The contractor shall ensure that the information provided in the quick reference sheets is current on a semi-annual basis, no later than (NLT) July 31st and January 25th each year for the length of the contract and each QRS shall contain a date to indicate when it was last confirmed. Each quick reference sheet shall note, where applicable, instances in which discrepancies have been reported between formal written requirements of particular markets and conditions experienced by agricultural traders in those markets.

3.3 Production of MRL Quick Reference Sheets User Guide

The contractor shall submit a brief (not more than 5 page) user guide, explaining the QRS categories, the data sources, and context for interpreting the data. The user guide shall clearly note that the sheets do not guarantee the acceptance of shipments to foreign markets and that the decision whether to ship and responsibility for shipping remains that of the shipper taking all relevant information into consideration.

3.4 Meetings and Discussions

The contractor shall participate in meetings or discussions with USDA/FAS pertinent to the work performed under this contract four (4) times per year. USDA will communicate the meeting date to the contractor 30 days in advance making efforts to schedule the meetings at a mutually agreeable time. Meetings shall be conducted virtually on any common web meeting platform, such as Microsoft Teams or Zoom.

4.0 Deliverable / Schedule

4.1 A template/mockup QRS will be submitted to USDA in both Adobe® PDF format and an editable (not PDF) format within two (2) weeks of award for the purpose of formatting approval. Data in the sample need not be current or accurate.

4.2 The sheets and the underlying information will be submitted to USDA in Adobe® PDF format, for the purposes of publication on the USDA public facing website and through such other channels as USDA may deem fit, such as email. In addition, an editable version (not PDF) of the QRS will also be submitted to USDA. The data shall be inclusive of standards established by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), Codex Alimentarius, and MRL tolerances for those same compounds in selected key foreign markets, or their analogues.

4.3 The contractor will ensure the quick reference sheets are intuitive and easy to navigate, and that users are able to find the information needed without requiring any specialized technical knowledge, recognizing that the eventual target audience of specialty crop producers are, in general, not MRL experts. Each quick reference sheet shall also include links to the latest FAS Food and Agriculture Import Regulations and Standards (FAIRS and FAIRS Certificate) reports for the relevant markets in each QRS, the links to the official source where the various markets’ MRLs are posted (if available online), a link to existing MRL resources in the United States so exporters can verify the latest data, and a link to the ASCE webpage (https://fas.usda.gov/programs/assisting-specialty-crop-exports-asce-initiative) for additional resources for specialty crops exporters.

4.4 The contractor shall be cognizant that there is not a single source of information for these data; even individual markets may not necessarily promulgate changes in a clear, transparent, or consistent manner. Some information sources include the FAS Global Agricultural Trade System (GATS) for U.S. agriculture export data (https://apps.fas.usda.gov/gats/default.aspx?publish=1), the Regulatory Limits pesticide MRL database (https://bcglobal.bryantchristie.com/db#/register), Codex Pesticides Residues in Food Online Database (https://www.fao.org/fao-who-codexalimentarius/codex-texts/dbs/pestres/en/) and foreign market pesticide MRL compendia such as Canada’s Pesticide Product Information Database (https://pest-control.canada.ca/pesticide-registry/en/mrl-search.html).

4.5 The sheets shall include the date of publication and clearly state “This MRL Quick Reference Sheet does not guarantee the acceptance of shipments to foreign markets and that the decision whether to ship and responsibility for shipping remains that of the shipper taking all relevant information into consideration.”

Item No.

Deliverable / Item Title

Description Frequency Reference Delivery Format Due By

1 Sample/Mockup of MRL Quick Reference Sheet

PDF submitted to FAS for final approval on formatting once Section 3.1 In Adobe(R) PDF format, via email to the COR and POCs

2 weeks from date of award

2 60 MRL Quick Reference Sheets created

PDFs are submitted to FAS, accessible, and current

60 sheets, submitted as completed

Section 3.2 In Adobe(R) PDF format, via email to the COR and POCs

6 due within three months of date of award 18 due every three months thereafter https://apps.fas.usda.gov/gats/default.aspx?publish=1 https://bcglobal.bryantchristie.com/db#/register https://www.fao.org/fao-who-codexalimentarius/codex-texts/dbs/pestres/en/ https://pest-control.canada.ca/pesticide-registry/en/mrl-search.html https://pest-control.canada.ca/pesticide-registry/en/mrl-search.html

3 MRL Quick Reference Sheets validated and updated

PDFs are validated and updated

60 sheets, validated as completed, updated 2x annually

Section 3.3 In Adobe(R) PDF format, via email to the COR and POCs

Twice annually

4 MRL Quick Reference Sheets User Guide

Brief (not more than 5 page) user guide once Section 3.4 In Adobe(R) PDF format, via email to the COR and POCs

Within 3 months from date of award

5 Meetings or Discussions with

USDA

Meetings or discussions with USDA/FAS four times per year

4 times per year

Section 3.5 Virtually Scheduled date

5.0 Place of Performance

All work will be performed at the contractor’s site consistent with the offeror’s normal business practices and policies;

work at government facilities will not be authorized.

6.0 Period of Performance

The period of performance shall be a 1-year Base Period and four (4) 1-year Option Periods.

7.0 Travel

Contractor travel is not required for the performance of this contract.

6.0 Key Personnel

USDA does not identify any key personnel for this contract.

7.0 Security Requirements

All work under this contract is unclassified. No specific security requirements are applicable to this contract, beyond the industry standard requirements that would ordinarily apply to any such undertaking. Contractor personnel will not have access to any USDA network or computer system as part of this effort.

8.0 Data Rights

The MRL Quick Reference Sheets (PDF and editable version) products delivered to FAS will be considered property of the U.S. Government, will be published by USDA, and be made available to the general public.

9.0 Section 508 - Electronic and Information Technology Standards Pursuant to Section 508 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973, the contractor shall ensure, to the greatest extent technically practical, that MRL Quick Reference Sheets are accessible to persons with disabilities, including but not limited to persons who require the use of screen readers, and persons who are unable to use a mouse for navigation. More information about Section 508, including current standards, can be found at https://www.section508.gov/develop/web-content/

Section 508 Requirements Section 508 of the Rehabilitation Act, as amended by the Workforce Investment Act of 1998 (P.L. 105-220) requires that when Federal agencies develop, procure, maintain, or use information and communication technology (ICT), it shall be accessible to people with disabilities. Federal employees and members of the public who have disabilities must have access to, and use of, information and data that is comparable to people without disabilities.

Item that contains ICT: MRL Specialty Crops Quick Reference Sheets MRL Specialty Crops Quick Reference Sheets E201 Application E201.1 Scope ICT that is procured, developed, maintained, or used by agencies shall conform to the Revised 508 Standards.

E206 Hardware https://www.section508.gov/develop/web-content/ https://www.section508.gov/develop/web-content/

E206.1 General. Where components of ICT are hardware and transmit information or have a user interface, such components shall conform to the requirements in Chapter 4.

E207 Software E207.1 General Where components of ICT are software and transmit information or have a user interface, such components shall conform to E207 and the requirements in Chapter 5 Exception from E207.1 General: Software that is assistive technology and that supports the accessibility services of the platform shall not be required to conform to the requirements in Chapter 5.

E207.2 WCAG Conformance User interface components, as well as the content of platforms and applications, shall conform to Level A and Level AA Success Criteria and Conformance Requirements in WCAG 2.0 (incorporated by reference, see 702.10.1).

Exceptions from E207.2 WCAG Conformance:

• Software that is assistive technology and that supports the accessibility services of the platform shall not be required to conform to E207.2.

• Non-web software shall not be required to conform to the following four Success Criteria in WCAG 2.0: 2.4.1 Bypass Blocks; 2.4.5 Multiple Ways; 3.2.3 Consistent Navigation; and 3.2.4 Consistent Identification.

• Non-Web software shall not be required to conform to Conformance Requirement 3 Complete Processes in

WCAG 2.0.

E207.3 Complete Process for Non-Web Software Where non-Web software requires multiple steps to accomplish an activity, all software related to the activity to be accomplished shall conform to WCAG 2.0 as specified in E207.2.

E208 Support Documentation and Services E208.1 General Where an agency provides support documentation or services for ICT, such documentation and services shall conform to the requirements in Chapter 6.

E302 Functional Performance Criteria

302.1 Without Vision. Where a visual mode of operation is provided, ICT shall provide at least one mode of operation that does not require user vision.

302.2 With Limited Vision. Where a visual mode of operation is provided, ICT shall provide at least one mode of operation that enables users to make use of limited vision.

302.3 Without Perception of Color. Where a visual mode of operation is provided, ICT shall provide at least one visual mode of operation that does not require user perception of color.

302.4 Without Hearing. Where an audible mode of operation is provided, ICT shall provide at least one mode of operation that does not require user hearing.

302.5 With Limited Hearing. Where an audible mode of operation is provided, ICT shall provide at least one mode of operation that enables users to make use of limited hearing.

302.6 Without Speech. Where speech is used for input, control, or operation, ICT shall provide at least one mode of operation that does not require user speech.

302.7 With Limited Manipulation. Where a manual mode of operation is provided, ICT shall provide at least one mode of operation that does not require fine motor control or simultaneous manual operations.

302.8 With Limited Reach and Strength. Where a manual mode of operation is provided, ICT shall provide at least one mode of operation that is operable with limited reach and limited strength.

302.9 With Limited Language, Cognitive, and Learning Abilities. ICT shall provide features making its use by individuals with limited cognitive, language, and learning abilities simpler and easier.

502 Interoperability with Assistive Technology

502.4 Platform Accessibility Features. Platforms and platform software shall conform to the requirements in ANSI/HFES 200.2, Human Factors Engineering of Software User Interfaces — Part 2: Accessibility (2008) (incorporated by reference, see 702.4.1) listed below:

• A. Section 9.3.3 Enable sequential entry of multiple (chorded) keystrokes;

• B. Section 9.3.4 Provide adjustment of delay before key acceptance;

• C. Section 9.3.5 Provide adjustment of same-key double-strike acceptance;

• D. Section 10.6.7 Allow users to choose visual alternative for audio output;

• E. Section 10.6.8 Synchronize audio equivalents for visual events;

• F. Section 10.6.9 Provide speech output services; and

• G. Section 10.7.1 Display any captions provided.

503 Applications

503.1 General Applications shall conform to 503.

503.2 User Preferences Applications shall permit user preferences from platform settings for color, contrast, font type, font size, and focus cursor.

Exception from E503.2 User Preferences: Applications that are designed to be isolated from their underlying platform software, including Web applications, shall not be required to conform to 503.2.

503.3 Alternative User Interfaces. Where an application provides an alternative user interface that functions as assistive technology, the application shall use platform and other industry standard accessibility services.

503.4 User Controls for Captions and Audio Description Where ICT displays video with synchronized audio, ICT shall provide user controls for closed captions and audio descriptions conforming to 503.4.

503.4.1 Caption Controls Where user controls are provided for volume adjustment, ICT shall provide user controls for the selection of captions at the same menu level as the user controls for volume or program selection.

503.4.2 Audio Description Controls. Where user controls are provided for program selection, ICT shall provide user controls for the selection of audio descriptions at the same menu level as the user controls for volume or program selection.

504 Authoring Tools

504.1 General Where an application is an authoring tool, the application shall conform to 504 to the extent that information required for accessibility is supported by the destination format.

504.2 Content Creation or Editing Authoring tools shall provide a mode of operation to create or edit content that conforms to Level A and Level AA Success Criteria and Conformance Requirements in WCAG 2.0 (incorporated by reference, see 702.10.1) for all supported features and, as applicable, to file formats supported by the authoring tool.

Authoring tools shall permit authors the option of overriding information required for accessibility.

504.2.1 Preservation of Information Provided for Accessibility in Format Conversion. Authoring tools shall, when converting content from one format to another or saving content in multiple formats, preserve the information required for accessibility to the extent that the information is supported by the destination format.

504.2.2 PDF Export. Authoring tools capable of exporting PDF files that conform to ISO 32000-1:2008 (PDF 1.7) shall also be capable of exporting PDF files that conform to ANSI/AIIM/ISO 14289-1:2016 (PDF/UA-1) (incorporated by reference, see 702.3.1).

504.3 Prompts. Authoring tools shall provide a mode of operation that prompts authors to create content that conforms to Level A and Level AA Success Criteria and Conformance Requirements in WCAG 2.0 (incorporated by reference, see 702.10.1) for supported features and, as applicable, to file formats supported by the authoring tool.

504.4 Templates. Where templates are provided, templates allowing content creation that conforms to Level A and Level AA Success Criteria and Conformance Requirements in WCAG 2.0 (incorporated by reference, see 702.10.1) shall be provided for a range of template uses for supported features and, as applicable, to file formats supported by the authoring tool.

10.0 Performance Requirement Summary

This performance Requirements Summary includes performance standards. The Government will use these standards to determine contractor performance and will compare contractor performance to the Acceptable Quality Level (AQL).

Performance Objective

Required Task or Deliverable

Performance Standard Method of Surveillance

Positive/Negative Incentive % for NOT meeting the Task

3.1 Production of MRL Quick Reference Sheets (QRS)

Production of each QRS for each commodity

At least 50 chemicals included on each sheet (unless fewer than 50 are registered for U.S. use), with correct spelling, trade name, and class of product.

98% of MRLs shown i.e. (588/600) are correct as of the date shown on each sheet.

FAS will spot-check each sheet as submitted; FAS may reference any of several data sources to do so.

Sheets not meeting specification will be returned for correction; and future submissions may be scrutinized more closely, resulting in longer review times before acceptance.

3.2 The

Maintenance of MRL Quick Reference Sheets

Semi-annual review and update of the QRS for each commodity, with revised sheets submitted to FAS

95% (i.e. 57/60) of accepted sheets have an “as-of” date that is less than seven months from the current date

FAS will maintain a roster of when each sheet was last updated

If the standard is not met for more than 15 cumulative days in any 12-month period, payment for the maintenance portion

98% of MRLs shown (i.e. 588/600) are correct as of the date shown on each sheet.

FAS will spot-check each sheet as submitted; FAS may reference any of several data sources to do so.

may be withheld until all sheets are current

3.3 Production of MRL Quick Reference Sheets User Guide

A “user guide” to explain how to read and understand the QRS documents, will be made available

FAS receives fewer than 5 usability or interpretation inquiries each month from stakeholders, which could not have been addressed by a reasonably prudent review of the user guide.

FAS will log inquiries received, noting whether or not the inquiry could have been addressed had the inquirer consulted the user guide.

The vendor may be required to revise or reissue the user guide, at no additional cost, if inquiry volume is consistently in excess of the established threshold.

3.4 Meetings

and Discussions

The vendor participates in meetings and discussions with the agency to discuss contract activities

Vendor personnel who are needed to discuss the production, update, and usability of the QRS documents are present at a meeting/discussion

To clarify, it is not necessary that the vendor’s entire team attend each meeting; rather, the vendor must ensure that attendees, taken en banc, are qualified and empowered to speak to all aspects of the contract.

FAS will note when the vendor must defer a response due to appropriate personnel not being present; or if the vendor does not have any representatives present

Payments will be withheld until pending matters are addressed