B02 - PWS_CFPS SaDS_Beech Bridge 1.pdf

PERFORMANCE WORK STATEMENT

In Support Of

CLIENT AGENCY:

United States Department of Agriculture (USDA)

Farm Service Agency (FSA)

PROJECT TITLE:

Common Farm Program Systems (CFPS) &

Subsidy and Disaster Systems (SaDS)

February 2, 2023

Contents

2.1. Common Capabilities and Programs or Systems

2.2. Constraints and Minimum Requirements

4.1. Applicable Regulations and Documents

5.1. TASK 1 – PROGRAM MANAGEMENT SUPPORT

5.2. TASK 2 – PROJECT MANAGEMENT SUPPORT

5.2.1. For DM&E Projects

5.3. TASK 3 – REQUIREMENTS ACTIVITIES SUPPORT

5.3.1. Requirements Definition Support

5.3.2. Requirements Analysis

5.4. TASK 4 – SYSTEMS DEVELOPMENT SUPPORT

5.4.1. System Design

5.4.2. Web Based Software Construction

5.4.3. Unit, Integration, and System Testing

5.4.4. Certification & Performance Testing

5.5. TASK 5 – PRODUCTION AND MAINTENANCE SUPPORT

5.6. TASK 6 – APPLICATION ASSESSMENT & AUTHORIZATION (A&A)

5.7. TASK 7 – DISASTER RECOVERY

5.8. TASK 8 – ADDITIONAL TASK SUPPORT

5.9. TASK 9 – KNOWLEDGE TRANSFER

5.10. TASK 10 – TRANSITION-OUT PLANNING SUPPORT

5.10.1. Transition-Out

5.11. OTHER REQUIREMENTS

5.11.1. Skills Requirement

5.11.2. Deliverable Matrix

5.11.3. Key Personnel

5.11.4. Estimated Labor Hours

6.1. General Communication

7.1. General Requirements

7.2. Training

7.2.1. Contractor Staff Training

7.2.2. Mandatory Government Training

7.3. Personnel Retention and Recruitment

7.3.1. Substitution of Key Personnel

7.3.2. Additional Provisions for Substitution of Key Personnel

8.1.1. Quality Control

8.1.2. Quality Assurance

9.1. Requirements for EVM on FSA IT Investments

9.2. Integrated Baseline Review (IBR)

10.1. Contractor Submission

10.2. Government Review

10.3. Data and Deliverable Rights

10.4. Transfer of Ownership

10.5. Monthly Invoice

11.1. General

11.2. Period of Performance

11.3. Place and Time of Performance

11.3.1. Government Administrative Leave Situations

12.1. General

13.1. Background Investigation Requirements

13.2. HSPD-12 -Credentials

13.3. Non-Disclosure Agreement

13.4. Data Access

13.5. Security Incident Reporting

14.1. Government Representatives

14.2. Procedures for Payment

14.2.1. Performance Based Payment Percentages

14.2.2. Submission

14.2.3. Non-Compliance

14.3. Personal Service

14.4. Privacy Act

15.1. Section 508 – Accessibility of Information and Communication Technology

15.2. Acquiring Information Technology – Internet Protocol Version 6 (IPv6)

BACKGROUND

The United States Department of Agriculture (USDA), Farm Services Agency (FSA) administers and manages farm commodity, disaster, and loan programs as authorized by Congress through a network of federal, state, and county offices. FSA’s administrative and programmatic functions are supported by a large network of automated systems maintained by the Farm Production and Conservation (FPAC) Business Center (FBC) Information Solutions Division (ISD). FBC ISD is also responsible for developing Information Technology (IT) support for new programs, replacing existing programs, modernizing existing platforms and systems, and maintaining existing systems. FBC is responsible for an increasing number of web applications resulting from on-going efforts to modernize program delivery to the web environment. FSA has a need to develop modernized solutions to meet the needs of the nation’s farmers and ranchers and the county office users that support them, and to provide support for domestic and international food aid efforts via cost effective Commercial off the Shelf (COTS) centric Service Oriented Architecture (SOA)/hybrid solutions that integrate custom software components to maximize the benefits of both COTS and custom development platforms.

The primary FBC ISD operations are in Washington, DC and Kansas City, MO, with additional offices in St. Louis, MO and Fort Collins, CO. Disaster Assistance & Risk Program and Insurance Delivery and Producer Sustainment Section is responsible for an increasing number of web applications resulting from on-going efforts to move software to the web environment. The Disaster Assistance & Risk Program and Insurance Delivery and Producer Sustainment Section has a need to develop new web applications and modernize existing applications.

FBC ISD strategic principles begin with the following four principles and shall be integrated into the work associated with this Performance Work Statement (PWS):

Ensure Operational Availability, Security & and Integrity – to provide uninterrupted, efficient, and secure operations for FSA’s system users and customers Simplify and Improve the FSA IT Portfolio – to reduce system complexity and risk while enabling more rapid program delivery, new customer functionality, and increased access to data Partner on High Impact / Cross Agency Programs – to provide self-service options for customers, reduce redundant USDA systems, and increase USDA shared services Enhance Key IT Planning and Delivery Disciplines – to improve the planning, project management, and communication needed for cost-effectively delivering the work

This PWS supports the efforts of FSA in developing and maintaining IT projects authorized in the Agriculture Act of 2014 (Farm Bill) and other legislation and regulations, including future Farm Bills. The Farm Programs Delivery (FPD) effort, on behalf of the Program Delivery Division (PDD) supports a variety of Farm Programs Systems, including several key shared services. Many of these services are leveraged by other USDA agencies. The scope of projects associated with this spans the following categories:

implementation of the Agriculture Act of 2014 (Farm Bill); supporting ad-hoc legislation; modernization of Farm Programs; and normal enhancements and modifications. All web applications are currently hosted in the USDA Enterprise Data Center in Kansas City and have been constructed following FSA Standards using .NET, JBoss, JAVA and SQL Server. The USDA FBC ISD Service Delivery and Operations Branch (SDOB) provides oversight to the effort on this PWS.

OBJECTIVE / SCOPE

The objective of this PWS is to provide technical support services for the delivery of consistent, modern, and cost-effective business solutions for FSA and other agencies that FSA partners with today and in the future. The primary scope will include technical services such as: requirements determination; analysis;

design; configuration; construction; unit, and integration testing; deployment support; maintenance support; and production support of existing and new custom, COTS or hybrid systems, hereafter referred to as Farm Programs (FP) Systems, to support IT projects authorized as follows:

AGRICULTURE ACT OF 2018 (Farm Bill) and future farm bills: New farm programs or changes to existing farm programs systems will be identified and implemented and technical support for these will be required by this PWS.

ADHOC LEGISLATION: There is the potential that in addition to the work related to Farm Bill, other legislation will be passed that will require implementation of new programs or require changes to existing programs.

This PWS will support FSA efforts to develop, modernize and enhance, and maintain new and existing systems to support these IT projects, including, but not limited to, the following:

CONTINUAL IMPROVEMENT OF FARM PROGRAMS: FSA is continuing to standardize and streamline program delivery, as well as, business processes in order to try to make more resources available to USDA customers. The focus will be on smaller projects that bring rapid and cost-effective delivery of business benefits. These projects will be proposed and prioritized by FSA executive leadership through the FBC IT road mapping process. As part of this process, technology choices such as COTS vs custom development will be driven based on formal alternative analysis performed by the Government and its representatives.

MAINTENANCE AND ENHANCEMENT OF FARM PROGRAM SYSTEMS: Support services are required for projects related to the normal maintenance and enhancement activities associated with existing FSA applications. This support is required to address production problems, including poor performance experienced by the user community. Additionally, based on historical data, the existing web applications will require some degree of enhancement to implement new functionality or logic identified by the business sponsors. The support services for maintenance and enhancement activities include, but are not limited to Disaster Assistance & Risk Program and

Insurance Delivery and Producer Sustainment Section systems. The scope of this PWS includes support of any Farm Program owned projects prioritized through FSA and FBC road mapping efforts as well as the development of Farm Program portions of cross cutting initiatives.

These technical support services include the following specific objectives:

Support of FSA movement to unified responsive user experience for national, state, and county office staff as well as producers directly.

Continual improvement of FSA systems as well as support of FBC to new and emerging technologies such as Single Page Applications and Amazon Web Services.

Support FSA and FBC drive to reduce costs and reduce time to market in highly dynamic environment.

Support of FSA and FBC efforts to deliver mission critical Farm Programs.

Support of a move toward customer centric systems.

Support for the Service Center Modernization Initiative including reduction of needed trips by the producer to the local Service Center.

Support modification of business processes and rules to meet current program needs.

Interface with the National Payments System and other required accounting applications, resolving material weaknesses related to reporting obligations.

Facilitation of data quality, data entry integrity, and accuracy during field operations.

Improved stability in the Web Farm and movement of applications to new and emerging technologies.

Generation of standardized reports.

Compliance with Government requirements and initiatives (i.e., eGov, accessibility standards).

Protection of personally identifiable information.

Support of FBC ISD IT road mapping objectives.

All necessary audit functionality and increased service and data sharing with partner agencies.

Ensuring continuity of operations in all systems and environments by ensuring the data is kept synchronized regardless of environment or system source of entry and reduces technical service costs associated with administration of the different programs.

The technical support tasks shall be performed primarily on the FSA and FBC chosen Java EE Server, with JBoss, and supporting existing and new FSA administered Farm Programs software. Farm Programs may require technical support for new development, maintenance, enhancement, and improvement to the performance of existing applications.

2.1. Common Capabilities and Programs or Systems

Below is a representative, but not all inclusive, list of FBC (FSA) capabilities and programs or systems that the Contractor shall support:

Farm Program Capabilities

FSA Business Partner Information

- Service Center Information Management System (SCIMS) – JAVA, .Net

- Representative Link Manager Systems (RLMS) - .Net

- Subsidiary / Eligibility – JAVA

- Direct Attribution – JAVA

- Farm Operating Plan (Business File) – JAVA

Farm Records Management (FRM) - JAVA

Agricultural Risk Coverage/Price Loss coverage (ARC/PLC) – JAVA Application Obligation Service - JAVA Common Payment Framework – JAVA Common Payment Reports – JAVA Common Payment System - JAVA Fruits and Veggies (FAV) - JAVA The Natural Disaster Relief Programs (NDRP) and Payments

- Livestock Indemnity Program (LIP) - JAVA

- Livestock Forage Program (LFP) - JAVA

- Tree Assistance Program (TAP) - JAVA

- Emergency Assistance for Livestock, Honey Bees, and Farm-Raised Fish (ELAP) – JAVA

National Crop Table (NCT) - JAVA Noninsured Crop Disaster Assistance Programs (NAP) – JAVA Systematic Tracking for Optimal Risk Management (STORM) - JAVA Emergency Relief Program (ERP) – JAVA Emergency Livestock Relief Program (ELRP) – JAVA Coronavirus Food Assistance Programs (CFAP) - JAVA

The complete FSA System Inventory with descriptions of the above systems is available on the Planview SDLC website at https://pd.reporting.rma.usda.net/Reports/report/Planview/001_Application_Domain/01.002.001_Entire_A pp_Inventory

Most applications have been constructed following the FSA Reference Architecture and using the Java EE and Java development standards.

2.2. Constraints and Minimum Requirements

The Contractor shall use, and comply, with the FBC (FSA) System Development Life Cycle (SDLC) software development methodology. The SDLC defines system development activities, documents deliverables, and artifacts required to be performed throughout the phases of the project. All Contractor performance shall ensure that:

a) The system shall conform to the FBC (FSA) infrastructure.

b) The system shall enforce security to meet FBC (FSA)’s implementation of the Federal Information

Security Management Act of 2002 (FISMA) standards.

c) The system shall be constructed in a way to secure it from the top 10 Security Threats defined by the Open Web Application Security Project (OWASP).

d) The system shall be constructed and packaged using FBC (FSA) standard tools for automated builds. This build process shall produce a quality report containing automated integration tests and unit tests that cover at least 80% of the code, unless specified differently in the Work Definition Form (WDF) and approved by the Contracting Officer’s Representative (COR).

e) The system shall not compromise the security of external interfacing systems at FSA.

f) The system shall be implemented without significant disruption of operations.

g) The project plans shall be maintained and tracked in the Government determined application, currently MS Project.

h) New application development projects shall include a project kickoff meeting per SDLC guidelines and will involve key stakeholders from across the agency which may include, but not limited to, Shared Services Section (SSS) Client Experience Center (CEC), Customer Needs Management Branch (CNMB), Service Strategy and Planning Branch (SSPB), and Information Assurance Branch (IAB), among others.

i) Required SDLC artifacts shall be determined based upon the project risk assessment and project size with guidance from the SSPB.

j) Adhering to the SDLC, the individual phases shall be completed and required work products shall be produced and uploaded to the FBC (FSA) designated SDLC artifacts repository.

k) All Web applications shall be completed using the FBC (FSA)’s standard tools.

l) Service Level Agreements shall be defined for new Web applications prior to development.

Ongoing development efforts shall include required application upgrades in response to Agency standards changes (e.g. Reference Architecture, Information Bulletins).

m) JAVA systems delivered shall be J2EE ™.

n) All documentation, artifacts, and evolving code shall be stored in the approved FBC Repositories, such as SharePoint, Bitbucket or JIRA.

o) Customization to COTS packages shall contain automated integration tests and unit tests that cover at least 80% of the code unless specified differently in the Work Definition Form (WDF).

p) Systems and applications shall adhere to Section 508 Guidelines and pass accessibility tests.

q) Systems and applications shall adhere to the FBC (FSA) Software Quality Standards.

r) Systems shall be implemented without unplanned disruption of operations.

s) The technical solution of tasks shall adhere to SDLC artifacts and be generated in accordance with associated policy, procedure, or Work Definition Forms that are reviewed, negotiated, and signed by the COR and FBC Owner, and the authorized Contractor representative.

t) All application development projects shall comply with SDLC guidelines.

u) Screen mockups and System design documents shall be used to help clarify requirements and gain consensus from assigned Business Sponsors and technical and certification testing staff.

CURRENT CHALLENGES

The below list identifies and depicts some of the current challenges associated with the overall technical environment.

a) Providing scalability necessary to meet the increasing demands from ongoing modernization efforts, including requirements identified by FSA and other Service Center Agencies, Natural Resources Conservations Service (NRCS), and Risk Management Agency (RMA).

b) Reconciling competing needs and priorities to support requirements from the Service Center Agencies.

c) Managing the differences in the development of applications such as languages, standards, FBC (FSA) Reference Architecture, and frameworks.

d) Automating technical services previously performed during farm visits.

e) Managing, maintaining, and meeting Farm Program delivery dates for Mission Critical Farm

Programs.

f) Applications are hosted at the Kansas City Web Farm. The Web Farm Systems use SQL Server, Oracle, or DB2 databases as repositories for data.

g) Number of Business Partners contributing to the design and development of Farm Program Systems.

h) Data collections and data verification requirements for new databases.

i) Moving to a unified responsive user experience.

j) Reducing the number of deployment components within infrastructure.

k) Expanding support of the business in development of common processes that can then be automated.

l) Migrating from current platforms to Cloud platforms

APPLICABLE DOCUMENTS

4.1. Applicable Regulations and Documents

The following documents (versions current at time of award) are incorporated with the same force and effect as if provided in full text. Succeeding revisions may be substituted or incorporated as required with full notice and disclosure to the Contractor. The Government will provide access to available documents and technical information as required and upon Contractor request for the performance of this PWS.

a) FBC (FSA) Technical Information Bulletins (TIB) and Technical Information Advisory (TIA) documents.

b) Departmental Information Processing Standards (DIPS), manuals, circulars, and user requirements.

c) FBC (FSA) SDLC documentation for web applications, to include supplements.

d) FBC (FSA) Standards Guide.

e) FBC (FSA) Security Standards.

f) Farm Programs Development Standards.

g) United States Department of Agriculture Office of Procurement and Property Management AGAR

Advisory No. 81, Revision.

h) FSA Enterprise Architecture principles, standards, and guidelines.

i) Federal CIO’s 25 Point Plan.

j) Digital Government Strategy.

k) Other policy, procedural, or technical documentation as the Government may deem necessary in order to conduct work under this contract.

Note: In the case the solution being delivered is for a partner Agency, FBC (FSA) standards may be substituted with partner agency standards.

TASK REQUIREMENTS

The Contractor shall furnish all personnel, services, oversight, and supervision to perform the requirements of this PWS. The Contractor shall provide facilities and equipment for back office administration.

5.1. TASK 1 – PROGRAM MANAGEMENT SUPPORT

The Contractor shall provide Program Management support under this PWS. This includes the management and oversight of all activities performed by Contractor personnel, including subcontractors, to satisfy the requirements identified in this Performance Work Statement (PWS). Program management shall be based on industry best practices processes, such as the Project Management Institute’s PMBOK® using an Agile approach.

Performance Standards and Quality Levels: These standards will be managed and monitored as described in the Contractor’s Service Level Agreement (SLA) and Quality Assurance Surveillance Plan (QASP) responses to the PWS Requirements, as approved by the Government.

The Contractor shall complete the following requirements:

a. Identify a Program Manager (PM), by name, that shall provide management, direction, administration, quality assurance, and leadership of the execution of this PWS (see Key Personnel).

b. Within five calendar days of the period of performance start date, the Contractor shall schedule, coordinate, and host a PWS Kick-Off Meeting (see Deliverable Matrix) at the location approved by the Government. At the Kick-Off Meeting, the Contractor shall initiate work on this PWS by meeting with key Client Agency representatives to ensure a common understanding of the requirements, expectations, and ultimate end products. The Contractor shall discuss the overall understanding of the tasks and review the background information and materials provided by the Client. Discussions will also include the scope of work;

deliverables to be produced; how the efforts will be organized and conducted; risks and mitigation recommendations; assumptions made; and expected end results. A concerted effort shall be made to gain a thorough understanding of the Client Agency expectations.

However, nothing discussed in this or in any subsequent meetings or discussions between the Client Agency and the Contractor shall be construed as adding, deleting, or modifying any requirements, including deliverable specifications and due dates.

At a minimum, the Contractor shall provide the following deliverables at the Kick-Off meeting (see Deliverable Matrix):

1. Kick-Off Meeting Agenda

2. Transition-In Process Plan, to include timelines

3. Roles and Responsibilities Matrix

4. Meeting Schedule

5. Points of Contact

6. Prioritization of Contractor Activities

7. Performance Metrics/SLAs

8. Security Requirements

9. Government Furnished Information

10. Draft Program Management Plan

11. Final Quality Control Plan (QCP)

12. Earned Value Management (EVM) Plan

c. Prepare a Monthly Status Report (MSR) (see Deliverable Matrix) that summarizes the following information by task utilizing the specified format. The Contractor shall deliver the MSR by the 10th calendar day of each month via electronic mail to the FSA COR and Technical Point of Contact (TPOC). The MSR shall include the following:

1. Personnel gains and losses, current vacancies and staffing roster

2. Schedule to include major tasks, milestones, and deliverables; includes each planned and actual start and completion dates

3. Status of Deliverables

4. Cost Update to include: Accumulated invoiced cost for each CLIN up to previous month, Project cost of each CLIN for the current month, Burn Rate (direct labor, and travel funding status to be reported separately as requested by the Government)

5. Government Actions Required

6. Accomplishments by Task for MSR period

7. Task Risks, Issues, and Recommendations

8. Task Performance Metrics

9. Critical, Current, and Upcoming Projects

10. Outstanding issues and proposed resolution approaches and actions to resolve any outstanding issues

11. Listing of all training to be completed within the two month period following the end of the MSR reporting period

d. Prepare Problem Notification Reports

The Contractor shall bring to the attention of the FBC FSA COR and the TPOC any problems or potential problems in performing assigned tasks. Subsequent to verbal notification, a written Problem Notification Report (PNR) shall be submitted to the COR within 24 hours after identification of the problem (see Deliverable Matrix).

The Contractor shall provide, in writing to the COR, the results of all meetings with the client that affect or change conditions or result in additional agreements or requirements. The Contractor shall not perform any work outside the scope or requirements of this PWS and resultant order without express written approval of the CO (see Deliverable Matrix).

e. Earned Value Management

The Contractor shall employ and report on EVM in the management of this TO. The Contractor shall provide the EVM Plan at the Project Kick-Off Meeting (see Deliverable Matrix).

See Earned Value Management attachment.

5.2. TASK 2 – PROJECT MANAGEMENT SUPPORT

The Contractor shall provide IT Project Management for all Operations & Maintenance (O&M) Projects as determined and identified by FBC and FSA, and for all Development, Modernization & Enhancement (DM&E) Projects. The Contractor shall support alignment and compliance with FBC (FSA) and USDA standards, policies, processes, and procedures (for example, Enterprise Architecture and Capital Planning and Investment Control) and provide feedback to support process improvement.

The Contractor shall effectively and efficiently manage schedule and performance utilizing integrated project management processes across all aspects of the subtasks and activities. The Contractor shall develop, document, and maintain an integrated program management plan for coordinating and prioritizing resources across projects within a program, managing dependencies between the projects, and the overall costs and risks of the program. The Contractor shall provide financial costs recorded, calculated, and maintained separately for Work Definitions, investments, and funding sources, as directed. This financial cost data shall be provided to the COR at the end of the life of the Work Definitions. Project Management tasks shall include, but are not limited to, the following:

Project Plan Creation and Maintenance:

The Contractor shall:

Create and maintain a project plan for each project defined by a Work Definition Form with

Work Breakdown Structure diagram, project resource assignments, and resource hours, projected task completion dates for each resource assigned, overall completion date of each project, cost, and project assumptions.

Provide an updated project plan after the analysis phase is complete or within mutually agreeable time parameters detailing the completion dates for the remainder of the project.

The project plan shall be updated weekly or as requested showing progress and task completion.

Deliver risk assessment reports, corrective action recommendations, and present briefings.

Specific project plan updates shall be provided within mutual agreeable time parameters.

All project plans shall be maintained on FSA’s Microsoft Project.

The Contractor shall be responsible for maintaining the backlog for all projects and sprints. In addition, the Contractor shall:

a. Provide management and oversight of Contractor project resources.

b. Provide and maintain an integrated view in the approved project management application, currently Microsoft Project® of all projects executing;

c. Provide weekly progress reports of projects in execution as well as projects in the pipeline in the approved project management application, currently Microsoft Project®. Weekly reports should include: work accomplished; milestones achieved, location in the schedule; budget status (ETC, EAC, VAC); Earned Value data (SPI, SV, CPI, CV); risks and issues; and Program Manager’s summary of key notes. EVM data is only required for DM&E projects.

(See Earned Value Management attachment).

5.2.1. For DM&E Projects

The Contractor shall be responsible for maintaining all Contractor project plans developed throughout the course of the TO. Contractor project plans shall be resource loaded, up to date, and stored in FSA’s Project repository. No local versions shall exist.

For DM&E Projects, the Contractor shall:

Support Government staff to ensure project plans are current and up to date in the FBC (FSA) Project Server repository.

Create and maintain Performance Measurement Baselines (PMB) for each project (see Deliverable Matrix).

Apply and report the appropriate and effective methods for EVM reporting (conventional EVM or Agile EVM) in the management of each project (see Deliverable Matrix).

Manage, track, and control projects such that the CPI and SPI indicators for all first and second level WBS tasks and milestones fall within 0.91 to 1.09.

Ensure all Contractors and Subcontractors use FBC (FSA) approved project policies, procedures, and templates for project artifacts.

Ensure project activities are ANSI-748 compliant;

Support FBC (FSA)’s Capital Planning and Investment Control (CPIC) Team in compliance with ANSI-748 for all investments.

5.3. TASK 3 – REQUIREMENTS ACTIVITIES SUPPORT

5.3.1. Requirements Definition Support

The Contractor shall participate in teleconferences and meetings with Farm Programs technical personnel, PDD personnel, NRCS Information Technology and Business personnel, and other Agency personnel as needed, in order to clarify requirements, present walkthroughs, and other meetings as required to define requirements. Requirements shall be documented and provided to the TPOC. An Issue Log related to the Requirements Definitions shall be prepared, documented, and maintained using Government approved Jira system sandbox.

5.3.2. Requirements Analysis

The Contractor shall analyze and produce, for review and approval, system design artifacts as required in the WDF. All other artifacts shall be developed to adhere to the FBC (FSA) SDLC. The platforms used include, but may not be limited to, Java, JBoss, AWS, .NET, or COTS packages.

5.4. TASK 4 – SYSTEMS DEVELOPMENT SUPPORT

5.4.1. System Design

All construction for new Systems and modifications made to existing Systems shall be accomplished following FBC (FSA) standards. All construction for new Systems and modifications made to existing Systems shall be developed using Government current approved platforms, such as, but not limited to, JAVA, JBoss, AWS, COTS packages, or hybrids. The Contractor shall be responsible for all work products identified in the SDLC and as required by the Work Definition Form. The Contractor shall write or modify all code using programming techniques or industry appropriate technologies and as required by the Work Definition Form. The Contractor shall deliver all required SDLC artifacts, conduct quality reviews, code reviews, performance reviews, and shall ensure code is designed and modified in compliance with FBC (FSA) Farm Program performance standards as outlined in the Farm Program Software Quality Guidelines. The Contractor shall adhere to all architectural designs as recommended by the Enterprise Applications Architect. The Contractor shall follow the FBC (FSA) Change Management Process.

The Contractor shall provide a high-level or detail level overview presentation of the System structure, Project Plan, page designs, report formats, User Interface scripts, physical storage requirements, process logic, physical data model, data structure, and data flow as identified in the System life cycle methodology for software to Government technical personnel for review and approval, as required.

Application programs shall be designed to take advantage of state-of-the-art hardware and software capabilities. All functions relating directly to the structuring of programming runs and the identification of programs and modules within programs making up the application shall be identified.

5.4.2. Web Based Software Construction

All construction for new Systems and modifications made to existing Systems shall be accomplished following FBC (FSA) standards. All construction for new Systems and modifications shall be developed using Government current approved platforms, such as, but not limited to, JAVA, JBoss, AWS, COTS packages, or hybrids. The Contractor shall be responsible for all work products identified in the SDLC and as required by the Work Definition Form. The Contractor shall write or modify all code using programming techniques or industry appropriate technologies and as required by the Work Definition Form. The Contractor shall deliver all required SDLC artifacts, conduct quality reviews, code reviews, performance reviews, and shall ensure code is designed and modified in compliance with FSA Farm Program performance standards as outlined in the Farm Program Software Quality Guidelines. The Contractor shall follow the FBC Change Management Process.

All User Interfaces shall be constructed to comply with FBC (FSA) standards and supplemented by Farm Program (FP) standards including the USDA Style Guide, FBC (FSA) Style Guide, and be in compliance with Section 508 Amendment to the Rehabilitation Act of 1973.

Any deviations from the Reference Architecture, Common Application Framework, or the FP standards shall have an approved waiver before being implemented. The Contractor shall develop and submit documentation to support the waiver approval process as required.

The Contractor shall implement the automated build processes for Enterprise Archive (EAR) files and for automated testing. The Contractor shall support other automation technologies such as automated deployments into Java EE Server environment. The Contractor shall:

Develop, document, and use automated builds to remove the potential for human error.

Comply with and document Source Code Management processes to ensure repeatability of builds.

Include the use of automated testing framework to increase Quality of Applications.

Use Quality Reports, providing transparency of an application’s condition to Development Leads and Management.

Develop, document, and deliver code using the automated testing process and technologies demonstrating at least 80% of internal code tested.

All code shall conform to FBC (FSA) standards, Technical Information Bulletins, and the FBC (FSA) Implementation Standards. If there is a coding area or situation not addressed in the FBC (FSA) Standards or Technical Information Bulletins, the Contractor shall follow a Government approved industry standard for the technology platform including, but not limited to Java and JBoss AWS, COTS packages, or hybrids. Questions concerning the interpretation of the identified standards shall be documented and submitted to the COR. The COR will obtain a clarification from the Service Strategy and Planning Branch (SSPD). The Contractor shall inform the COR of any unanticipated project requirements introducing new technology in USDA Service Centers. The Contractor shall not implement any changes without prior approval of the CO and COR impacting scheduled deliveries or project cost.

5.4.3. Unit, Integration, and System Testing

The Contractor shall be responsible for unit, integration, string, and system testing of all new Systems and for all changes or enhancements made to the applications, as required. The Contractor shall also be responsible for constructing real world testing scenarios. Test results shall be reviewed by the Contractor to determine and confirm all requirements have been satisfied and that no adverse changes have been inadvertently made to existing functionality.

The Contractor shall NOT transfer any code, test scenarios, or test results to Acceptance Testing until the Government has reviewed the System, or process, and the COR, or designated Government Technical Lead, has authorized the move to Acceptance Testing.

The Contractor shall implement automated testing processes and technologies in compliance with FBC (FSA) standards while constructing the application.

The Contractor shall:

Perform and document automated testing to remove the potential for human error.

Develop, document, and deliver software using the automated and manual testing processes to deliver defect free and production ready software to Shared Services Section (SSS) for certification

Formalize and document Source Code Management processes to ensure repeatability of functional tests.

Utilize the automated testing framework to increase Quality of Applications.

Use Quality Reports, providing transparency of an application’s condition to development leads and management.

Develop, document, and deliver software using the automated testing process and technologies demonstrating at least 80% of internal code tested.

Utilize manual testing in support of automated testing to ensure quality of software to minimize defects delivered to the Shared Services Section (SSS).

The Contractor shall participate in and support other Government test activities, as required by the COR or WDF. The Contractor shall support beta test activities, as required by the COR or WDF, and shall assist and provide advice and guidance on problem resolution.

5.4.4. Certification & Performance Testing

5.4.4.1. Certification Testing (acceptance)

The Contractor shall provide support required for certification of the System by the SSS. This includes supporting acceptance testing of systems using JAVA, JBoss, Cloud, COTS packages, or any other language approved for system development for this PWS. The Contractor shall research and resolve all defects and configuration, or deployment issues identified during the certification process to the satisfaction of SSS.

5.4.4.2. Stress Testing

The Contractor shall provide technical support required for certification of the stress testing of the System by the Stress Lab. This includes supporting stress testing systems using JAVA, JBoss, Cloud, COTS packages, or any other language approved for system development for this PWS.

5.4.4.3. Deployment

The Contractor shall provide support, through completion, of the Deployment Phase activities.

This includes supporting the deployment of systems using JAVA, JBoss, Angular, JavaScript, Cloud, COTS packages, or any other language approved for system development for this PWS.

The Contractor shall prepare documentation, including but not limited to, the FBC (FSA) Release

Tracker and other documents required by SSS with sufficient instructions including the information required for configuration of servers and to understand and troubleshoot the installation requirements.

The Contractor shall detail steps required to deploy an application in any environment. The Contractor shall build, and version, a new Enterprise Archive (EAR) file for each move of web software, whether it is to the Development server or Acceptance Testing server. Procedures for moving the application to the Development server or Acceptance Testing server will be provided by FBC.

5.5. TASK 5 – PRODUCTION AND MAINTENANCE SUPPORT

Provide support to resolve production problems identified during the routine operation of the

Systems. This includes production and maintenance supporting Systems using JAVA, or COTS packages, or any other language approved for system development for this PWS. This includes the need to address performance related incidents.

Be responsible for the research and resolution of problems identified as a result of production processing of the Systems. These problems include, but are not limited to, improperly functioning code and incorrectly implemented requirements.

Provide support to accomplish required fixes, changes, modifications, and enhancements to the Systems as required.

5.6. TASK 6 – APPLICATION ASSESSMENT & AUTHORIZATION (A&A)

Develop, document, update, and maintain all Systems Assessment & Authorization documentation as required by the COR or WDF.

Support and participate in all A&A processes and reviews, as required by the COR.

5.7. TASK 7 – DISASTER RECOVERY

Provide support as needed for Agency System Disaster Recovery processes.

Develop, document, update, and maintain Disaster Recovery documentation as required by the COR or WDF.

Support Disaster Recovery exercises and reviews, as required by the COR.

5.8. TASK 8 – ADDITIONAL TASK SUPPORT

The Contractor shall provide technical support, as needed, for audits, security requirements, and special reporting requests (including those required by Section 1614 and Federal Funding Accountability & Transparency Act), as well as, other oversight activities (including OMB A-123 requirements).

5.9. TASK 9 – KNOWLEDGE TRANSFER

As required, or upon request by the Government, the Contractor shall provide ongoing communication and/or skills transfer to lesser experienced Government personnel when providing the various levels of support. The Contractor shall:

Provide documentation in sufficient detail to allow for the transition of the workload to the Government.

Provide documented processes that will serve as a basis for knowledge transfer and a historical record of the work accomplished. Documentation shall include a summary report on task requirements, contact information, and the location of documentation needed to provide continuity of service. This documentation must allow the Government to perform all tasks without the assistance of the Contractor.

Perform a technology knowledge transfer to Government personnel of the system(s) the contractor develops in sufficient detail to enable Government personnel to maintain the system.

Provide ongoing communication and skills transfer to Government personnel when providing the various levels of support using methodologies, development and utility tools.

5.10. TASK 10 –TRANSITION-OUT PLANNING SUPPORT

FSA maintains a continual need for its Common Capabilities and Programs or Systems and requires a reliable stabilization period in order to successfully transition from one Contractor to another. A one-month stabilization period is necessary to sustain work products, as well as, stabilizing the performance of all other IT support services. FBC (FSA)’s SDLC applies a methodical approach to planning, definition, development, and implementation subject to on-going internal and external evaluation processes. The criticality of FSA’s projects, ongoing maintenance, and SDLC processes, requires a well-planned and well-timed transition period.

FBC is highly dependent upon the continuity of its technical operations to carry out the Agency’s mission.

The effective, efficient, and organized management of FBC’s Farm Programs Delivery support services from one Contractor to another is a critical factor in order to ensure stable technical operations and successful knowledge transfer.

5.10.1. Transition-Out

The Contractor shall provide a plan for transitioning out upon completion of this PWS. The Transition-Out Plan shall be due NLT 90 calendar days prior to the end of the PWS (see Deliverable Matrix). Upon Government approval, the Contractor shall implement its Transition-Out Plan.

The Transition-Out Plan shall facilitate the accomplishment of a seamless transition from the incumbent to incoming Contractor or Government personnel at the expiration of the TO. The Contractor shall identify how it will coordinate with the incoming Contractor and Government personnel to transfer knowledge regarding the following:

a. Project Management processes

b. Points of contact

c. Location of technical and Project Management documentation

d. Status of ongoing technical initiatives

e. Appropriate Contractor to Contractor coordination to ensure a seamless transition

f. Transition of Key Personnel

g. Schedules and milestones

h. Actions required of the Government

5.11. OTHER REQUIREMENTS

5.11.1. Skills Requirement

This contract requires knowledge, experience, and proficiency in the use of products and methodologies used in the FBC software development environment, including, but not limited to, the following:

Agile and Test-Driven Development Control-M Eclipse IBM MQ Series

Microsoft SQL Server Management Studio Object Oriented Analysis and Design Winzip Secure Socket Layer (SSL)

Jasper Reports & iText Java (J2EE) JAVA, JAVA Script, JBoss

JIRA

Maven

Microsoft Edge Chrome Microsoft Project Microsoft SQL 2018 R2 Enterprise Server and later Microsoft Office 2013 and later

SOAP / REST Technologies Struts - Tiles Subversion, Bitbucket

TCP/IP, FTP

XML, Web Services, HTML

.NET

Single Page Application (SPA)

5.11.2. Deliverable Matrix

As applicable, the delivery dates shall be based on the PWS, approved Work Definition Forms and approved project plans as updated after the completion of the analysis phase for each project. If a delivery date falls on a Federal holiday, Saturday or Sunday, the deliverable due date shall be the next scheduled Federal workday. The deliverable due time shall be on, or before, COB (5:00 PM) the day the deliverable is due unless otherwise stated within this PWS.

Deliverable Description Due Date

1 Kickoff Meeting Briefing No later than (NLT) five work days of the period of performance start date.

2 Weekly Status Report including issues log The last scheduled work day of each week.

3 Project Plan and updated Schedules To be identified at the PWS level. The project plans shall be updated on the last scheduled work day of each week.

4 Requirements Analysis work products To be identified in the Work Definition Form 5 Requirements Definition work products To be identified in the Work Definition Form 6 System Design work products To be identified in the Work Definition Form 7 System Construction work products To be identified in the Work Definition Form 8 Test Plan To be identified in the Work Definition Form

9 Test scenarios walk thru and final software deliverable To be identified in the Work Definition Form

10 Automated Testing and Quality Reports To be identified in the Work Definition Form 11 Acceptance and beta testing support To be identified in the Work Definition Form

12 SDLC work products and related documentation To be identified in the Work Definition Form

13 Disaster Recovery Plan and Related Documents/Security Plan Updates To be identified in the Work Definition Form

14 Presentation Materials One week after request or as identified in the PWS

15 System walk thru for GUI screen/web page interface To be identified in the Work Definition Form

16 Users guide

To be identified in the Work Definition Form After Government acceptance, the documentation shall be updated monthly to accurately reflect the changes. The updated documentation shall be available for Government review at all times.

17 System specification documentation/Operations guide

To be identified in the Work Definition Form After Government acceptance, the documentation shall be updated no later than 7 calendar days after a change.

18 Project debriefing and walk thru To be identified in the Work Definition Form

19 Quality Control Plan Draft submission due with quote. The final QCP shall be furnished for acceptance no later than 15 days after receipt of Government comments.

20 Weekly Status Meeting/Reports Weekly / TBD

21 Monthly Invoice The 21sth calendar day of the month following the reporting period.

22 Monthly Status Report The 21st calendar day of the month following the reporting period.

23 Phase-In/Phase-Out Plan To be identified in the Work Definition Form

24 Performance Management Baseline (PMB) To be identified in the Work Definition Form

25 Earned Value Management reporting To be identified by the Work Definition Form and/or as required by Business Operations Branch.

5.11.3. Key Personnel

5.11.3.1. Program Manager

It is required that the Program Manager has the following qualifications:

a. A current certification in Project Management from an industry-recognized organization such as the Project Management Institute (PMI); e.g., Project Management Professional (PMP®) and/or Program Management Professional (PgMP). The Contractor shall provide the date the certification was awarded and the date the certification expires.

b. At least 10 years of previous program and project management experience.

c. A Bachelor’s degree in Information Technology, Computer Science, Information Systems, or related degree from an accredited institution.

d. Experience in effectively organizing, directing, and managing contract operation support functions involving multiple, complex and interrelated project tasks.

e. Experience effectively communicating at senior levels within a customer organization.

f. Experience meeting with customer and Contractor personnel to formulate and review task plans and deliverable items, and effectively execute in accordance with approved plans.

g. Experience and extensive knowledge of Earned Value Management calculation and reporting – including methodologies for calculating EVM using Agile metrics such as story points.

It is desirable that the Program Manager have previous experience managing the development of FSA Farm program applications.

5.11.3.2. Project Manager

It is required that the Project Manager has the following qualifications:

a. Bachelor’s degree in Information Technology, Computer Science, Information Systems, or related degree from an accredited institution.

b. A certification in Project Management from the industry-recognized organization Project

Management Institute (PMI); e.g., Project Management Professional (PMP®). The Contractor shall provide the date the certification was awarded and the date the certification expires.

c. At least 10 years of previous project management experience leading cross-functional project teams on complex projects

d. Experience effectively organizing and managing multiple, complex and interrelated project tasks.

e. Experience in effectively communicating at senior levels within a customer organization.

f. Experience meeting with customer and Contractor personnel to formulate and review task plans and deliverable items.

g. Experience and extensive knowledge of Earned Value Management calculation and reporting – including methodologies for calculating EVM using Agile metrics such as story points.

It is desirable that the Project Manager have previous experience managing the development of FSA Farm program applications.

5.11.3.3. Systems Architect

It is required that the Architecture Lead has the following qualifications:

a. Over 10 years relevant architecture experience for large scale information technology and database systems comprised of a multi-tier architecture and the integration of highly complex commercial software products and custom code in JAVA, JBoss and SQL Server.

b. Experience developing and architecting Java/J2EE applications.

c. Interface Driven Development - ability to pick an interface, understand the specifications and create classes.

d. Possesses in-depth knowledge/expertise with the architecture requirements

e. Experience with traditional and agile frameworks in a highly dynamic development environment.

f. Sun/Oracle Certified Architect or equivalent

It is desirable that the Systems Architect have previous experience architecting/developing FSA Farm program applications

5.11.3.4. Application Engineer/Programmer

It is required that the Systems Development Lead has the following qualifications:

a. Current GIAC Secure Software Programmer Certification (GSSP–Java). The Contractor shall provide the date the certification was awarded and the date the certification expires.

b.…