D.3 - 36C26124Q0612 Quality Assurance Surveillance Plan.docx

Solicitation 36C26124Q0612 – Medical Courier Services

Quality Assurance Surveillance Plan

The Contractor will be evaluated in accordance with the following:

1. PURPOSE

This Quality Assurance Surveillance Plan (QASP) provides a systematic method to evaluate performance for the stated contract. This QASP explains the following:

· What will be monitored.

· How monitoring will take place.

· Who will conduct the monitoring.

· How monitoring efforts and results will be documented.

This QASP does not detail how the Contractor accomplishes the work. Rather, the QASP is created with the premise that the Contractor is responsible for management and quality control actions to meet the terms of the Contract. It is the Government’s responsibility to be objective, fair, and consistent in evaluating performance.

This QASP is a “living document” and the Government may review and revise it on a regular basis. However, the Government shall coordinate changes with the contractor through contract modification. Copies of the original QASP and revisions shall be provided to the contractor and Government officials implementing surveillance activities.

2. GOVERNMENT ROLES AND RESPONSIBILITIES

The following personnel shall oversee and coordinate surveillance activities.

3. CONTRACTOR REPRESENTATIVES

The following employee(s) of the Contractor serve as the Contractor’s program manager(s) for this contract.

Name, Title:

Contact:

4. PERFORMANCE STANDARDS

The Contractor is responsible for performance of ALL terms and conditions of the contract. Each service will have a management point of contact responsible for providing quarterly contract progress reports to the CO. These reports should reflect the performance of this plan and all other relevant aspects of the resultant contract. In addition, Patient Safety will also provide quarterly data on courier reports. The Contractor's level of performance in the elements defined will be determined using the performance standards outlined in this QASP.

Performance standards clearly define the expected services. The Government conducts rigorous surveillance to determine the Contractor's performance level against these standards.

The Performance Requirements are explicitly listed in Section 6. The Government will use these standards to evaluate the Contractor's performance and compare it to the standard, assigning a rating. At the end of the performance period, these ratings will be used to establish the Contractor's past performance on the contract.

5. INCENTIVES/DEDUCTS

The Government shall utilize past performance as a means of incentivizing entities. Such incentives shall be based on the ratings received on the performance standards.

6. METHODS OF QA SURVEILLANCE

Various methods exist to monitor performance. The COR shall use the surveillance methods listed below in the administration of this QASP.

a. DAILY INSPECTION OF RECORDS . 100% surveillance

b. RANDOM/MONTHLY OBSERVATION. Inspections performed and reported semi-annually per COR delegation or as needed.

In order to adequately document services provided under this contract, a record-keeping system of Contractor workload performed shall be established and implemented by the VA. The COR is responsible for verifying all Contractor activities, including the orders processed, and for certifying payment of services provided. The COR will monitor the quality of all Contractor activities through various VA clinical and laboratory staff members.

c. VALIDATED USER/CUSTOMER COMPLAINTS.

d. RANDOM SAMPLING. Review shipping manifests, delivery sign-in, courier logs

e. VERIFICATION AND/OR DOCUMENTATION PROVIDED BY THE CONTRACTOR.

All record-keeping and documentation collected and maintained by the COR shall be accurate, complete and current, and is subject to review by the CO at any time. After contract award, any incidents of Contractor non-compliance with the terms of this contract, as supported by record-keeping documentation, shall be forwarded immediately to the CO. Semi-annually, the COR will provide a written statement to the CO to include a summary of Contractor actions and a statement indicating whether all requirements of the contract have been fulfilled as agreed.

The following performance measures will be utilized by VA in monitoring Contractor performance.

7. RATINGS

Metrics and methods are designed to determine rating for a given standard and acceptable quality level. The following ratings shall be used:

Note: To justify an Exceptional rating, you should identify multiple significant events in each category and state how it was a benefit to the GOVERNMENT. However a singular event could be of such magnitude that it alone constitutes an Exceptional rating. Also there should have been NO significant weaknesses identified.

Note: To justify a Very Good rating, you should identify a significant event in each category and state how it was a benefit to the GOVERNMENT. Also there should have been NO significant weaknesses identified.

Note: To justify an Unsatisfactory rating, you should identify multiple significant events in each category that the contractor had trouble overcoming and state how it impacted the GOVERNMENT. However, a singular problem could be of such serious magnitude that it alone constitutes an unsatisfactory rating. An Unsatisfactory rating should be supported by referencing the management tools used to notify the contractor of the contractual deficiencies (e.g. Management, Quality, Safety or Environmental Deficiency Reports, or letters).

b. If Contractor performance does not meet the Acceptable Quality Level, the CO shall inform the Contractor. This will normally be in writing unless circumstances necessitate verbal communication. In any case, the CO shall document the discussion and place it in the contract file. When the COR and the CO determines formal written communication is required, the COR shall prepare a Contract Discrepancy Report (CDR), and present it to CO. The CO will in turn review and will present to the Contractor's program manager for corrective action.

The Contractor shall acknowledge receipt of the CDR in writing. The CDR will specify if the Contractor is required to prepare a corrective action plan to document how the Contractor shall correct the unacceptable performance and avoid a recurrence. The CDR will also state how long after receipt the Contractor has to present this corrective action plan to the CO. The Government shall review the Contractor's corrective action plan to determine acceptability. The CO shall also assure that the Contractor receives impartial, fair, and equitable treatment. The CO is ultimately responsible for the final determination of the adequacy of the Contractor’s performance and the acceptability of the Contractor’s corrective action plan.

Any CDRs may become a part of the supporting documentation for any contractual action deemed necessary by the CO.

9. FREQUENCY OF MEASUREMENT

a. Frequency of Measurement.

The frequency of measurement is defined in the contract or otherwise in this document. The government (COR or CO) will periodically analyze whether the frequency of surveillance is appropriate for the work being performed.

b. Frequency of Performance Reporting.

The COR shall communicate with the Contractor and will provide written reports to the Contracting Officer semi-annually (or as outlined in the contract or COR delegation) to review Contractor performance.

10. COR AND CONTRACTOR ACKNOWLEDGEMENT OF QASP

SIGNED:

Lana Hur, COR DATE

SIGNED:

Contractor Name, Title DATE