K._Quality_Assurance_Surveillance_Plan.docx

QUALITY ASSURANCE SURVEILLANCE PLAN (QASP)

for

DEFENSE ADVANCED RESEARCH PROJECTS AGENCY (DARPA)

BIOLOGICAL TECHNOLOGIES OFFICE (BTO)

SETA SUPPORT

1. Purpose This Quality Assurance Surveillance Plan (QASP) has been developed to ensure the performance of critical contract elements. The QASP serves as the plan for surveillance of performance and identifies the performance indicators, standards, inspection methods and procedures to be used in monitoring performance. The intent is to ensure that the contractor performs in accordance with the performance metrics and the Government receives the quality of services called for in the contract.

This requirement is for contractor services to provide programmatic, technical, financial, and administrative advisory and assistance services (A&AS)/Scientific, Engineering and Technical Assistance (SETA) support for the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA), Biological Technologies Office (BTO). The resulting vehicle will be a performance based, multiple award Indefinite-Delivery, Indefinite-Quantity (IDIQ) contract. Resulting task orders will be issued as Cost-Plus-Fixed-Fee (CPFF), Time and Materials (T&M), or Fixed Price (FP). This contract is for 60 months during which time orders may be placed.

The objective of this surveillance plan is to provide a systematic method to evaluate the services the Contractor is required to furnish by the contract. The primary interest is in the final product/service that the Contractor is providing and not in the details of how the contractor is accomplishes the task. The Contracting Officer’s Representative (COR) may evaluate work at any time during the Contractor’s work performance. This plan documents the methods to be used for measuring each contractor requirement, the scheduling of inspections, and the results of the surveillance program.

2. Responsibilities The following Government resources shall have responsibility for the implementation of this QASP:

Contracting Officer (CO) – The CO is responsible for monitoring contract compliance, contract administration, and cost control and for resolving any difference between the observations documented by the COR and the contractor. The CO will designate one COR as the government authority for performance management.

Contracting Officer Representative (COR) – The COR is responsible for technical administration of the contract and assures proper Government surveillance of the contractor’s performance. The COR is not empowered to make any contractual commitments or to authorize any changes on the Government’s behalf. Any changes that the contractor deems may affect contract price, terms or conditions shall be referred to the CO for action.

3. Identified QA Surveillance Tasks Attachment 1 sets forth the performance objectives, performance threshold and the surveillance method for the contractor and COR related to the requirements outlined in the PWS.

4. Methods of QA Surveillance

a. Surveillance Techniques – In an effort to minimize the performance management burden, simplified surveillance methods shall be used by the government to evaluate contractor performance when appropriate.

b. Customer Feedback – The contractor is expected to establish and maintain professional communication between its personnel (to include subcontractors and independent consultants) and customers. The primary objective of this communication is customer satisfaction, which is the most significant external indicator to the success and effectiveness of all services provided.

The COR will obtain customer feedback through monthly status updates, quarterly formal customer satisfaction surveys, or from random customer complaints. Customer complaints, to be considered valid, must set forth clearly and in writing the detailed nature of the complaint, must be signed and must be forwarded to the COR. The COR shall maintain a summary log of all formally received customer complaints as well as a copy of each complaint in a documentation file. The COR shall also keep the tabulated results of all customer satisfaction surveys on file.

c. Frequency of surveillance - The COR will evaluate the contractor’s performance through inspection of deliverables (monthly reports) and receipt of customer feedback. The government may inspect each task as completed or increase the number of quality control inspections if deemed appropriate because of repeated failures or customer complaints. Likewise, the COR may decrease the number of quality control inspections if performance dictates. Random monitoring shall be conducted if and when specified in individual task orders.

5. Analysis of Quality Assurance Assessment

a. Determining Performance – The Government shall use the monitoring methods cited to determine whether the performance standards have been met. If the contractor has not met the minimum requirements, it may be asked to develop a correction plan to show how and by what date it intends to bring performance up to required levels.

b. Reviews and Resolution – The COR may require the contractor’s program manager to meet with the CO, COR and other government personnel as deemed necessary to discuss performance evaluation. At a minimum, this review will occur on a semi-annual basis. However, if the need arises, the contractor will meet with the COR as often as required.

6. Revisions to QASP: Revisions to the surveillance plan are the joint responsibility of the COR and the Contracting Officer.

Attachment 1

PERFORMANCE REQUIREMENTS SUMMARY

2.3.4

2.5.3

2.5.5

2.5.9 2.5.10

2.5.13

Attachment 2

CORRECTIVE ACTION REPORT

CORRECTIVE ACTION REPORT (CAR)

(If More Space is Needed Use Reverse and Identify By Number)

1. CONTRACTOR

2. TO NUMBER

3. TYPE OF SERVICE

4. FUNCTIONAL AREA

5. SUSPENSE DATE

6. CONTROL NUMBER

7. MAJOR |_|MINOR |_|

FINDING:

FINDING IMPACT:

Please provide a written corrective action plan that details the corrective action of the cited deficiency, the cause of the deficiency, and actions taken to prevent recurrence by Suspense Date in Block 5.

8. CONTRACTING OFFICER’S REPRESENTATIVE (COR)

9. ISSUING AUTHORITY

10. COR RESPONSE TO CONTRACTOR CORRECTIVE ACTION AND ACTION TAKEN TO PREVENT RECURRENCE

11. CONTRACTOR RESPONSE

|_| ACCEPTED |_| REJECTED

12. CLOSE DATE

DARPA/BTO SETA SUPPORT

CORRECTIVE ACTION REPORT (CAR) INSTRUCTIONS

Block 1. Enter Contractor Name Block 2. Enter Task Order (TO) Number Block 3. Enter Type of Service Block 4. Enter Functional Area of the TO Block 5. Enter the assigned suspense date given the contractor to provide a response to the CAR. Normal suspense time for contractor response is ten (10) working days.

Block 6.

Block 7.

a. Check the block that indicates whether the identified deficiency is a Major or Minor finding. Definitions of Major and Minor findings follow.

Major Finding. A condition having a significant adverse effect on the quality of the activity under review such as:

· Failure to meet a Performance Threshold

· Significant mission degradation in any contractor operated function.

· A situation that is likely to result in hazardous or unsafe conditions for individuals or any other Government resources coming into contact with the work.

· Failure to provide adequate corrective action to preclude reoccurrence of Government identified findings.

· Failure to provide corrective action to deficiencies identified within a prescribed suspense period.

· Any failure to adhere to security regulations resulting in a security incident.

Minor Finding. A condition which is a departure from established standards having little bearing on service provided. However, if the same minor finding is repeatedly identified, it may be an indication that a major finding is occurring (failure to provide adequate corrective action to prevent reoccurrence of findings). In this case, the minor finding should be elevated to the level of a major finding and a new CAR initiated.

b. Clearly state the details of the finding followed by a reference to the stated contractual requirement. The reference must state the portion of the contract, part, section, paragraph and subparagraph and must make a brief but complete quotation of the contract reference.

c. State the impact that the finding has or could have on mission accomplishment.

Block 8. The COR initiating the CAR signs and dates the report.

Block 9. The CO or designee signs and dates the report.

Block 10. Upon review of the contractor’s reply, the initiator of the CAR will enter comments regarding acceptance or rejection of the contractor’s response. This block may also contain any comments regarding follow-on inspections conducted or needed at a later date to validate that the finding has not reoccurred.

Block 11. The COR accepts or rejects the contractor’s response.

Block 12.

a. The COR enters a close out date after acceptance of the contractor’s response.

b. The CO will forward the CAR to the contractor. The COR will attach copies and record results of any reports in an email to the CO. Copies of completed CARs will be maintained in the Surveillance folder.

c. If a CAR is not deemed closeable due to incomplete or unacceptable contractor response, the CAR will be returned to the contractor for additional information.

Attachment 3 COR Quarterly Customer Satisfaction Survey

2.3.4

2.3.6

2.5.3

2.5.5

2.5.9 2.5.10

2.5.13

D15PS00167 Attachment K 1