DOC52PAPT1100021 RFP ADMINISTRATIVE SUPPORT SVCS.pdf

Solicitation No: DOC52PAPT1100021 Administrative Support Services US Patent and Trademark Office

SECTION B - SUPPLIES OR SERVICES AND PRICES/COST SCHEDULE

B.1 Type of Contract

This is a Labor Hour-type Indefinite Delivery/Indefinite Quantity (IDIQ) contract. Whereby, the

Government anticipates purchasing Labor Hours in estimated quantities based on fixed (Standard) labor rates. It is anticipated that Task Orders will be issued for each task area of the statement of work.

The total value of task orders issued under this contract for the base and all option years shall not exceed $50,000,000.

The Government anticipates making a single award contract and issue task orders for each task area based on fixed labor category rates and quantities. Standard hourly rates shall be based on a 40-hour work week and 2,080 hours per labor year and pursuant to the applicable requirements of the Service

Contract Act and Fair Labor Standards Act. Section B of the resultant contract shall include the schedule of labor categories and rates for each period of performance. Refer to Section I.2.7

STATEMENT OF EQUIVALENT RATES FOR FEDERAL HIRES of this solicitation as it identifies the classes of service employees, including skills descriptions, expected to be employed under the contract and states the wages and fringe benefits payable to each if they were employed by the USPTO. Additional Service Contract Act labor categories may be ordered by the Government if required. The contractor’s pricing shall include coverage of all Service Contract Act price increases over the life of the contract.

Disclosure of contractor cost data for each proposed labor category is required for this solicitation -refer to Section L.3 for details.

B.2 Labor Rates and Level of Effort

Tables in Section B.4 are provided as a format to list labor category prices and level of effort for each task order for each period of performance. Although hours, level of effort and rates are provided, the

Government encourages the contractor to provide their best solution (i.e. mix of labor rate prices, level of effort and labor categories) to meet the requirements of the statement of work. Alternative labor categories derived from the Service Contract Act may be used to substitute or augment the provided categories for both the base contract and subsequent task orders requirements. Table B.3 is provided to roll-up the Task Area total prices using Standard hours for each period of performance from Section B.4.

B.3 Standard Rates Price Roll-up

Overtime (OT) rates are for future use/planning purposes only and should not be calculated as an element of price.

The following table is provided to list the prices for each period of performance based on the

Standard hours and rates listed in Section B.4 only:

Total

Base Year

Price

Option

Year 1

Year 2

Year 3

Year 4

Total

CLINs

0001,0002,0003,0004, 0005

Task Area 1

1001,1002,1003,1004,1005

Task Area 2

2001,2002,2003,2004,2005

Task Area 3

3001,3002,3003,3004,3005

Task Area 4

4001,4002,4003,4004,4005

Task Area 5

Total Contract Price:___________________________

B.4 CLIN Labor Category Rates and Hours

Std = Standard Rate

OT = Overtime Rate

CLIN = Contract Line Item Number

B.4.1 CLINs 0001, 1001, 2001, 3001, and 4001

Task Area 1 Maximum Estimated Quantity (Hours) = 230,880 Labor Category Hours CLIN 0001

Base Year

Rates

Std - OT

CLIN 1001

Option Year 1

Rates

Std - OT

CLIN 2001

Option Year 2

Rates

Std - OT

CLIN 3001

Option Year 3

Rates

Std - OT

CLIN 4001

Option Year 4

Rates

Std - OT

Program Manager 1,733

General Clerk 24,960

Word Processor 93,600

Computer Systems

Analyst

16,640

B.4.2 CLINs 0002, 1002, 2002, 3002, and 4002

Task Area 2 Maximum Estimated Quantity (Hours) = 10,600 Labor Category Hours CLIN 0002

Base Year

Rates

Std - OT

CLIN 1002

Option Year 1

Rates

Std - OT

CLIN 2002

Option Year 2

Rates

Std - OT

CLIN 3002

Option Year 3

Rates

Std - OT

CLIN 4002

Option Year 4

Rates

Std - OT

Program Manager 133

General Clerk 2,080

Word Processor 6,240

B.4.3 CLINs 0003, 1003, 2003, 3003 and 4003

Task Area 3 Maximum Estimated Quantity (Hours) = 6,360 Labor Category Hours CLIN 0003

Base Year

Rates

Std - OT

CLIN 1003

Option Year 1

Rates

Std - OT

CLIN 2003

Option Year 2

Rates

Std - OT

CLIN 3003

Option Year 3

Rates

Std - OT

CLIN 4003

Option Year 4

Rates

Std - OT

Program Manager 53

General Clerk 4,160

B.4.4 CLINs 0004, 1004, 2004, 3004 and 4004

Task Area 4 Maximum Estimated Quantity (Hours) = 2,120 Labor Category Hours CLIN 0004

Base Year

Rates

Std - OT

CLIN 1004

Option Year 1

Rates

Std - OT

CLIN 2004

Option Year 2

Rates

Std - OT

CLIN 3004

Option Year 3

Rates

Std - OT

CLIN 4004

Option Year 4

Rates

Std - OT

Program Manager 26

General Clerk 2,080

B.4.5 CLINs 0005, 1005, 2005, 3005 and 4005

Task Area 5 Maximum Estimated Quantity (Hours) = 10,600 Labor Category Hours CLIN 0005

Base Year

Rates

Std - OT

CLIN 1005

Option Year 1

Rates

Std - OT

CLIN 2005

Option Year 2

Rates

Std - OT

CLIN 3005

Option Year 3

Rates

Std - OT

CLIN 4005

Option Year 4

Rates

Std - OT

Program Manager 133

General Clerk 10,400

B.5 Task Order Issuance

(a) Work to be performed under the terms of this contract shall be awarded to the contractor through task orders for each task area. Task order pricing shall be based on the resultant labor category contract rates. The contractor is expected to be able to perform all aspects of the work in

Section C.

(b) Task orders issued under this contract shall be performance-based and shall contain the performance metrics when issued;

(c) Task orders issued under this contract shall contain, but not limited to, task objectives, requirements, milestones, and a deliverable schedule when issued;

B.6 Unscheduled Overtime

Unscheduled Overtime labor hours shall be considered part of the requirement of this contract. In the event that overtime is contemplated, the labor rates for unscheduled overtime labor hours shall be pursuant to the Fair Labor Standards Act and the Service Contract Act, whereby, overtime rates shall be paid at least one and one-half times the regular rate of pay for all hours worked over 40 hours in a work week. The contractor must have written authorization in advance from the CO or COTR before any unscheduled overtime labor hours can be performed.

B.7 Invoicing

For each period of performance, invoices shall be submitted on a monthly basis and by Contract Line

Item Number (CLIN) and in accordance with policies and procedures of this contract. The contractor shall not invoice the Government for any labor hours not performed.

SECTION C - STATEMENT OF WORK

C.1. PROJECT TITLE

Administrative Support Services for the Department of Commerce, U.S. Patent and Trademark Office

(USPTO). The contractor shall provide agency-wide onsite administrative, operational and program management support services.

C.1.1 AGENCY BACKGROUND

The United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) is a cutting-edge organization dealing with intellectual property issues around the world and serves the economic interests of America for more than 200 years. Our mission is to grant patents and register trademarks to the general public and business entities, whereby, providing inventors exclusive rights over their discoveries. It is an effort that continues to contribute to a strong global economy, to encourage investment in innovation and to cultivate an entrepreneurial spirit for the 21st century. The USPTO is headquartered in Alexandria, Virginia, and has over 8,000 employees, including engineers, scientists, attorneys, analysts, and IT specialists all dedicated to accomplishing the USPTO mission, vision, strategic goals and guiding principles.

C.1.2 SCOPE

The following are summary descriptions of the requirements of this statement of work that includes, but is not limited to:

Administrative/Operational Support - Perform processing, scanning and indexing/filing of all contract deliverables and task orders; archive paper files; ordering supplies, preparing folders and filing; process and distribute incoming mail; data entry using Momentum Financial System; provide general office administrative tasks. Answer Office phones and direct calls as appropriate for incoming calls and handle outgoing contact requests.

Program Management Support – Execution of day-to-day activities as well as long term planning.

Ensure the overall coordination for all tasks supporting the designated Program Office.

Troubleshooter Support - Responsible for identifying corrections and needed additions to Patent

Application Locating & Monitoring (PALM) Troubleshooting documentation, including manuals, Helpful Hints and the PALM Troubleshooter website and insure that suggestions are considered and incorporated where approved by USPTO.

Technical Assistance - Develop and maintain spreadsheets of ongoing projects. Coordinate with

USPTO staff to obtain updates on projects on a continuing basis; Track project status on a daily/weekly basis utilizing spreadsheets for Microsoft Project; Assist with updating individual project schedules; Prepare and format documents in Microsoft Word, PowerPoint, Excel; Assist with typing or editing documents; Maintain project-related and workforce related files.

Due to the strict timeliness and procedural requirements, the USPTO must demand internal adherence to procedures. The USPTO reserves the right to require the contractor to remove from this task any contractor employee who demonstrates willful failure to follow existing instructions, or engages in repeated instances of inappropriate or inaccurate interaction with customers.

C.1.3 GENERAL CONTRACT REQUIREMENTS

The following are summary descriptions of general contract requirements that include, but not limited to:

C.1.3.1 Hours of Operation Contractor employees shall generally perform all work between the hours of 0800 and 1700, Monday through Friday (except Federal holidays). However, there may be occasions when Contractor employees shall be required to work other than normal business hours, including weekends and holidays, to fulfill requirements under this statement of work.

C.1.3.2 Kick-Off Meeting

The Contractor shall attend a Kick-Off Meeting with the Contracting Officer and the COTR not later than 5 business days after the date of award. The purpose of the Kick-Off Meeting, which will be chaired by the COTR, is to discuss technical and contracting objectives of this statement of work and review the Contractor's Project Plan. The Kick-Off Meeting will be held at the Government’s facility.

C.1.3.3 Status Reports The Project Manager shall provide a monthly status report to the COTR via electronic mail. This report shall include a summary of all Contractor work performed for each Task Area, including a breakdown of labor hours by labor category, all direct costs by line item, an assessment of technical progress, schedule status, and any Contractor concerns or recommendations for the previous four week period. The Contractor shall provide the status report no later than five (5) business days after the end of each month. If changes are requested by the Contracting Officer or the COTR after the submittal of the status report, the Contractor shall re-submit the revised status report within 5 days of submittal.

C.1.3.4 Status Meetings The Project Manager shall be available to meet with the COTR upon request to present deliverables, discuss progress, exchange information and resolve emergent technical problems and issues. These meetings shall take place at the Government's facility.

The Project Manager shall be responsible for keeping the COTR informed about Contractor status throughout the performance period of this statement of work, and ensure Contractor activities are aligned with USPTO objectives. The Project Manager shall review the status and results of

Contractor performance with the COTR.

C.1.3.5 General Report Requirements The Contractor shall provide all written reports and presentations in electronic format with read/write capability using applications that are compatible with USPTO Workstations and Microsoft Office

Applications.

Due to USPTO Internet restrictions, electronic mail attachments over 5 MB in size will not be accepted. The Contractor shall provide any electronic deliverable exceeding the 5 MB size on CD-

ROM.

C.1.3.6 Intellectual Property

If the contractor is tasked to develop processes and procedures and other forms of intellectual property under this contract, the resultant product shall be considered Government property.

All documentation, photography and electronic data and information collected by the Contractor and generated in support of this statement of work shall be considered Government property, and shall be returned to the Government at the end of the performance period.

C.1.3.7 Protection of Information

Contractor access to proprietary information shall be required under this statement of work.

Contractor employees shall safeguard this information against unauthorized disclosure or dissemination in accordance with the law and Government policy and regulation.

C.1.3.8 Government Furnished Property.

The Government will provide the workspace, equipment and supplies necessary to perform the services required in this statement of work, unless specifically stated otherwise in this contract.

The Contractor shall use Government furnished property only for the performance of work under this statement of work, and shall be responsible for returning all Government furnished property in good working condition, subject to normal wear and tear, within 10 days after completion of the contract.

C.2 TASKS

The contractor shall provide personnel resources with expertise to accomplish the following tasks:

C.2.1 TASK AREA 1 - Office of Patents Commissioner (PATENTS)

C.2.1.1 Program Management, Planning and Analysis Support

Background

The Contractor will provide the necessary staff to perform program management, planning and analysis support by assisting the following areas within USPTO in managing a variety of short and long-term projects within the following agency Technology Centers:

1600 - Biotechnology & Organic Chemistry

1700 – Chemical & Materials Engineering

2100 – Computer Architecture Software & Information Security

2400 - Networking – Multiplex Cable and Security

2600 – Communications

2800 – Semiconductor, Electrical, Optical Systems & Components

2900 – Designs

3600- Transportation, Construction, Electronic Commerce, Agriculture, National Security and License & Review

3700 – Mechanical Engineering, Manufacturing and Products

Hiring Center

C.2.1.1 .1 Requirements

Within these Technology Centers, the contractor shall perform in accordance with the statement of work, to include but not limited to, the following:

C.2.1.1.2 Personnel Data Maintenance – Maintain necessary paperwork, assist in the preparation of personnel paperwork, including Performance Appraisal Plans and Performance reviews (both mid- and end-of-year), promotions, awards, and completion of actions. Maintain and keep up to date infrastructure and telephone directory information for assigned work area.

C.2.1.1.3 Database and Spreadsheet Development – Create, maintain, and update specified databases and/or spreadsheet information on a regular basis.

C.2.1.1.4 Facilities & PC Management – Assist PTO personnel (SPE/USPTO Program

Analyst) in maintaining, coordinating, and tracking all needed equipment installation, removal, and relocation including telephones, computers, facsimile machines, copiers, voice mail, net drops and files in a timely manner. Maintain the copiers, individual printers, and the facsimile machines including acquiring and replacing toner and paper and coordinating needed repairs. This does not include group printers. Group printers are serviced by another Contractor within USPTO.

C.2.1.1.5 Construction and Move Coordination – Assist USPTO personnel with arranging and/or coordinating construction work and the move of staff and furniture into or out of the work area. Prepare forms and other materials (e.g. USPTO specific forms (1464), spreadsheets of phone number locations); insure the accurate and timely completion of all activities required to insure the relocation of phones, net drops, and other items; obtain cardboard packing boxes for TC/work group use; disseminate information to affected work areas as appropriate.

C.2.1.1.6 Hiring Support – Assist USPTO personnel in coordinating activities to support hiring of new/replacement patent examiners. Retrieve and organize applications, schedule interviews, maintain copies of interview notes and other records, prepare materials for distribution at hiring fairs, and perform other associated tasks as required to facilitate the hiring process. Create, update, and maintain Excel spreadsheets and/or databases related to this task and provide reports as needed.

C.2.1.1.7 Supply Management – Assist USPTO staff with providing the necessary supplies

(order supplies, verify delivery, submit invoices, etc.). Assist the USPTO staff with developing a standard list of supplies and establish a system for automatic replenishment of these supplies to insure their continued availability.

C.2.1.1.8 Tracking and Reporting - Develop project tracking processes and related reporting requirements.

C.2.1.2 Troubleshooter Support

The purpose of this requirement is to provide IFW/PALM /OACS/eRF/PREEXAM/EBC/PUBSs troubleshooting capabilities within all parts of the Patent Business area, including the Technology

Centers (TC). The goal is to have Contractor staff assigned to each Technology Center, and potentially to other parts of the Patent Business, in order to provide support for all Patent Business employees. Examples of the PALM functions that will be performed are: identifying corrections and needed additions to PALM Troubleshooting documentation, including manuals, Helpful Hints and the PALM Troubleshooter website and insure that suggestions are considered and incorporated where approved by USPTO.

C.2.1.2.1 Requirements

The following describes the PALM functions that shall be performed by the CTS:

C.2.1.2 .2 Perform PALM corrections/troubleshooting when approved and directed by a

Director, Patent Business area manager, SPE, HSLIE, Technical Support Staff or Examiner.

C.2.1.2.3 Director or SPE can request the following:

Assignment of corrections/troubleshooting by the Technology Center Point of Contact

(POC). Also known as the TC Mentor for the CTS.

Requests for corrections/troubleshooting by Technology Center SPEs for listed items.

o Technical Support Staff may request for example:

Requests for corrections/troubleshooting from LIE, Team Lead or SLIE.

o Note: examiners have limited transaction requests that may be submitted such transaction requests will be provided to the CTS by the USPTO POC

C.2.1.2.4 PALM Functions Performed by CTS in Technology Centers o All Level 2 PALM Troubleshooting corrections of an Application as approved and directed and not specifically within purview of TSS.

o Corrections/changes to examiner workflow and T & A time data more than two pay periods prior to the current pay period or, if less than two pay periods from the current pay period, as directed by TC-Mentor, SPE or TSS.

Makes corrections or additions to /OACS/eRF/PREEXAM/EBC/PUBSs or any other transactions as needed to move cases through the examination process as directed by TC-Mentor (can include specific types of requests pre-authorized by TC-Mentor, such as, correcting the spelling of applicant’s name, and/or mailing address (in an obvious office error), changing the title of the invention at customer’s request, correcting any other misspellings as requested by applicant, or those found by the office in the normal flow of the application. Note this specific example would be a customer service activity to make filing receipt corrections as requested by

TSS or applicants.

Infrastructure changes/corrections submitted as directed by TC-Mentor and/or TC Director.

The above systems are currently supported by the CTS, however, as time goes on, these systems are constantly updated/modified/replaced/. The USPTO is presently engaged in a major redesign/replacement of all Patent automated systems. The CTS’s will be expected to perform troubleshooting in all future automated systems and will be provided with appropriate training for any updated/modified/replaced system(s). Such training may include participation by CTS in alpha and/or beta testing, participation in focus/feedback sessions and

―debugging‖ meetings. Upon implementation of any redesigned or new system(s), the CTS’s will be expected to be conversant with the features and functionalities of the new systems and be capable of performing troubleshooting activities in the modified/replaced/updated systems.

C.2.1.2.5 CTS Office Wide Duties

As a group, the troubleshooters will be responsible for identifying corrections and needed additions to PALM, IFW and future system Troubleshooting documentation, including manuals, Helpful Hints and the PALM Troubleshooter website and insure that suggestions are considered and incorporated where approved by USPTO.

Will include, collecting and incorporating into documentation, where appropriate, helpful guides created in individual TCs by USPTO

Troubleshooters.

Provide recommendations on items to be included in the PALM/IFW/Future system

Troubleshooters’ guide website.

Recommend system and process improvements/enhancements to

PALM/IFW/OACS/eRF/PREEXAM/EBC/PUBSs.

Identify and request areas for troubleshooter training.

C.2.2 TASK AREA 2 - Office of the Chief Information Officer (OCIO)

C.2.2.1 General Office Administration Support

The purpose of this Task Order is to provide Contractor administrative support services for the Office of the Chief Information Officer (OCIO). Examples of work to be performed include:

scanning/indexing; archiving, date entry and other general office tasks.

C.2.2.1 .1 Requirements

Contractor support of the OCIO shall include:

The Contractor shall perform processing, scanning and indexing/filing of all contract deliverables and task orders.

The Contractor shall archive paper files and preparing them for shipment to Government archive centers.

The Contractor shall provide administrative support to include ordering supplies, preparing folders and filing.

The Contractor shall process all incoming mail, along with distribution to staff.

The Contractor shall provide data entry for financial requisitions and receivers using

Momentum Financial System.

The Contractor shall provide general office administrative tasks.

C.2.2.2 Administrative and Program Support Services

The purpose of this requirement is to provide administrative and program support services to assist the USPTO, OCIO’s Chief Technology Officer (CTO) and Director of the Office of Infrastructure

Engineering and Operations (OIEO) in coordinating infrastructure stabilization and improvements to the USPTO’s information technology, and telecommunications infrastructure.

C.2.2.2.1 Requirements

The Contractor shall provide administrative and program support services to assist the IEO Director in its responsibility as CTO and Transformation Lead in coordinating infrastructure stabilization and improvements to the USPTO’s information technology, and telecommunications infrastructure.

The Contractor shall provide portfolio support for IEO to include reporting and tracking support ensuring that all key milestones, regular meetings, presentations and other documentation provides a clear understanding of the issues and challenges faced by the OCIO. Documentation support includes the generation of presentations for USPTO senior management on infrastructure initiatives and associated status.

The Contractor shall assist the Director of IEO by scheduling and managing various meetings and associated activities for the performance of duties as CTO and Transformation Lead.

The Contractor shall communicate with stakeholders, program leads, and subordinates for their input and to gain insight on business impacts and dependencies for feedback on improvement opportunities for OCIO initiatives.

C.2.2.3 Administrative Support Services

The purpose of this requirement is to provide administrative support services for the Office of

Program Administration Organization (PAO). Examples of work to be performed include: travel, time keeping, data entry, develop and maintain spreadsheets and other general office tasks.

C.2.2.3.1 Requirements

Contractor support of the OCIO shall include but not limited to:

The Contractor shall serve as WebTA timekeeper for AMD, WMD, PMD and FRMD.

Data enter requisition and training requests into Momentum. Track progress of documents entered through the approval process.

Assist in preparing recruitment actions (SF-52s) and accompanying paperwork as needed.

Schedule meetings and conference rooms at the request of division managers and supervisors.

Develop and maintain spreadsheet of ongoing projects. Track project status on a daily/weekly basis utilizing spreadsheets for Microsoft Project.

Assist with updating individuals’ project schedules using Microsoft Project as needed.

Coordinate with AMD/WMD/FRMD/PMD staff to obtain updates on projects on a continuing basis.

Prepare and format documents in Microsoft Word, PowerPoint, Excel, and Visio with input from division managers. Assist with typing or editing documents.

File either paper electronic files in AML or the shared drives.

Maintain project-related and workforce related files.

Administer all domestic and international travel for all of OCIO.

Perform other administrative duties; i.e. make copies, answer phones, coordinate office supply orders, etc., as requested by Government Officials.

C.2.2.4 Technical Analysis, Documentation, Facilitation and Project Support Services

The purpose of this requirement is for the Contractor to provide technical analysis, documentation, facilitation and project support services for the OCIO. Examples of work to be performed include:

providing programmatic expertise to facilitate document research, development to include the review of existing documentation and providing support with tasks associated with general scheduling, data management, communications, and clerical support functions.

C.2.2.4.1 Requirements

All Contractor personnel providing work on this task shall possess working knowledge of the

Microsoft Office suite. Contractor personnel will be trained on and will be required to utilize

Momentum, Travel Manager and WebTA systems.

C. 2.2.4.2 Project Management & Planning Support – The Project Management & Planning

Support functions shall be utilized in the support of the OCIO Program Office staff in the execution of day-to-day activities as well as long term planning. In both cases, the Contractor shall ensure the overall coordination for all tasks supporting the OCIO Program Office.

C.2.2.4.3 Meeting Facilitation – The Contractor shall support the setup, and coordinating of meetings and Video Teleconference Calls (VTCs). Examples of work that shall be performed includes: generating agendas and meeting announcements; attending government meetings with

Government personnel; making arrangements for conference rooms; generating meeting minutes and;

tracking resolution of action items.

C.2.2.4.4 Meeting Participation - The Contractor shall be an active participant in a non-decisional capacity in technical, programmatic and financial interchange meetings or conferences;

writing meeting summaries & after action reports and preparing meeting & conference materials as required.

C.2.2.4.5 After Action Reports – The Contractor shall provide a report that clearly identifies new items as the result of a conference or meeting. This report is expected to be an information push

(rather than information pull such as web-based tools or multiple party e-mails) as a notice to the responsible parties and persons responsible for oversight. It is anticipated that no more than 208 meetings are expected to be supported in any 12 month period of performance with a maximum rate of 4 meetings per week unless specific surge requirements arise. These reports should be completed for review not later than one business day from the conclusion of the conference or meeting.

C.2.2.4.6 Project Action Item Status Reports – The Contractor shall ensure these status reports contain both Government and Contractor Support Line Items. This report is expected to be identified with a title, date, time, revision and purpose statement. Line items within this report shall contain a brief title with a responsible entity or person assigned, original deadline and actual expected date of completion. It is anticipated that no more than 26 Status Reports are expected to be required in any 12 month period of performance with a maximum rate of delivery of 1 per two work weeks.

C. 2.2.4.7 Communication Products – The Contractor shall support the Project Office in creating draft communication products (i.e. literature, tri-folds, and handouts). The Contractor shall ensure products are consistent with the USPTO Communications Coordinator and communication goals and objectives.

C.2.2.4.8 Coordination of Special Programs & Media Events – The Contractor shall provide support in coordinating all special programs and media events. Examples of support include:

researching and gathering information that enables the Project Office to respond to media queries as required by technical instructions; maintaining a history file of project related media; and forwarding information through the OCIO Communications team as required.

C.2.2.4.9 Editorial &Technical Support – The Contractor shall provide technical and editorial support for drafting and issuing OCIO correspondence and messages in accordance with the latest series of the USPTO Correspondence Manual or office requirements to enable the Project Manager to effectively communicate both with industry and other USPTO business units to resolve technical and programmatic issues in a timely manner.

C.2.2.4.10 Internal Correspondence – At a minimum the Contractor shall support the OCIO with the drafting of routine letters, memos, e-mails and digests. These products are expected to require significant research, input and coordination to complete. It is anticipated that no more than

52 formal articles of correspondence are expected to be supported in any 12 month period of performance with a maximum rate of 2 articles per week. A lead time of 1 week will be provided.

C.2.2.4.11 Coordinate External Responses – The Contractor shall conduct significant research and internal and external coordination to facilitate information and document flow for OCIO information requests made by the Office of Congressional Affairs, Public Advisory Committees, or other external Governmental Agencies or private parties. It is anticipated no more than 208 responses are expected to be required in any 12 month period of performance with a maximum rate of delivery of 8 per week.

NOTE: The Contractor shall not draft congressional testimony, respond to congressional correspondence, or agency responses to audit reports.

C.2.2.4.12 Briefings – The Contractor shall support the OCIO in the preparation of briefings.

This support function is expected to require greater than 5 pages/slides to capture information within a standard Microsoft PowerPoint file. Guidelines for all briefings developed under this task should not exceed greater than 1 slide per minute scheduled for briefing (not including back-up slides). It is anticipated that no more than 52 briefings are expected to be required in any 12 month period of performance with a maximum rate of delivery of 2 per week. The normal lead time for briefing preparations is expected to be at least one week.

C.2.2.4.13 Conference & Meeting Minutes – When requested by the Task Order Manager

(TOM), the Contractor shall keep meeting minutes for specified conferences/meetings. At a minimum, the Contractor generated meeting minutes shall contain: date, time and duration of meeting; an accurate list of attendees and; line item summary of discussion topics, discussions resulting in any decisions shall clearly be indicated. Contractor support shall also include the dissemination of minutes via e-mail as requested by the project. It is anticipated that no more than

208 meetings are expected to be supported in any 12 month period of performance with a maximum rate of 4 meetings per week. The Contractor shall provide meeting minutes to all attendees and the

TOM within 24 hours of meeting completion or the next business day if over a weekend or federal holiday.

C.2.2.4.14 Data Entry - Serve as WebTA timekeeper and enter purchase requisitions into the

Momentum Acquisitions system for OCIO.

C.2.2.4.15 Office Supply Inventory Control - Inventory, order, and maintain office supplies in an adequate capacity to fulfill needs of the office. Ensures office equipment is maintained in useable condition by requesting service when necessary and replacing consumables as needed.

C.2.2.4.16 Executive Administrative Assistance - Manage front office and senior executives’ calendars to ensure that meetings are booked in a timely manner when requested and any overlaps and/or double bookings are resolved to minimize disruptions. Answer front office phones and direct calls as appropriate for incoming calls and handle outgoing contact requests from senior executives as required. Handle arrangements for OCIO functions (e.g. All Hands and Supervisors meetings) by arranging for rooms, furniture and equipment. Maintain records of all office communications, records, correspondence, and approvals. Arrange executive travel as needed through the agency motor pool or the Travel Manager system and process travel reimbursements.

C.2.3 TASK AREA 3 - Office of the General Counsel (OGC), Office of General Law

(OGL)

The OGC FO/OGL Office will take lead responsibility for this Task Area, which will be used for the same tasks within the counsel offices. The contractors will work in the Office of General Law’s

Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) Office and may assist in other offices that report to the General

Counsel, including the Offices of General Law, the Solicitor, Enrollment and Discipline and OGC

Front Office.

The U.S. Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO), Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) Office is responsible for processing FOIA requests and providing program advice. In this regard, the FOIA

Office intakes and tracks incoming information concerning FOIA requests; processes FOIA requests through FOIA search requests; analyzes documents for disclosure suitability utilizing applicable statutory, regulatory and case law; provides advice upon request on FOIA matters; and promotes training and education of the FOIA . The FOIA Office also provides support in FOIA-related litigation. The FOIA Office is composed of (1) FOIA Supervisor and (2) FOIA Paralegals.

The U.S. Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO), Office of the General Counsel, Office of General

Law (OGL), is responsible for representing the USPTO in matters other than those involving intellectual property issues. OGL provides general litigation and advisory services on matters concerning the administration and management of the USPTO. The OGL also represents USPTO in various administrative proceedings. The GLO is composed of (18) attorneys, (3) paralegals, (1) secretary, and (1) administrative support assistant.

The U.S. Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO), Office of the Solicitor, is responsible for representing the USPTO in matters involving intellectual property issues. The Solicitor’s Office provides defense for decisions by the Board of Patent Appeals and Interferences (BPAI) and the

Trademark Trial and Appeal Board (TTAB), represents the Under Secretary of Commerce for

Intellectual Property and Director of the USPTO in district court actions that are filed against the

USTPO, provides legal advice on intellection property law policy and regulations, prosecutes attorneys and agents who practice before the agency for alleged ethical violations, defends USPTO employees at deposition. The Solicitor’s Office is composed of (17) attorneys, (8) Paralegals, (1) secretary, and (1) administrative support assistant.

To support these functions, the FOIA Office, OGL Office and Solicitor’s Office require contractor clerical support to perform necessary tasks associated with: request receipt; research for missing or related information, request data entry; preparation of form letters for routine correspondence

(Acknowledgement Letters); mailing of prepared correspondence; printing, scanning, or archiving of requests and/or responsive records; providing phone coverage for basic customer service, such as reporting to requestors the status of a request as read in the comments block of databases, scheduling meetings, calendar organization, printing and organization of presentations, general use of Microsoft products for general clerical needs. The offices also require such clerical support to provide continual service coverage during customer support hours.

Scope of Work

The contractor is to provide qualified personnel capable of performing the services described below.

The contractor is responsible for providing all necessary supervision, management, and training for contractor personnel placed under this contract. Normal operations of OGL for customer contact will be daily, Monday through Friday, excluding Federal holidays, between the hours of 8:30 a.m. to 5:00 p.m., 8 hours needed per day. However, contractor services shall be provided only as directed by the

USPTO.

The OGL may, in cooperative work arrangements with the OGC and/or offices reporting to the OGC, optionally equivalent clerical support for equivalent additional functional areas.

OGL requires contractor support services to perform necessary administrative and clerical tasks as follows: (1) coding and filing documents; (2) mail processing; (3) basic data entry and file creation;

(4) file maintenance for various physical records (e.g., general correspondence records, litigation files

(5) records maintenance support for file disposal (e.g., archive inventory, scanning and indexing, shredding), (6) miscellaneous clerical activities (e.g., photocopying, file retrieval, delivery services

(to mail room, other USPTO offices, post office, etc.), binding services, prepares and processes printing requisitions with specifications for printing. OGL further requires such clerical support to provide continual service coverage during customer support hours.

C.2.3.1 Requirements

C.2.3.1 .1 Project Management

The contractors are responsible for assisting and coordinating contracted activities to maximize product and service quality and timeliness, and minimize program risk; monitoring and reporting, including routine status updates as well as on-spot reports of problematic customer interactions, procedural or technical issues; and providing routine guidance and training for contract employees.

The OGL requires a minimum of two years direct or equivalent experience for contractor employees identified to support project management functions.

Reporting and monitoring plans (utilizing a combination of log reviews, system reports and sampling as appropriate to the activity) are to be developed within 60 days from contract award and are subject to OGL approval.

C.2.3.1.2 Administrative/Legal/Litigation Operation Support

The contractors are responsible for assisting the administrative/OGL/litigation operation activities. A certain level of specialization or primary assignment of such activities occurring among contractor employees supporting enrollment operations is anticipated and acceptable. However, the OGL requires that all contractor employees supporting administrative/legal operations attain a working knowledge of each of these aspects of enrollment operations. Litigation support operations involve handling inquiries and documents of a sensitive and specialized nature.

C.2.4 TASK AREA 4 - Trademark Trial and Appeal Board Support (TTAB)

The USPTO, Trademark Trial and Appeal Board (TTAB), requires operational support to assist in scanning documents and managing paper records related to scanned documents.

C.2.4.1 Requirements

Contractors shall provide to the TTAB support for a variety of functions including, among other things: preparation of incoming mail and other documents for scanning; scanning documents using

TTAB scanning equipment; entering scanned documents into the database using TTABIS software;

preparing file jackets and inserting documents in new and existing file jackets; printing, filing and routing or mailing documents and files. Specific duties include but are not limited to:

C.2.4.1.1 Document Preparation – Document preparation includes but is not limited to:

opening incoming mail routed to the scanning team; removing mail from envelopes and date stamping documents; preparing incoming mail and other documents for scanning; marking papers as appropriate with identifying information; removing clips, staples and bindings; inserting separation sheets; identifying and marking documents that require special processing.

C.2.4.1.2 Scanning Documents – Scanning includes but is not limited to: placing documents to be scanned into the scanners; operating the scanners; routine cleaning and maintenance of scanning equipment; monitoring scanner performance and reporting problems for correction or repair;

maintaining records on scanner performance and/or through output.

C.2.4.1.3 Quality Assurance of Scanned Documents – QA includes but is not limited to:

reviewing the scanned images for quality; purging and rescanning images that fail to meet defined criteria for quality; correcting low quality scanned images using available software tools; determining the correct identification and type for each document; entering information into the database using the TTABIS software; routing scanned images to the correct location; and maintaining records if required on QA quality and through output.

C.2.4.1.4 Management of Paper Copies of Documents – Paper management includes but is not limited to: preparing file jackets for new proceedings; punching holes in scanned documents and placing those documents on prongs in the file jacket; locating existing files related to scanned documents; punching holes in scanned documents and placing those documents on prongs in the existing file jacket; marking exhibits and bulky un-scanned documents with identifying information and placing them in appropriate storage areas; routing files to the appropriate location; locating files to scanned documents; placing files on the appropriate docket shelves or delivering to other specified locations.

C.2.4.1.5 Special Processing – Special processing includes, but is not limited to, on an as-needed basis, preparing and mailing documents. On an as-needed basis, preparing documents for return or storage after cases are terminated. These documents may include documents that have not been scanned, as well as paper copies of scanned documents.

C.2.4.1.6 Document Exhibit Filing – Document Exhibit Filing includes the printing of documents in tagged documents, filing and retrieval from files documents and exhibits, maintaining a log of documents and exhibits checked out of file location.

C.2.5 TASK AREA 5 - Office of Security (SECURITY)

The USPTO intends to establish, on the USPTO campus in Alexandria, VA, and through a Homeland

Security Presidential Directive 12 (HSPD-12) qualified systems integration service provider, a

Government owned and operated Federal Information Processing Standards (FIPS 201-1) compliant system to support the personalization and issuance of smart card identification credentials under

HSPD-12.

This requirement is for contract personnel to support the existing USPTO Security Services Center staff in providing customer service and HSPD-12 credentials issuance to the USPTO employee and contractor population. The USPTO is anticipating that approximately 12,000 employees to include contractors enrolled and issued credentials through this solution.

C.2.5.1 Performance Parameters

The Contractor’s proposed personnel shall have knowledge and experience in customer service and database administration.. Knowledge of Homeland Presidential Security Directive 12 and Federal

Information Processing Standards (FIPS) Publication 201 is desired but not required. The Contractor is required to comply with current HSPD-12 regulations and directives. The Contractor’s staff shall be required to successfully complete HSPD-12 role training provided by USPTO in preparation for duties in the Security Services Center. HSPD-12 ―roles‖ that the contractor staff may have to hold in the HSPD-12 credential process include the following:

Enrollment roles and responsibilities

Card Issuance roles and responsibilities

Card Activation roles and responsibilities

Credential Usage maintenance

C.2.5.2 Enrollment Definition

The enrollment process refers to the process of identity-proofing and capturing the applicant’s identification information, identity documents, and biometrics (fingerprints with a 1:N match).

During enrollment, biometric and source identity information are collected from the applicant and are submitted to the Integrated Database Management System (IDMS) for storage and for binding the enrollment information to the applicant’s IDMS record. There are three types of enrollment that must be supported: a new enrollment for an applicant that has never been enrolled before, a re-enrollment required when a cardholder needs a new card issued because of theft, loss, or defect reasons, and re-enrollment for status change (i.e. change of name or affiliation).

C.2.5.3 Card Issuance and Activation Definition

The activation process starts when the applicant or designated agency person receives the card and goes through the steps of authenticating, finalizing and activating the card. The PIV card will be distributed to a designated Card Issuer for an Agency. The Card Issuer will take the applicant through the card activation process. First, the applicant will be verified and biometrically authenticated, using biometric scans. Second, the system will finalize the personalization of the card by generating keys and loading the required certificates and initialization of the PIN number. Third, the system will update and maintain the status of the PIV card and Cardholder. Additionally, the self-activation function of the Activation Station may take the place of the Card Issuer.

C.2.5.4 Credential Usage

After the card is activated in the activation process, the PIV card is ready for use by the applicant.

Some maintenance duties might include the following: Card block/unblock, PIN reset, Suspend

Card, Terminate Card, Renew Card, Reissue Card.

C.2.5.6 HSPD-12 Duties

Contractor staff duties under HSPD-12 will include but are not limited to:

HSPD-12 database use to include PIV card applicant data entry, verification, editing, and use of the HSPD-12 database to perform the role of a Registrar or Card Issuer/Activation Officer

Capturing biometric data (taking facial photos and taking PIV card applicant fingerprints).

Identity proofing (manually inspecting, validating and scanning identity source documents such as passports, driver’s licenses, etc.).

Providing PIV card applicant’s detailed information regarding the HSPD-12 process and answering questions regarding the process.

Printing PIV cards.

Providing assistance during the card activation process. Assisting PIV card applicants in their authentication process.

Conducting PIV card maintenance duties to include activating, deactivating, suspending, terminated, renewing and reissuing PIV cards in accordance with established USPTO policies and procedures.

C.2.5.7 Other Customer Service Duties

Contractor staff duties under HSPD-12 will include but are not limited to:

Answering telephones.

Providing answers to general Security Service Center operations.

Providing general customer service.

Conducting badging operations on the existing legacy badging system to include taking photos, data entry, and printing temporary access control identification badges.

Taking and processing passport photos.

Monitoring email requests for access control cards, visitor access requests, and providing access control lists to security officer staff.

Monitor email requests for other routine Security Services Center operations and respond to these requests (security questions, setting up appointments, etc.).

Receiving requests for security services and forwarding the request to the appropriate USPTO security entity.

Proving data entry in the USPTO access control system (Ccure) and other legacy access control systems (Kastle and Datawatch).

Performing fingerprint duties on the existing legacy DOJ Civil Applicant System.

Maintain levels of privacy control over Privacy/PII data.

Process and properly route incoming/outgoing official correspondence.

SECTION D PACKAGING AND MARKING

Best Commercial Practices if required.

SECTION E INSPECTION AND ACCEPTANCE

E.1 QUALITY ASSURANCE SURVEILLANCE PLAN

E.1.1 Purpose

This Quality Assurance Surveillance Plan (QASP) provides a standard of surveillance for monitoring the requirements of the contract and a systematic approach for conducting surveillance over the performance aspects of the effort. The QASP is for the use of Government Quality Assurance (QA) personnel to insure standards of the contract are being met.

The QASP proves a systematic method to evaluate the services the contractor is required to furnish, but not the details of how the contractor accomplishes the work. This plan uses inspections and customer feedback as the primary evaluation criteria. This surveillance assures the Government that the contractor’s performance is acceptable.

Any noncompliance with contract performance requirements is deemed ―sub par‖. The term ―sub-par‖ refers to a support service that does not meet the standard of performance specified in the contract. The QASP is based upon the premise that the contractor, not the Government, is responsible for management and quality control actions to meet the terms and conditions of the contract. The methods of surveillance recognize that unforeseen and uncontrollable problems do occur.