VETS_NVTI_DOL-OPS-16-R-00026_Final.pdf

SEE ADDENDUMIS CHECKED

CODE 18a. PAYMENT WILL BE MADE BY

CODE

FACILITYCODE

17b. CHECK IF REMITTANCE IS DIFFERENT AND PUT SUCH ADDRESS IN OFFER

OFFEROR

OPS DC DIV 2 ADMIN

WASHINGTON DC 20210

S4307

200 CONSTITUTION AVE. NW

US DEPARTMENT OF LABOR

CODE 16. ADMINISTERED BYCODE

X

X

611430

SIZE STANDARD:

% FOR:SET ASIDE:UNRESTRICTED OROPS

RFPIFB

10. THIS ACQUISITION ISCODE

RFQ

14. METHOD OF SOLICITATION

13b. RATING

NAICS:

SMALL BUSINESS

07/15/2016 1700 ES

06/10/2016

Cassandra Mitchell (No collect calls)

INFORMATION CALL:

FOR SOLICITATION 8. OFFER DUE DATE/LOCAL TIMEb. TELEPHONE NUMBER a. NAME

4. ORDER NUMBER3. AWARD/ 6. SOLICITATION

DOL-OPS-16-R-00026

5. SOLICITATION NUMBER

SOLICITATION/CONTRACT/ORDER FOR COMMERCIAL ITEMS 1. REQUISITION NUMBER PAGE OF

1 43 OFFEROR TO COMPLETE BLOCKS 12, 17, 23, 24, & 30

TELEPHONE NO.

17a. CONTRACTOR/

Washington DC 20210 200 Constitution Avenue NW U.S. Department of Labor/VETS

15. DELIVER TO

Washington DC 20210 S-4307 200 Constitution Ave, NW Office of Procurement Services

9. ISSUED BY

7.

2. CONTRACT NO.

EFFECTIVE DATE

$11.00

18b. SUBMIT INVOICES TO ADDRESS SHOWN IN BLOCK 18a UNLESS BLOCK BELOW

ISSUE DATE

DELIVERY FOR FOB DESTINA-

TION UNLESS BLOCK IS

MARKED

11.

SEE SCHEDULE

12. DISCOUNT TERMS

THIS CONTRACT IS A

RATED ORDER UNDER

DPAS (15 CFR 700)

13a.

SERVICE-DISABLED

VETERAN-OWNED

SMALL BUSINESS

HUBZONE SMALL

BUSINESS

8(A)

US Department of Labor

WOMEN-OWNED SMALL BUSINESS

(WOSB) ELIGIBLE UNDER THE WOMEN-OWNED

SMALL BUSINESS PROGRAM

EDWOSB

24.

AMOUNT

23.

UNIT PRICE

22.

UNIT

21.

QUANTITY

20.

SCHEDULE OF SUPPLIES/SERVICES

19.

ITEM NO.

U.S. Department of Labor (DOL), Veterans' Employment and Training Service (VETS) is in need of non-personal services for curriculum development, training, and participant travel support services for the operation of the National Veterans’ Training Institute (NVTI) in accordance with the Performance Work Statement

(PWS).

(Use Reverse and/or Attach Additional Sheets as Necessary)

HEREIN, IS ACCEPTED AS TO ITEMS:

XX

DATED

DONNA MCMULLEN

. YOUR OFFER ON SOLICITATION (BLOCK 5),

INCLUDING ANY ADDITIONS OR CHANGES WHICH ARE SET FORTH

COPIES TO ISSUING OFFICE. CONTRACTOR AGREES TO FURNISH AND DELIVER

ARE

ARE

31c. DATE SIGNED

27b. CONTRACT/PURCHASE ORDER INCORPORATES BY REFERENCE FAR 52.212-4. FAR 52.212-5 IS ATTACHED. ADDENDA

31a. UNITED STATES OF AMERICA (SIGNATURE OF CONTRACTING OFFICER)

30c. DATE SIGNED 31b. NAME OF CONTRACTING OFFICER (Type or print)

ALL ITEMS SET FORTH OR OTHERWISE IDENTIFIED ABOVE AND ON ANY ADDITIONAL

SHEETS SUBJECT TO THE TERMS AND CONDITIONS SPECIFIED.

27a. SOLICITATION INCORPORATES BY REFERENCE FAR 52.212-1, 52.212-4. FAR 52.212-3 AND 52.212-5 ARE ATTACHED. ADDENDA

26. TOTAL AWARD AMOUNT (For Govt. Use Only)

OFFER

STANDARD FORM 1449 (REV. 2/2012)

Prescribed by GSA - FAR (48 CFR) 53.212

ARE NOT ATTACHED.

ARE NOT ATTACHED.

AUTHORIZED FOR LOCAL REPRODUCTION

PREVIOUS EDITION IS NOT USABLE

30b. NAME AND TITLE OF SIGNER (Type or print)

30a. SIGNATURE OF OFFEROR/CONTRACTOR

28. CONTRACTOR IS REQUIRED TO SIGN THIS DOCUMENT AND RETURN

25. ACCOUNTING AND APPROPRIATION DATA

29. AWARD OF CONTRACT:

REF.

32e. MAILING ADDRESS OF AUTHORIZED GOVERNMENT REPRESENTATIVE

32c. DATE 32b. SIGNATURE OF AUTHORIZED GOVERNMENT REPRESENTATIVE

ACCEPTED, AND CONFORMS TO THE CONTRACT, EXCEPT AS NOTED:

32a. QUANTITY IN COLUMN 21 HAS BEEN

RECEIVED INSPECTED

40. PAID BY39. S/R VOUCHER NUMBER38. S/R ACCOUNT NUMBER

37. CHECK NUMBER

FINALPARTIAL

36. PAYMENT

FINALPARTIAL

35. AMOUNT VERIFIED

CORRECT FOR

34. VOUCHER NUMBER33. SHIP NUMBER

COMPLETE

32g. E-MAIL OF AUTHORIZED GOVERNMENT REPRESENTATIVE

42d. TOTAL CONTAINERS42c. DATE REC'D (YY/MM/DD)

42b. RECEIVED AT (Location)

42a. RECEIVED BY (Print)

41c. DATE41b. SIGNATURE AND TITLE OF CERTIFYING OFFICER

41a. I CERTIFY THIS ACCOUNT IS CORRECT AND PROPER FOR PAYMENT

STANDARD FORM 1449 (REV. 2/2012) BACK

24.

AMOUNT

23.

UNIT PRICE

22.

UNIT

21.

QUANTITY

20.

SCHEDULE OF SUPPLIES/SERVICES

19.

ITEM NO.

32f. TELEPHONE NUMBER OF AUTHORIZED GOVERNMENT REPRESENTATIVE

32d. PRINTED NAME AND TITLE OF AUTHORIZED GOVERNMENT REPRESENTATIVE

43 2 of

Solicitation No. DOL-OPS-16-R-00026

A - Solicitation/Contract Form

This requirement is unrestricted.

52.212-1 Instructions to Offerors - Commercial Items. (OCT 2015)

PROPOSAL SUBMISSION. The offeror’s proposal shall be submitted as set forth below. The offeror’s proposal shall consist of the following separate volumes: one original copy of Volume I

- Technical, one original copy of Volume II - Past Performance, two copies of Volume III - Price, and one original copy of Volume IV- Solicitation, Offer and Award Documents and Certifications /Representations. The offeror’s proposal shall also consist of (4) four redacted (sanitized) copies of Volume I - TECHNICAL. The files shall not contain classified data.

*The redacted proposal shall not contain ANY identifiable information which would allow the technical evaluation team to deduce the offeror’s identity. For example, the redacted (sanitized) copies of the proposal must be free of identifiers such as: the offeror’s name, any logo or marking associated with the offeror, the company’s location and/or address, the company’s DUNS number, the company’s Cage code, the names of any individuals that the offeror intends to propose as well as the names of officers or employees that the offeror employs, has employed, or intends to employ. Failure to submit redacted copies of the proposal may result in a finding that the proposal is not acceptable.

a. Format. The submission shall be clearly indexed and logically assembled. Each volume shall be appropriately numbered and clearly identified with the date and solicitation number in the header and/or footer and shall begin at the top of each page. Interested Offerors must contact the Contract Specialist via email for an offeror code. This code is to be used throughout your redacted Technical proposal in lieu of your company name or logo and must be clearly identified on each volume of your proposal. NOTE: Please submit a cover letter with your redacted proposal addressed to Cassandra Mitchell with your company’s contact information. In order to obtain your alpha numeric code (offeror code), please send request by email to Mitchell.Cassandra@dol.gov to obtain an offeror’s code. A Table of Contents should be provided. MS Word (.doc) files shall use the following page setup parameters.

Margins –Top, Bottom, Left, Right – 1” Gutter – 0” From Edge –Header, Footer – 0.5” Page Size, Width – 8.5” Page Size, Height – 11”

The following additional restrictions apply: Each paragraph shall be separated by at least one blank line. A standard, 12-point minimum font size applies. Times New Roman font required.

Tables and illustrations may use a reduced font size not less than 8-point and may be landscape.

b. File Packaging. Contractors must submit their proposals in CD as MS Word files, Excel Spreadsheets or portable document files. The files on the CD must match exactly with the hard copy proposals. In the event of a discrepancy the hard copy proposal will be considered as the mailto:Mitchell.Cassandra@dol.gov offerors proposal. Offerors shall attach a cover sheet to the outer cover of each volume, which clearly identifies each volume by volume number, volume name, and copy number (i.e., Volume I, Technical, copy 2 of 3), Request for Proposal (RFP) number, and date of submission. Use tab indexing to identify all sections within a particular proposal volume. Do not include writing on the tab index page other than required to identify the particular section. Proposals submitted in spiral binder notebooks will not be accepted.

NOTE: Electronic (CDs) copies of (complete) proposals shall be identical to the hard copy proposal(s). Failure to submit identical electronic and hard copy proposals may result in a finding that the proposal is incomplete and not acceptable.

c. Page Count. The page count is as follows:

Proposal Part Page Count Volume I –Technical (including sub-factors) Not To Exceed (NTE) 60 pages, excluding resumes, covers, title pages, executive summaries, table of contents and supporting documentation.

Single-side print only.

*Provide one original and (4) four redacted copies of this volume. Resumes and supporting documentation must be attached in the Appendices or your proposal may result in a finding that the proposal is not acceptable.

Volume II - Past Performance No Page Limitation –Single-side print only.

Provide one original copy.

Volume III –Price No Page Limitation –Single-side print only.

Provide two copies.

Volume IV –Solicitation, Offer and Award Documents, Certifications/Representations

No Page Limitation –Single-side print only.

Provide one original copy.

The redacted proposal shall not contain ANY identifiable information which would allow the technical evaluation team to deduce the offeror’s identity. For example, the redacted (sanitized) copies of the proposal must be free of identifiers such as: the offeror’s name, any logo or marking associated with the offeror, the company’s location and/or address, the company’s DUNS number, the company’s Cage code, the names of any individuals that the offeror intends to propose as well as the names of officers or employees that the offeror employs, has employed, or intends to employ. Failure to submit redacted copies of the proposal may result in a finding that the proposal is not acceptable. Those pages that exceed the page counts for each volume may not be evaluated.

If there are more than forty-five lines of text on any page, the sum of the additional lines may be removed from the particular volume and may not be evaluated.

d. Content Requirements. All information shall be confined to the appropriate volume and in the specified location. Failure to submit information in the appropriate volume and specified location may result in a finding that the proposal is not acceptable The offeror shall confine submissions to essential matters, sufficient to define the proposal details, in a concise manner, to permit a complete and accurate evaluation of each proposal. Each volume of the proposal shall consist of a Table of Contents, Summary Section and the Narrative discussion.

The Summary Section shall contain a brief abstract of the volume. Proprietary information shall be clearly marked. The following shall be included in the Narrative discussion:

(i) VOLUME I –TECHNICAL. General Requirements: The offeror shall submit a technical proposal which addresses the offeror’s capabilities and approach to meeting the requirements contained in the Performance Work Statement (PWS) in sufficient detail for each factor to be evaluated. No pricing information is to be provided in the Technical Proposal.

The government will evaluate all proposals under following five (5) factors:

Factor 1: Method of Instruction

1.1 The Offeror’s Proposal must describe or fully explain how it has successfully delivered dynamic training that includes active participation, facilitated group interaction, and roleplaying through real-world experiences.

1.2 The Offeror’s Proposal must describe or fully explain how they will provide face to face classroom instruction in multiple locations, instructor led distance learning, and self-paced courses.

1.3 The Offeror’s Proposal must describe or fully explain how they will maximize the use of adult learning techniques, identify the optimal lengths of time for each course and their use of different learning modalities as detailed but not limited to in the PWS.

1.4 The Offeror’s Proposal must describe or fully explain their experience in developing competency-based lessons and training plans for adult learners, to include developing training course materials, manuals, handouts, web presentations, video tape presentation and other supporting materials.

Factor 2: Measuring Participant Competency and Knowledge Gain

2.1 The Offeror’s Proposal must describe or fully explain their ability to develop and apply one or more competency-based assessment approaches and tools to demonstrate that participants have obtained the knowledge and skills they are expected to learn.

2.2 The Offeror’s Proposal must describe or fully explain the proposed pre- and post-training assessments and they will ensure proper evaluation of students’ knowledge.

2.3 The Offeror’s Proposal must describe or fully explain how a proficiency level will be determined.

2.4 The Offeror’s Proposal must describe or fully explain the remedial training plan and how it will address remedial needs.

2.5 The Offeror’s Proposal must describe or fully explain how the results of these assessments will be used to enhance NVTI courses.

Factor 3: Professional Qualified Personnel

3.1 The Offeror’s Proposal must describe or fully explain their ability to develop an extensive training, staff development, and orientation program.

3.2 The Offeror’s Proposal must describe or fully explain how staff will become and maintain proficiency in adult learning techniques, workforce development services, employer outreach or business development skills, investigative techniques, and current, new, and emerging employment challenges for female veterans, veterans with a disability, younger veterans, transitioning service members, and their spouses.

3.2 The Offeror’s Proposal must describe or fully explain how the course evaluations that include instructor feedback will be incorporated in to the evaluation of the contract staff.

Factor 4: Travel Arranging

4.1 The Offeror’s Proposal must describe or fully explain their ability to coordinate travel arrangements and lodging for course participants on a cost reimbursable basis.

4.2 The Offeror’s Proposal must describe or fully explain their ability to track, report, and reconcile travel arrangements and associated costs for participants.

4.2 The Offeror’s Proposal must describe or fully explain how they will ensure Federal travel regulations are followed.

Factor 5: Web-based Resource Repository

5.1 The Offeror’s Proposal must describe or fully explain how they will design, develop, and implement a web-based resource repository that supports current and former students and compliment’s other VETS resource sites.

(ii) VOLUME II –PAST PERFORMANCE. The offeror shall submit past performance of at least three contracts for current relevancy (3 years) based on how well the contractor performed on projects of similar dollar value, scope, and complexity of work in the PWS. Offerors are advised that the Government may use past performance information obtained from centralized past performance databases and sources other than those identified by the offeror and the information obtained may be used for both the responsibility determination and the best value decision. The absence of past performance data will be rated neither favorably nor unfavorably.

Contracts listed may include those entered into with Government agencies or private sector. For contractors with no relevant corporate past performance, the Government may take into account information regarding the past performance of predecessor companies, key personnel with relevant past performance, or subcontractors that will perform key aspects of the requirement.

The Government will evaluate the Past Performance Elements specified in the Past Performance Questionnaire; Attachment D. Offeror shall distribute the questionnaire included in the solicitation as an attachment to their references so the form can be completed and submitted directly to the Government.

Sub-Contractors performing 20% or more of direct labor must submit past performance of at least three contracts for current relevancy (3 years) based on how well the contractor performed on projects of similar dollar value, scope, and complexity of work in the PWS.

This volume shall be organized into the following sections:

(1) Section 1 –Contract Descriptions. This section shall include the following information in the following format:

(a) Contractor/Subcontractor place of performance, CAGE Code and DUNS Number. If the work was performed as a subcontractor, also provide the name of the prime contractor and Point of Contact (POC) within the prime contractor organization (name, and current address, e-mail address, and telephone and fax numbers).

(b) Government contracting activity, and current address, Procuring Contracting Officer's name, e-mail address, telephone and fax numbers.

(c) Government’s technical representative/COR, and current e-mail address, telephone and fax numbers.

(d) Government contract administration activity and the Administrative Contracting Officer's name, and current e-mail address, telephone and fax numbers.

(e) Government contract administration activity's Pre-Award Monitor's name, and current e-mail address, telephone and fax numbers.

(f) Contract Number and, in the case of Indefinite Delivery type contracts, GSA contracts, and Blanket Purchase Agreements, include Delivery Order Numbers also.

(g) Contract Type (specific type such as Fixed Price (FP), Cost Reimbursement (CR), Time & Materials (T&M), etc.) In the case of Indefinite Delivery contracts, indicate specific type (Requirements, Definite Quantity, and Indefinite Quantity) and secondary contract type (FP, CR, T&M, etc)).

(h) Awarded price.

(i) Final or projected final price.

(j) Original delivery schedule, including dates of start and completion of work.

(k) Final or projected final delivery schedule, including dates of start and completion of work.

(2) Section 2 - Performance. Offerors shall provide a specific narrative explanation of each contract listed in Section 1 describing the objectives achieved and detailing how the effort is relevant to the requirements of this solicitation. For any contracts that did not/do not meet original schedule or technical performance requirements, provide a brief explanation of the reason(s) for the shortcomings and any corrective action(s) taken to avoid recurrence. The offeror shall list each time the delivery schedule was revised and provide an explanation of why the revision was necessary. All Requests for Deviation and Requests for Waiver shall be addressed with respect to causes and corrective actions. The offerors shall also provide a copy of any Cure Notices or Show Cause Letters received on each contract listed and a description of any corrective action implemented by the offeror or proposed subcontractor. The offerors shall indicate if any of the contracts listed were terminated and the type and reasons for the termination.

(3) Section 3 –New Corporate Entities. New corporate entities may submit data on prior contracts involving its officers and employees. However, in addition to the other requirements in this section, the offeror shall discuss in detail the role performed by such persons in the prior contracts cited. Information should be included in the files described in the sections above.

(4) Past Performance Questionnaire. The offeror shall distribute the questionnaire included in the solicitation as an attachment to their references so the form can be completed and submitted directly to the Government. The POC's shall be instructed to electronically complete the questionnaire and e-mail the entire questionnaire to Mitchell.Cassandra@dol.gov, no later than July 12, 2016 at 3:00PM EST. The offeror shall also e-mail to the Contract Specialist a list of all the POC’s who were sent a questionnaire. The Government must receive this list no later than July 12, 2016 at 3:00 PM EST. The POC List shall be submitted in Word for Windows Table Format to include the following fields: Solicitation Number; Company Name; Contract Number;

Government Agency; POC Last Name, First Name; POC Title; POC Telephone Number; POC E-Mail Address; Date E-Mailed to POC (month/day).

Please note, that the Past Performance Questionnaire will not be a part of the resultant contract.

(5) Government databases to include FAPIIS, PIPPRS, and CPARS will be utilized (the government reserves the right to use other means to gather past performance information).

(iii) VOLUME III –PRICE. The offeror shall complete Section B, Schedule of Supplies/Services of the Standard Form (SF) 1449, Solicitation, Contract, Order for Commercial Items, with pricing for each contract line item number for the base and the option periods.

The offeror’s price proposal should include a breakout of the proposed NVTI Courses and the rates for each category (to include overtime rates), Firm Fixed Pricing, estimated travel etc.

Failure to submit (complete) pricing for each contract line item may result in a finding that the proposal is not acceptable.

(iv) VOLUME IV - SOLICITATION, OFFER AND AWARD DOCUMENTS AND mailto:Spillman.linda@dol.gov mailto:Spillman.linda@dol.gov

CERTIFICATIONS/REPRESENTATIONS. Certifications and Representations - Each offeror shall complete (fill-in and complete with signatures) the solicitation sections indicated below provided with the solicitation. An authorized official of the firm shall sign the SF 1449, all amendments to the solicitation and all certifications require original signature. An Acrobat PDF file shall be created to capture the signatures for submission.

I. DELIVERY OF OFFERS. The RFP due date is July 15, 2016 at 3:00 pm EST. Any questions pertaining to this solicitation must be submitted in writing via email with subject line: Questions to RFP DOL-OPS-16-R-00026 (no telephone inquiries will be accepted) to Mitchell.Cassandra@dol.gov no later than 3:00 pm EST June 20, 2016. Responses to questions submitted, if/as appropriate, will be responded to via an amendment to the solicitation only, which will be posted to FEDBIZOPS on a weekly basis.

Offerors shall submit their proposals, using one of the following methods for delivering offers:

EXPRESS MAIL/COMMON COURIER: Offers submitted by express mail services (FEDEX, UPS, DHL, etc.) shall be submitted to:

U.S. Department of Labor OASAM/BOC Office of Procurement Services ATTN: Cassandra Mitchell 200 Constitution Ave, NW Room S-4307 Washington, DC 20210

NOTE: If the offeror intends to use express mail service, it is recommended to have delivery scheduled for one to two days BEFORE the RFP due date.

U. S. POSTAL SERVICE CHANNELS: Offers submitted through US Postal Service shall be mailed to the following address:

OASAM/BOC/OPS

ATTN: Cassandra Mitchell 200 Constitution Ave, NW Room S-4307 Washington, DC 20210

NOTE: Because of tightened security measures. Packages arriving through postal service are screened and are opened prior to receipt at OPS. These actions and other uncertain delays are probable and outside the control of OPS. HANDCARRIED PROPOSALS WILL

NOT BE ACCEPTED.

4. SERVICE CONTRACT ACT WAGE DETERMINATIONS - UNKNOWN PLACE

OF PERFORMANCE

The proposed contract is subject to the Service Contract Act. This solicitation is issued without Wage Determinations. Contractors should notify the Department’s Contracting Officer, Mitchell.Cassandra@dol.gov in writing and request that the Government obtain Wage Determinations for the appropriate geographical areas. Her mailing address is: U.S.

Department of Labor, Procurement Services Center, Room S-4307, 200 Constitution Avenue, N.W., Washington, D.C. 20210. Her email address is:

MITCHELL.CASSANDRA@DOL.GOV.

5. ALL OR NOTHING PROPOSALS

Proposals may not be submitted for the performance of less than all of the types/quantities of services required by this solicitation.

6. EFFECTIVE DATE OF PROPOSED CONTRACT

The proposed contract is expected to be effective on or about Summer 2016.

10. THE GOVERNMENT INTENDS TO AWARD WITHOUT DISCUSSION.

Therefore, each contractor is urged to examine this RFP and the PWS in its entirety and to ensure the submitted proposal response contains all necessary information, provides all required documentation, and is complete in all aspects. An incomplete proposal package may cause the proposal to be considered unacceptable.

mailto:MCMULLEN.DONNA.R@dol.gov

Performance Work Statement

For

Veterans’ Employment and Training Service

For

National Veterans’ Employment and Training Services Institute

PART 1

GENERAL INFORMATION

1. GENERAL: This is a non-personal services contract for curriculum development, training, and participant travel support services for the operation of the National Veterans’ Training Institute (NVTI). The Government shall not exercise any supervision or control over the contract service providers performing the services herein. Such contract service providers shall be accountable solely to the contractor who, in turn is responsible to the Government.

1.1 Description of Services/Introduction: The contractor shall provide all personnel, equipment, supplies, facilities, participant travel support, tools, materials, supervision, and any other items and non-personal services necessary to perform the services defined in this Performance Work Statement (PWS), except for those items specified as Government furnished property and services. The contractor shall perform to the standards in this contract.

1.2 Background: The Veterans' Employment and Training Service (VETS) of the U.S.

Department of Labor is committed to the Nation’s responsibility to meet the employment, training, and job security needs of Americans who have served in uniform, those transitioning from military service, and their spouses. VETS mission is to prepare transitioning service members and military spouses for civilian employment; provide employment and training services to eligible veterans, transitioning service members, and their spouses; protect service members and veterans by ensuring employers respect their rights to employment and reemployment and ensuring that federal employers appropriately give preferential hiring to veterans; and promote employment opportunities for veterans.

The National Veterans’ (Employment and) Training (Services) Institute (NVTI) was established in 1986 to further develop and enhance the professional skills of VETS-funded service providers throughout the United States. NVTI courses are currently accredited by the North Central Association of Colleges and Universities; satisfactory course completion can earn participants two hours of academic credit per average five-day course.

NVTI training focuses on improving the quality of employment services provided to veterans through a professional skills development curriculum. Approximately 70 percent of participants are state employees, funded by the Jobs for Veterans State Grants (JVSG) program, who provide direct employment services to veterans and staff who work with employers to advocate on behalf of hiring veterans. The remaining training participants are other state, federal, and private employees who provide services to veterans and federal staff who provide grant oversight and investigate employment rights violations.

1.3 Objectives: The objective of this Performance Work Statement (PWS) is to obtain brick and mortar, distance learning, and virtual professional training, certifications, and administrative travel support services for new and seasoned State Workforce Agency (SWA) staff. Participants include workforce development professionals and their supervisors funded through (JVSG) (38 USC § 4103A and 4104), Federal employees representing the Departments of Defense, Justice, Labor, and Veterans Affairs, representatives from veteran service organizations and other providers of veterans’ services.

1.4 Scope: The scope of this PWS is for the analyzing, designing, developing, and updating of existing and new courses to industry standards as well as travel arrangement support for federal, state, and private employees nation-wide.

1.5 Period of Performance: This section left blank intentionally.

1.6 General Information

1.6.1 Quality Control (QC): The contractor shall develop and maintain an effective quality control program (QCP) to ensure services are performed in accordance with this PWS. The contractor shall develop and implement procedures to identify, prevent, and ensure non-recurrence of defective services. The contractor’s QCP is the means by which the contractor is assured the work complies with the requirements of this contract. The quality control plan QCP shall be submitted with the contractor’s proposal at the time of submission. After acceptance of the QCP the contractor shall receive the Contracting Officer’s acceptance in writing of any proposed change to the QC system.

1.6.2 Quality Assurance: The Government shall evaluate the contractor’s performance under this contract in accordance with the Quality Assurance Surveillance Plan. This plan is primarily focused on what the Government must do to ensure that the contractor has performed in accordance with the performance standards. The Government defines how the performance standards will be applied, the frequency of surveillance, and the minimum acceptable defect rate(s).

1.6.3 Recognized Holidays: The contractor is not required to perform services on the following holidays:

New Year’s Day Labor Day Martin Luther King Jr.’s Birthday Columbus Day President’s Day Veteran’s Day Memorial Day Thanksgiving Day Independence Day Christmas Day

1.6.4 Hours of Operation: The contractor is responsible for conducting business, between the hours of 8 am to 6 pm, Monday thru Friday except Federal holidays or when the Government facility is closed due to local or national emergencies, administrative closings, or similar Government directed facility closings. For other than firm fixed price contracts, the contractor will not be reimbursed when the Government facility is closed for the above reasons. The contractor must at all times maintain an adequate workforce for the uninterrupted performance of all tasks defined within this PWS when the Government facility is not closed for the above reasons. When hiring personnel, the contractor shall keep in mind that the stability and continuity of the workforce are essential.

1.6.5 Place of Performance: The work to be performed under this contract will be performed at the contractor, government, public or state facility.

1.6.6 Type of Contract: The Government anticipates award of an Indefinite Delivery, Indefinite Quantity (IDIQ) type contract with Fixed Price Contract Line Items (CLINs) and Cost Reimbursable CLINs for travel.

1.6.7 Physical Security: The contractor shall be responsible for safeguarding all Government equipment, information and property provided for contractor use.

1.6.8 Special Qualifications: The contractor shall assure its facilitators and curriculum designers are professionally qualified for highly effective instruction. The contractor will ensure all training instructors are hired with the following qualifications or have established a comprehensive and extensive training and orientation program and ensure staff maintain proficiency in the following:

Adult learning techniques;

Workforce development, employer outreach or business development, legal interpretation, investigation, and compliance monitoring, federal oversight and management of grants, and federal financial oversight topics; understanding investigative and interviewing techniques.

Understanding and navigating the workforce development system;

Understanding veterans, transitioning service members, and their spouses employment issues and any barriers that may affect them in obtaining employment;

Understanding the employment barriers that female veterans and veterans with families face;

Understanding the employment barriers and available resources for veterans with physical impairments, post-traumatic stress disorder, traumatic brain injury, and other military-service related injuries;

Applicable federal laws and regulations, and Agency and Departmental policies on new and emerging issues facing veterans, transitioning service members, and their spouses; as well as VEOA and USERRA

Cutting-edge training delivery modalities, including distance learning techniques;

Classroom management and participant engagement; and Certified to offer CEUs and college credits, as required by the accrediting agency or institution of higher education.

The contractor shall incorporate in the evaluation of its staff the feedback, evaluation instruments, and exit survey results used following each training course conducted.

1.6.8.1 Course Accreditation. The vendor shall possess or develop the certification to provide U.S. Department of Education-approved post-secondary course credit and offer continuing education unit (CEU) credits to the participants who successfully complete NVTI courses.

Participants who desire such credits may apply for the credit and pay the necessary tuition. Such tuition is the responsibility of the participant and not reimbursable against the NVTI contract.

Upon successful award of the contract, the vendor must provide these credentials to the COR and the Contracting Officer (CO), within 60 days of award. If additional time is needed, the vendor must provide the COR with a plan for approval that includes milestones and deadlines of when the accreditation will be received.

1.6.9 Post Award Conference/Periodic Progress Meetings: The contractor agrees to attend any post award conference convened by the contracting activity or contract administration office in accordance with Federal Acquisition Regulation Subpart 42.5. The Contracting Officer (CO), Contracting Officer’s Representative (COR), and other Government personnel, as appropriate, may meet periodically with the contractor to review the contractor’s performance. At these meetings the CO or the COR will apprise the contractor of how the Government views the contractor’s performance and the contractor will apprise the Government of problems, if any, being experienced. Appropriate action shall be taken to resolve outstanding issues. These meetings shall be at no additional cost to the Government.

1.6.10 Contracting Officer Representative (COR): The COR monitors all technical aspects of the contract and assists in contract administration. The COR is authorized to perform the following functions: assure that the contractor performs the technical requirements of the contract: perform inspections necessary in connection with contract performance: maintain written and oral communications with the contractor concerning technical aspects of the contract: issue written interpretations of technical requirements, including Government drawings, designs, specifications: monitor contractor’s performance and notifies both the Contracting Officer and contractor of any deficiencies; coordinate availability of Government furnished property, and provide site entry of contractor personnel. A letter of designation issued to the COR, a copy of which is sent to the contractor, states the responsibilities and limitations of the COR, especially with regard to changes in cost or price, estimates or changes in delivery dates. The COR is not authorized to change any of the terms and conditions of the resulting order.

1.6.11 Key Personnel: The following personnel are considered Key Personnel by the Government:

Project Manager

Key Personnel may not be removed or replaced without the written consent of the Government.

The contractor shall ensure that all employees assigned to Key Personnel positions are retained in those positions for at least 180 days following Government approval of their resumes unless the person leaves the contractor’s employment or is incapacitated. Any replacement candidate must have the same or better qualifications as the person released. Resumes of replacement Key Personnel must be provided and the Government must approve the replacement before that person starts work. Prior to directing any of the key personnel to other projects, the contractor shall provide advance notification of at least 14 calendar days to the COR and submit justification (including proposed substitutions) in sufficient detail to permit evaluation of the impact on the contract. No change shall be made by the contractor without the written consent of the COR, ratified by the Contracting Officer.

1.6.11.1 Project Manager: The contractor shall provide a Project Manager who shall be responsible for the performance of the work. The name of this person and an alternate who shall act for the contractor when the manager is absent shall be designated in writing to the Contracting Officer. The Project Manager or alternate shall have full authority to act for the contractor on all contract matters relating to daily operation of this contract. The Project Manager or alternate shall be available between 8:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. local time, Monday through Friday except Federal holidays or when the Government facility is closed for administrative reasons. Qualifications for the Project Manager and alternate: A minimum two years of experience in project and personnel management of a college, school, training center, or university.

1.6.12 Identification of Contractor Employees: All contract personnel attending meetings, answering Government telephones, and working in other situations where their contractor status is not obvious to third parties are required to identify themselves as such to avoid creating an impression in the minds of members of the public that they are Government officials. They must also ensure that all documents or reports produced by contractors are suitably marked as contractor products or that contractor participation is appropriately disclosed.

1.6.13 Contractor Travel: Contractor will be required to travel CONUS during the performance of this contract to attend meetings, conferences, and training. The contractor may be required to travel to off-site training locations and to ship training aids to these locations in support of this PWS. Contractor will be authorized travel expenses consistent with the substantive provisions of the Federal Travel Regulation (FTR) and the limitation of funds specified in this contract. All travel requires Government approval/authorization and notification to the COR.

1.6.14 Other Direct Costs: This category includes travel (outlined in 1.6.13), reproduction, and shipping expenses associated with training activities and visits to federal and state facilities.

1.6.15 Organizational Conflict of Interest: Contractor and subcontractor personnel performing work under this contract may receive, have access to, or participate in the development of proprietary or source selection information (e.g., cost or pricing information, budget information or analyses, specifications or work statements, etc.) or perform evaluation services which may create a current or subsequent Organizational Conflict of Interests (OCI) as defined in FAR Subpart 9.5. The contractor shall notify the Contracting Officer immediately whenever it becomes aware that such access or participation may result in any actual or potential OCI and shall promptly submit a plan to the Contracting Officer to avoid or mitigate any such OCI. The contractor’s mitigation plan will be determined to be acceptable solely at the discretion of the Contracting Officer and in the event the Contracting Officer unilaterally determines that any such OCI cannot be satisfactorily avoided or mitigated, the Contracting Officer may affect other remedies as he or she deems necessary, including prohibiting the contractor from participation in subsequent contracted requirements which may be affected by the OCI.

1.6.15.1 The contractor shall not employ any person who is an employee of the United States Government if that employment would appear to cause a conflict of interest.

1.6.16 Contract Transition: Contract Phase In and Phase Out procedures enables a smooth transition to replacement services and ensures no disruption in services when a new contract performance period begin and the existing contract performance period ends.

1.6.16.1 Upon award, the contractor will develop in coordination with the COR and other Agency representatives, a transition plan. This plan will include such items as identification of curriculum to be reviewed; a timeline and steps to ensure professional instructors are prepared to execute courses; and a course schedule for the base period of the contract. The plan will be delivered to the COR and VETS Project Manager 30 days after the initial planning meeting.

1.6.16.2 The NVTI is an essential cornerstone to the accomplishment of the VETS’ mission, therefore, to ensure programmatic continuity, the selected contractor shall ensure a smooth contract transition after being notified that an option year contract will not be exercised or the contractor will not be awarded a new contract. The contractor shall submit a comprehensive transition plan to the COR no later than 75 days prior to the end date of the then current contract period.

1.6.17 Privacy: Portions of information disclosed during the performance of this IDIQ are protected by the provisions of the Privacy Act of 1974; therefore, all personnel assigned to this contract are required to take proper precautions to protect study information from disclosure. In addition, sensitive or confidential case file information or data may be redacted to maintain attorney client, deliberative process, and/or work product privileges.

1.6.17.1 Rights in Data and Copyright: VETS owns all curriculum, associated materials and data rights for all products developed, revised, enhanced, researched, and produced through the awarded contract, its task orders, and associated modifications. The contractor shall not bill for the use of this curriculum or any services procured under this contract without approval by the COR. In the event a request for the delivery of NVTI courses or an unidentified person wishes to attend an in-person class, that request should be forwarded to the COR for determination.

1.6.18 Ownership: All products and deliverables developed under this PWS are the joint property of the U.S. Government, and DOL. Throughout the period of this contract, the Government maintains rights to the results and findings produced by this project. The contractor will not place any unauthorized restrictive or limiting markings or labels on any of the deliverables. The Government may post working versions of all final deliverables.

1.6.19 Commitment to Protect Sensitive Information: The contractor shall not release, publish, or disclose sensitive information to unauthorized personnel, and shall protect such information in accordance with provisions of the following laws and any other pertinent laws and regulations governing the confidentiality of sensitive information: 18 U.S.C. 641 (Criminal Code: Public Money, Property or Records). In addition, sensitive or confidential case file information or data may be redacted to maintain attorney client, deliberative process, and/or work product privileges.

1.6.20 Monthly Progress Reports: The first such report will be due 30 days after the contract beginning date and subsequent reports will be due monthly thereafter. Reports should address monthly progress in terms of completing the tasks specified in the performance work statement, identification of problems and plans for the resolution of those problems, and plans for the upcoming month. Each report will also include a summary of expenditures for the month compared to planned expenditures, and a brief discussion of planned activities for the next reporting period. If necessary, an updated work plan for the remainder of the contract period should be included.

1.6.21 Final Report: The final annual report will be due 30 days after the end of each period of performance. The final annual report should compile all tasks completed in addition to a full disclosure of annual expenditures.

PART 2

DEFINITIONS & ACRONYMS

CO – Contracting Officer

COR – Contracting Officer Representative

Defective Service – A service output that does not meet the standard of performance associated with it in the Performance Work Statement

DOL - Department Of Labor

DVOP - Disabled Veterans’ Outreach Program

FY - Fiscal Year

JVSG - Jobs for Veterans State Grants

LERS - Labor Exchange Report System

LVER - Local Veterans’ Employment Representative

ONP – Office of National Programs

PWS - Performance Work Statement

POP - Period of Performance

PDF - Portable Document Format

OAMB – Office of Agency Management and Budget

OFO – Office of Field Operations

ONP – Office of National Programs

Quality Control - Those actions taken by a contractor to control the performance of services so that they meet the requirements of the PWS.

Quality Assurance - Those actions taken by the Government to assure services meet the requirements of the PWS.

QOPR - Quarterly Operation Plan Report

TAP - Transition Assistance Program

US - United States

USERRA - Uniformed Services Employment and Reemployment Rights Act

VDEI – Veterans’ Employment Data Initiative

VETS - Veterans’ Employment and Training Service

VOPAR - Veterans’ Employment and Training Service Operations, Programs, and Activity Report

VR&E - Vocational Rehabilitation and Employment

PART 3

GOVERNMENT FURNISHED PROPERTY, EQUIPMENT, AND SERVICES

3.0 Government Furnished Items and Services

Classroom-based courses to the new grantee, including:

Current Course Descriptions and Agendas of current courses Current versions of Participant Manuals Current PowerPoint slide decks Current versions of Instructor Outlines Current Travel Procedures Current Curriculum Exit Surveys

PART 4

CONTRACTOR FURNISHED ITEMS AND SERVICES

General: The contractor shall furnish all supplies, equipment, facilities and services required to perform work under this contract and subsequent Task Orders as detailed in this PWS.

PART 5

SPECIFIC TASKS

5. Specific Tasks: Specific tasks include, but are not limited to the following in accordance with the PWS:

5.1 Task 1: Deliver the Required Training Courses

The vendor will design and deliver dynamic training that includes active participation, facilitated group interaction, and roleplaying through real-world experiences. Delivery of the training may be through a variety of modalities, including:

• In-person training at a designated training site operated by the contractor or subcontracted by the contractor (federal facility, hotel, conference center, university, etc.).

• In-person training at a variety of locations provided by contract staff that travel across the country

• Distance learning courses made available via a public website

• Other modalities, as recommended by the contractor (instructor-led web conferencing, mobile applications, etc.)

All online and distance learning courses will meet industry standards, and must be hosted virtually by the vendor and made available through a public website. This may include the successful delivery of courses authorized at 38 USC § 4109, meeting the statutory requirement outlined in 38 USC § 4102A(c)(8)(A).

5.2 Task 2: Revise Existing Training

In the base year of the contract, the contractor must provide the existing training courses below.

A course description is available as Attachment A to the solicitation. Attachment B lists the number of instances each of these courses was budgeted for in the last two years of the existing contract.

Existing Classroom Offerings

• Intensive Services

• Facilitating Veterans’ Employment

• Employer Outreach

• Leadership for the Implementation of Veterans Services

• USERRA

• Veterans Employment & Opportunities Act

• Advanced Grants Management

Existing Distance Learning

• Veteran Benefits

• Orientation to Veterans’ Services

• VETS Investigator

5.3 Task 3: Develop New Training

In each option year, the contractor should recommend one or two new courses for development based on post-participant surveys or research into the latest employment and investigative trends, federal laws, policies and programs.

Upon revision or development and prior to acceptance of new curriculum, the vendor will present training courses and associated materials as a mock training session for review and approval by the Contracting Officer’s Representative (COR) and subject matter experts.

Special Note about the Development of Curricula for JVSG-funded staff:

Courses for JVSG-funded staff must meet the statutory requirement outlined in section 4102A(c)(8)(A) of Title 38, United States Code. Currently, this requirement is met through the following courses: Intensive Services (for DVOP specialists), Employer Outreach (for LVER staff), and Facilitating Veterans’ Employment (for both DVOP specialists and LVER staff). The statute reads:

“As a condition of a grant or contract under which funds are made available to a State in order to carry out section 4103A or 4104 of this title, the Secretary shall require the State to require each employee hired by the State who is assigned to perform the duties of a disabled veterans’ outreach program specialist or a local veterans’ employment representative under this chapter to satisfactorily complete training provided by the National Veterans’ Employment and Training Services Institute during the 18-month period that begins on the date on which the employee is so assigned.”

Within 18 months of appointment DVOP specialists must attend Intensive Services training and both DVOP specialists and LVER staff must attend Facilitating Veterans' Employment. The LVER staff must attend Employer Outreach training.

Below is an example of the range of topics that the contractor must research to successfully design new curriculum:

• Workforce development and facilitating entry into employment

• Employability skill assessment and service delivery to veterans with significant barriers to employment

• Case management of multiple clients (similar to a Social Work setting)

• Local and regional employer outreach

• Marketing and advocating for hiring veterans

• Federal grants management

• Federal investigation and compliance practices (specifically with regard to the

Uniformed Services Employment and Reemployment Rights Act (USERRA) and Veterans Preference (VP) in Federal employment laws

• Other workforce and employment-related courses, as identified by the Government

5.4 Task 4: Measurement, Evaluation and Assessment and Compile Information on Testing, Course Evaluations, and Follow-up Assessments

The vendor will provide course instruction and training that may include face-to-face classroom instruction in multiple locations, instructor-led distance…