Draft PWS - 36C10B23Q0539.docx

Title: Strategic Planning Coordination & Support Services

1 Background Information Technology (IT) Strategic Planning is part of the Planning phase of the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) Office of Information & Technology (OIT)’s Planning, Programming, Budget, & Execution (PPBE) framework and is an iterative, cyclic process aligned with the other phases of the PPBE framework and external requirements such as the Presidents Management Agenda and the VA Strategic Plan. OIT’s Strategic Planning Framework is a detailed process map, which ensures coordination of strategic planning efforts across OIT and VA and takes into account all planning processes such as management and tracking of IT Goal performance measures, synchronizes strategic plans to OIT Service Line initiatives and plans, and provides an outline of the flow of information and context in which to support the entire agency’s IT efforts to inform VA enterprise-wide strategic decisions. Examples of external and internal drivers impacting IT Strategic Planning are the Presidents Management Agenda, legislative requirements like the PACT Act, OMB guidelines for VA Strategic Plan submission, VA Strategic Planning activities (the Quadrennial Strategic Planning Process), and the PPBE Framework which includes Multi-Year Programming, Budgeting, and Execution. OIT’s Enterprise Strategic Planning process develops OIT’s goals, objectives, and metrics for a $4.9 Billion dollar organization that feeds into, aligns with, and supports all agency level technology requirements to ensure the Secretary of VA’s goals are successful. The Strategic Planning process sets the tone, guides, and integrates all OIT’s Digital Transformation efforts in becoming a world-class organization that provides a seamless, unified Veteran experience through the delivery of state-of-the-art technology for a federal agency with almost a $250 Billion-dollar annual budget. The strategic planning process integrates all OIT Service Line efforts in a cohesive and seamless strategy. This effort is being initiated by the Office of Strategy Coordination, which is an office recently established and organizationally aligned to OIT’s Front Office.

2 Scope OIT requires support services to assist with its IT Strategic Planning, which focuses on strategic outcomes that link to the goals of the VA by ensuring that the various elements of the IT portfolio are properly coordinated and aligned to meet the mission of VA. OIT requires a contractor support the tasks necessary to refine and implement OIT’s strategic planning processes. OIT’S strategic planning approach incorporates a holistic view that includes a synchronized timeline of reviewing external and internal drivers that align and/or impact strategic planning, goals, and activities. The Contractor shall assist with analytic support and planning, execution support, measurement & evaluation, project planning & management, and provide industry insights. The contractor shall provide Strategic Coordination Support to enhance the Strategic Planning and Reporting capabilities of ITPI Office of Strategy Coordination and provide experienced and knowledgeable support staff for Strategic Planning process implementation and execution within OIT and VA.

3 Period and Place of Performance The initial period of performance (PoP) shall consist of one base period of 12-month. The base year may be followed by two (2) twelve-month option periods to be exercised at the Government’s discretion.

The primary place of performance will be onsite at the following Government facility:

811 Vermont Ave, NW Washington, DC 20420

4 Project Management

4.1 Project Planning and Management:

The Contractor shall provide and maintain program management expertise and shall use proven and mature industry standard program management practices and processes in the execution of the Strategic Planning and Support Program to (or “and”) provide program management support under this PWS. This includes the management and oversight of all activities performed by contractor personnel, including subcontractors, to satisfy the requirements identified in this Task Order (TO). The contractor shall identify a Program Manager (PgM) by name who shall provide management, direction, administration, quality control, and leadership of the execution of program and tasks within this PWS.

The Contractor PgM shall perform the following.

· Provide technical supervision and guidance for all Contractor personnel assigned to the TO

· Maintain an awareness of all efforts under this TO, and demonstrate leadership in a pioneering and dynamic organization

· Remain engaged with VA Leads to ensure all goals, initiatives, tasks, and workflows are known, understood, and implemented

· Ensure adequate personnel are available to accomplish required work

· Perform quality control of work production The Contractor shall provide and support the following tasks as related to program and project management:

· Strategic Planning

· Program/Project Management

· Business Case Analysis

· Risk Management

· Communication Management

· Performance Measurement

· Program Reporting

· Quality Management Project planning and management requires using industry project management frameworks to successfully; initiate, plan, coordinate, track, execute, control, and closeout projects. The Contractor shall create and maintain Integrated Project Plans to control the execution of projects. Scope planning, task identification, estimating resources and schedule, identifying and managing risk, managing communications, forecasting, are required at a minimum, to include the development and maintenance of the program Integrated Master Schedule (IMS). Maintain the documentation repositories in SharePoint, network share locations, and MS Teams.

Deliverables:

A. Integrated Project Plan B. Integrated Master Schedule

4.2 Contractor Project Management Plan

The Contractor shall deliver a Contractor Program Management Plan (CPMP) that illustrates the Contractor’s approach, timeline, and tools to be used in execution of the contract. The CPMP should take the form of both a narrative and graphic format that conveys the approach to schedule, milestones, risks, and resource support management. The CPMP shall also include how the Contractor shall coordinate and execute planned, routine, and ad hoc data collection reporting requests as identified within the PWS. The Contractor shall update and maintain the PgM approved CPMP throughout the PoP.

Deliverable:

A. Contractor Project Management Plan

4.3 Kickoff Meeting

The Contractor shall hold a technical kickoff meeting within five days after award, onsite at a VA facility (location to be determined, some attendees may be virtual). The Contractor shall present, for review and approval by the Government, the details of the intended approach, work plan, and project schedule for each effort as well as the draft CPMP. The Contractor shall specify the date, location, and agenda at least 1 calendar day prior to the meeting, a Kick-off briefing report detailing the information to be covered at the meeting in MS PowerPoint format shall be provided to all attendees 1 calendar day prior to the meeting, and meeting minutes shall be provided to all attendees within 3 calendar days after the meeting. The Contractor shall invite the CO, Contract Specialist (CS), COR, and the VA PgM. In preparation of the kickoff meeting, the Contractor shall compile a Kickoff Meeting Agenda in MS Word, and provide to the VAPgM no later than three (3) days prior to the kickoff meeting event.

The Contractor shall be prepared to discuss the following:

· A high-level management approach that addresses the scope, resources, project assumptions, constraints, task objectives, key milestones, Contractor’s project organization and Contract administration, delivery schedule, and deliverables.

· A high-level work plan for all activities that addresses on and off-site personnel support expected by month.

· Identification of Key Personnel, Responsible, Accountable, Consulted, and Informed, and discuss Staffing/Resource Planning at the Kickoff Meeting.

Deliverables:

A. Kickoff Meeting Agenda B. Kickoff Briefing C. Kickoff Meeting Minutes

4.4 Reporting Requirements

The Contractor shall attend a monthly meeting with VA staff to discuss and document any risks/issues, pending deliverables or other pertinent topics concerning the task areas:

· During the monthly status meetings, the Contractor shall create meeting minutes utilizing MS Word. The Contractor shall ensure the minutes contain notes on all significant discussions and action items.

· The Contractor shall also attend a weekly status meeting to review the current status of each task. The Contractor shall compile in MS Word and provide a Weekly Status Report (WSR) to the VA PgM no later than two (2) days prior to the weekly status meeting. The WSR shall describe the work accomplished in the previous reporting period, ongoing activities in the current reporting period, and planned activities in the next reporting period. WSR content may be used as input to monthly and quarterly reports and/or deliverable.

VA objectives include full support for decision processes in the administration of this effort:

· Project Status Reports that monitor the progress, cost, schedule, and labor hours expended to date.

· Summary of labor hours and labor categories (and dollars) expended by Contractor/ subcontractor employee for each Time and Materials (T&M) task. Use of COR approved formats for reports.

· Proactive updates on performance, availability, uptime, resource consumption, provisioning and deprovisioning, risks, issues, or problems as they occur (including technical, cost or schedule topics).

The Contractor shall prepare a Monthly Program Management Review (PMR) in MS Word, to be provided to the VA PgM on the last weekly status meeting of the month. The intended audience includes senior management and executives within OIT. The contractor shall document the activities and achievements in the prior month and the planned activities, milestones, and deliverables due for the following month and historical information for trending purposes.

The Contractor shall maintain and update a Quarterly Contractor Organizational Chart and provide to the VA PgM quarterly in conjunction with the PMR. The Quarterly Contractor Organizational Chart shall include all contract personnel assigned to this task order, to include their; assigned group/task, onboarding status, and government furnished equipment details.

All reports shall be logically stored and maintained in a central repository.

Deliverables:

A. Weekly Status Report B. Meeting Minutes C. Monthly PMR Report D. Quarterly Contractor Organizational Chart

4.5 Key Personnel

All key Contractor personnel performing work on this TO shall possess experience and subject matter expertise in the disciplines and functional areas described in each task.

The Contractor personnel shall have the required educational background, experience, VA and/ or DoD security clearance (when authorized), and access authorization or combination thereof to meet the requirements under this TO.

If any change to key personnel, the Contractor shall immediately notify the COR and VA PgM in writing. The proposed replacement personnel shall be of at least substantially equal ability and qualifications as the individuals currently performing in that category. Upon personnel changes, the Contractor shall promptly update relevant reports and deliverables accordingly.

5 Analytic Support and Planning:

5.1 Document Review and Strategic Gap Analysis Report

The Contractor shall provide a document review and strategic gap analysis report as required by the Program. The Document Review and Strategic Gap Analysis shall include analysis and recommendations to support the development, integration, and implementation of OIT’s strategic plan (also known as IT Information Resource Management (IRM) Strategic Plan), consistent with the goals and objectives set in the VA strategic plan. The Document Review and Strategic Gap Analysis report shall include recommendations to the government for increasing effectiveness, efficiency, data quality, and mission impact for OSC and OIT’s strategic planning processes, and initiatives aligned to the Strategic Plan.

5.2 Strategic Planning Process Documentation

The Contractor shall support the analysis, planning, and activities necessary to ensure consistent strategic planning processes and products. The strategic planning documentation shall clearly detail the linkages across OIT to achieve strategic goals, mission needs, capabilities, and requirements of OIT. The contractor shall develop strategic planning process documentation to include inputs to briefings, presentations, and whitepapers for the IT Strategic Plan, IT Strategic Policy, directives, handbooks, CONOPs, SOPs, frameworks, and guidelines, and submit for approval and dissemination. Strategic Planning Process documentation will be maintained and updated as required by the program.

5.3 Strategic Planning Framework

The contractor shall develop and maintain a strategic planning framework document and strategy planning calendar, capturing the full scope of all strategic planning activities and the relationship to VA and VA administration strategic planning systems while also taking into account the President’s Management agenda cycle of requirements., and all relevant IT and VA PPBE processes. The strategic planning framework will include business process integration points, highlighting requirements and impacts between strategic planning process stakeholders. The Strategic Planning Framework and OIT Strategy Planning Calendar will be maintained and updated quarterly.

5.4 Strategic Planning Communications Plan Support

The contractor shall support the coordination, development, and implementation of the IT Strategic Planning Communications Plan including inputs for draft communications through coordination with the IT Strategic Communications function, the strategic planning calendar, and website plan and updates. The contractor shall develop the Strategic Planning communications plan, draft articles, blog posts, and website content as required by the Program. The Strategic Planning Communications Plan will be developed before the launch of the OIT Strategic Plan and related communications materials will be delivered monthly.

Deliverables:

A. Document Review and Strategic Gap Analysis Report (Quarterly) B. Strategic Planning Documentation C. Strategic Planning Framework (Quarterly) D. Inputs for Strategic Planning Communication Plan (Monthly) 6 Execution Support:

6.1 Program Coordination Support

The contractor shall develop data call templates, agendas, briefing templates, and facilitation guides to support Strategic Planning events with OIT Program/Service Lines and internal OIT teams for development and reporting in alignment with the Strategic Planning Framework requirements and specifically related to the OIT Strategic Plan and VA reporting requirements. The Contractor shall perform project coordination among internal OIT entities and coordinate with OIT Service Lines and offices to respond to requirements from the VA Office of Enterprise Integration.

The contractor shall assist OIT, Service Lines, and leadership with efforts to develop, implement, and maintain strategies and roadmaps to support ongoing strategic planning, measurement/monitoring, and reporting within OIT. The contractor shall collaborate and engage with OIT leadership, teams, and stakeholders to maintain a holistic understanding and view of OIT initiatives, strategies, roadmaps, and solutions impacting OIT’s overall strategic ecosystem. The Contractor shall develop briefing and assessment templates necessary to evaluate Strategic Plan performance and Initiative progress through quarterly reviews, including coordination, meeting participation, meeting minutes, and action item tracking.

· The Contractor shall participate in OEI led strategic planning activities on behalf of OIT to enhance awareness and understanding of related VA level activities, outcomes, and opportunities for OIT engagement and provide access to materials and information to inform OIT level planning products and processes, as well as support development of inputs for Departmental planning on behalf of OIT (e.g., Agency Priority Goals, Agency Performance Plan/Reporting, Quadrennial Planning process).

6.2 Post Event Reporting

Provide technical, strategic, and facilitation advice and support to OSC for key events and workshops to include leadership offsites, working sessions, briefings, and program reviews. The contractor shall support the development of event objectives and topics, capture and track action items and develop a post-event report. Post-event reports shall be submitted within 3 business days following the OIT Strategic Planning Event.

Deliverables:

A. Event/Meeting Documentation and Support Artifacts (e.g., Data Call Templates, Briefing decks, Read-ahead/Activity Materials, Facilitation Guide) B. Post Event Reporting for events, meeting minutes and action items 7 Measurement and Evaluation:

7.1 OIT Strategic Metrics Documentation

The OIT Strategic planning process includes the identification of planned outcomes and measures consistent with the goals and objectives outlined in OIT and VA’s strategic plans. The contractor shall provide functional support and recommendations to develop and identify metrics that may be used to evaluate program or initiative effectiveness, measure value being delivered, and show the alignment between OIT goals and initiatives, and VA strategies and priority goals. The contractor shall develop and maintain documentation outlining key performance indicators, planned key results and outcomes, and benefit and impact statements to meet business goals in coordination with OIT Service Lines and program owners. The contractor shall develop and maintain Measurement and Evaluation SOPs detailing the business processes and procedures necessary to implement and maintain the Measurement and Evaluation Framework within OIT.

7.2 Monthly Metrics Reports

The contractor shall develop monthly metrics reports necessary to track and evaluate program effectiveness and program value. The contractor will coordinate with OIT Service lines and program owners to define methods for measuring and tracking planned outcomes; support the development of graphical data to demonstrate trends, outcomes, forecasts, and other relevant data to senior executives.

7.3 OIT Performance Measurement & Monitoring Requirements Document The contractor shall assist OSC with defining user requirements for OIT performance measurement and monitoring tools or technology. The contractor shall develop documentation and requirements based on the measurement and evaluation framework, quarterly reporting requirements, and industry standards for performance measurement tools and dashboards.

Deliverables:

A. OIT Strategic Metrics Documentation (Quarterly) B. Monthly Metrics Reports C. OIT Performance Measurement & Monitoring Requirements Document

8 Industry and Trend Analysis/Insights:

8.1 Information Technology Trends and Insights Monitoring and Reporting The Contractor shall provide relevant industry standards and best practices, congressional guidance, review of executive orders, and federal mandates to ensure the VA has the knowledge and awareness required to guide the strategic coordination and alignment activities. The contractor shall develop written products in the form of whitepapers and briefings on information technology trends and capabilities and relevance or risk to OIT’s mission, capabilities, in-flight initiatives, and service offerings.

8.2 Lessons Learned Reviews and Reports

· The contractor shall facilitate quarterly lessons learned reviews with OSC with a focus on continuous improvement, documentation, communication, and application of lessons learned. The contractor shall document recommendations to improve the overall effectiveness of OSC’s strategic planning processes and work products.

Deliverables:

A. Information Technology Trends and Insights Monitoring and Reports (e.g., ZTA, AI, NLP) B. Lessons Learned Reports