Draft PWS_Executive Support Services.docx

Executive Support Services (ESS)

VA-23-00014953

TRANSFORMATION TWENTY-ONE TOTAL TECHNOLOGY NEXT GENERATION (T4NG)

PERFORMANCE WORK STATEMENT (PWS)

DEPARTMENT OF VETERANS AFFAIRS

Office of Information & Technology Executive Support Services (ESS)

Date: 10/1/2022

VA-23-00014953

Task Order PWS Version Number: 1.0

Contents

BACKGROUND

The mission of the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA), Office of Information & Technology (OIT) is to provide benefits and services to Veterans of the United States. In meeting these goals, OIT strives to provide high quality, effective, and efficient Information Technology (IT) services to those responsible for providing care to the Veterans at the point-of-care as well as throughout all the points of the Veterans’ health care in an effective, timely and compassionate manner. VA depends on Information Management/Information Technology (IM/IT) systems to meet mission goals.

APPLICABLE DOCUMENTS

The documents in Paragraph 2.0 in the T4NG Basic PWS apply to the performance of this effort, there are no additional referenced documents.

SCOPE OF WORK

The Contractor shall provide executive support services in the areas of scheduling, travel, data calls and action items, meeting support, and administrative support to the Office of the Chief Information Officer (CIO) and other executive leadership within OIT. The high-level and high-visibility of this work by the most senior-level executives in OIT demands mature, professional, and experienced personnel capable of working in a high-stress and high-volume environment.

3.1 APPLICABILITY

This Task Order (TO) effort PWS is within the scope of paragraph 4.1 Program Management, Strategy, Enterprise Architecture and Planning Support of the T4NG Basic PWS.

3.2 ORDER TYPE

The effort shall be proposed on a hybrid Firm Fixed Price (FFP) and Time and Materials (T&M) basis. Travel shall be on a Cost Reimbursable (CR) basis.

PERFORMANCE DETAILS

4.1 PERFORMANCE PERIOD

The Period of Performance (PoP) shall be a 12-month base period with four 12-month option periods and one Optional Task. If exercised, the overall TO PoP shall not exceed 62 months.

4.2 PLACE OF PERFORMANCE

Efforts under this TO shall be performed in VA facilities located at 810 and 811 Vermont Ave NW, Washington, DC, in addition to other VA-owned or leased facilities in the National Capital Region (NCR) on a limited basis. Telework is authorized when approved by the Contracting Officer Representative (COR). The Contractor shall provide a team of six VA-cleared resources to start on Day 1 (April 30, 2023) of the Task Order. In addition, the Contractor shall utilize its “virtual bench” of VA-cleared resources.

4.3 TRAVEL OR SPECIAL REQUIREMENTS

The Government encourages the Contractor to maximize its use of teleconferencing and video conferencing for meetings.

The Government anticipates travel approximately four times during each performance period to Washington, D.C. to perform the tasks associated with the effort, as well as to attend program-related meetings or conferences throughout the PoP. Travel and per diem shall be in accordance with the Federal Travel Regulations (FTR) and requires advanced concurrence by the COR. The Contractor shall provide cost estimates with each travel request. Each Contractor invoice shall include copies of all receipts that support the travel costs claimed in the invoice. The Government will not reimburse local travel within a 50-mile radius from the Contractor’s normal duty location. Travel performed for personal convenience and daily travel to and from work at the Contractor’s facility will not be reimbursed. Travel time for travel beyond a 50-mile radius of the Contractor’s facility may be authorized on a case-by-case basis and must be pre-approved by the COR.

Anticipated locations include the following, estimated at six trips for three to five days in duration for the base and each option period:

1. Seattle, Washington

2. San Francisco/Bay Area, California

3. Wichita, Kansas

4. Chicago, Illinois

5. Austin, Texas

4.4 CONTRACT MANAGEMENT

All requirements of Sections 7.0 and 8.0 of the T4NG Basic PWS apply to this effort. This TO shall be addressed in the Contractor’s Progress, Status and Management Report as set forth in the T4NG Basic contract.

4.5 GOVERNMENT FURNISHED PROPERTY

The Government has multiple remote access solutions available to include Citrix Access Gateway (CAG), Site-to-Site Virtual Private Network (VPN), and RESCUE VPN.

The Government’s issuance of Government Furnished Equipment (GFE) is limited to Contractor personnel requiring direct access to the network to: development environments; install, configure and run Technical Reference Model (TRM) approved software and tools (e.g., Oracle, Fortify, Eclipse, SoapUI, WebLogic, LoadRunner); upload/download/ manipulate code, run scripts, and apply patches; configure and change system settings; check logs, troubleshoot/debug, and test/quality assurance.

When necessary, the Government will furnish desktops or laptops, for use by the Contractor to access VA networks, systems, or applications to meet the requirements of this PWS. The overarching goal is to determine the most cost-effective approach to providing needed access to the VA environment coupled with the need to ensure proper Change Management principles are followed. Contractor personnel shall adhere to all VA system access requirements for on-site and remote users in accordance with VA standards, local security regulations, policies, and rules of behavior. GFE shall be approved by the COR and Program Manager on a case-by-case basis prior to issuance.

For travel in accordance with PWS 4.3, the Government may provide access to Government controlled facilities and may provide equipment as deemed necessary by the Project Manager (PM) and/or COR while attending program related meetings, conferences or to perform testing. This will include office space, desks, telephones, chairs, shared printers, and requisite consumable materials.

The Government will not provide IT accessories including but not limited to Mobile Wi-Fi hotspots/wireless access points, additional or specialized keyboards or mice, laptop bags, extra charging cables, extra Personal Identity Verification card readers, peripheral devices, or additional Random-Access Memory (RAM). The Contractor is responsible for providing these types of IT accessories in support of the TO as necessary and any VA installation required for these IT accessories shall be coordinated with the COR.

VA shall approve Contractor elevated permissions to GFE beyond regular user permissions on a case-by-case basis. All laptop and desktop computers issued by VA shall be handed in once it is no longer needed to perform tasks associated with this effort or at the end of the period of performance through the COR. No third-party applications shall be loaded on these laptops without COR approval for installation by VA. The Contractor shall coordinate through the COR to ensure all equipment is properly processed within VA inventory protocols.

Based upon the Government assessment of remote access solutions and requirements of this TO, the Government estimates that the following GFE will be required by this TO:

1. GFE is not required by this TO. However, GFE shall be approved by the COR and Program Manager on a case-by-case basis, prior to issuance, if it is determined that GFE is needed.

The Status of Government Furnished Equipment Report under the T4NG Basic Contract requirements is applicable to this TO and shall be delivered to the COR/VA PM as required.

4.6 SECURITY AND PRIVACY

All requirements in Section 6.0 of the T4NG Basic PWS apply to this effort. Specific TO requirements relating to Addendum B, Section B4.0 paragraphs j and k supersede the corresponding T4NG Basic PWS paragraphs, and are as follows,

j. The vendor shall notify VA within 24 hours of the discovery or disclosure of successful exploits of the vulnerability which can compromise the security of the Systems (including the confidentiality or integrity of its data and operations, or the availability of the system). Such issues shall be remediated as quickly as is practical, but in no event longer than 3 days.

k. When the Security Fixes involve installing third party patches (such as Microsoft OS patches or Adobe Acrobat), the vendor will provide written notice to VA that the patch has been validated as not affecting the Systems within 10 working days. When the vendor is responsible for operations or maintenance of the Systems, they shall apply the Security Fixes within 3 days.

4.6.1 POSITION/TASK RISK DESIGNATION LEVEL(S)

In accordance with VA Handbook 0710, Personnel Security and Suitability Program, the position sensitivity, and the level of background investigation commensurate with the required level of access for the following tasks within the PWS are:

Position Sensitivity and Background Investigation Requirements by Task

5.1

X

5.2

X

5.3

X

5.4

X

The Tasks identified above, and the resulting Position Sensitivity and Background Investigation requirements identify, in effect, the Background Investigation requirements for Contractor individuals, based upon the tasks the Contractor individuals will be working. The submitted Contractor Staff Roster must indicate the required Background Investigation Level for each Contractor individual based upon the tasks the Contractor individual will be working, in accordance with their submitted proposal.

SPECIFIC TASKS AND DELIVERABLES

The Contractor shall perform the following:

5.1 PROJECT MANAGEMENT - FFP

5.1.1 CONTRACTOR PROJECT MANAGEMENT PLAN

The Contractor shall deliver a Contractor Project Management Plan (CPMP) that lays out the Contractor’s approach, timeline, and tools to be used in execution of this TO effort. The CPMP should take the form of both a narrative and graphic format that displays the schedule, milestones, risks, and resource support. 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 initial baseline CPMP shall be concurred upon and updated in accordance with Section B of the TO. The Contractor shall update and maintain the VA Program Manager (PM) approved CPMP throughout the PoP.

Deliverable:

A. Contractor Project Management Plan

5.1.2 REPORTING REQUIREMENTS

The Contractor shall provide a Monthly Contractor Roster that identifies each Contractor personnel assigned to each task as well as the OIT office that each Contractor personnel most directly supports. This roster shall also detail any vacancy in staffing and the duration of that vacancy.

Deliverable:

A. Monthly Contractor Roster

5.1.3 PRIVACY & HIPAA TRAINING

The Contractor shall submit TMS training certificates of completion for VA Privacy and Information Security Awareness and Rules of Behavior and Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) training and provide signed copies of the Contractor Rules of Behavior in accordance with Section 9, Training, from Appendix C of the VA Handbook 6500.6, “Contract Security”.

Deliverables:

A. VA Privacy and Information Security Awareness and Rules of Behavior Training Certificate B. Signed Contractor Rules of Behavior C. VA HIPAA certificate of completion

5.1.4 TECHNICAL KICKOFF MEETING

A technical kickoff meeting shall be held within 10 days after TO award. The Contractor shall coordinate the date, time, and location (can be virtual) with the Contracting Officer (CO), as the Post-Award Conference Chairperson, the VA PM, as the Co-Chairperson, the Contract Specialist (CS), and the COR. The Contractor shall provide a draft agenda to the CO and VA PM at least five calendar days prior to the meeting. Upon Government approval of a final agenda, the Contractor shall distribute to all meeting attendees. During the kickoff-meeting, 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 via a Microsoft Office PowerPoint presentation. At the conclusion of the meeting, the Contractor shall update the presentation with a final slide entitled “Summary Report” which shall include notes on any major issues, agreements, or disagreements discussed during the kickoff meeting and the following statement “As the Post-Award Conference Chairperson, I have reviewed the entirety of this presentation and assert that it is an accurate representation and summary of the discussions held during the Technical Kickoff Meeting for the HCM Technical Support.” The Contractor shall submit the final updated presentation to the CO for review and signature within three calendar days after the meeting. The Contractor shall also work with the CS, the Government’s designated note taker, to prepare and distribute the meeting minutes of the kickoff meeting to the CO, COR, and all attendees within three calendar days after the meeting. The Contractor shall obtain concurrence from the CS on the content of the meeting minutes prior to distribution of the document.

0. EXECUTIVE SUPPORT FOR OIT FRONT OFFICE – FFP

5.2.1 SCHEDULING, PLANNING, AND CALENDAR MANAGEMENT

The Contractor shall provide senior executive support that includes but not limited to scheduling, coordination, logistics, analysis, and reporting. A more thorough description of the requirements is outlined in the task description below. Approximately 200 meetings per month are anticipated.

1. This task requires great flexibility in a fast-paced environment. It encompasses calendar management and event planning and execution to include, but not limited to, scheduling/rescheduling/deconfliction of meetings, calls, travel, and events and will entail registration, confirmation, and follow-up on all events. This includes the invitation of the proper stakeholders, subject matter experts, or representatives as directed by senior organizational leadership. The Contractor shall coordinate with proposed event/meeting participants to compare calendars and identify mutually acceptable meeting dates and times; post meetings on participant calendars using the following automated tools or compatible products: MS Outlook, MS Teams, and Cisco WebEx; and reserve meeting/conference facilities and required equipment. The Contractor shall ensure that meeting participants are notified of meetings, shall follow-up with participants if a response is not received, and shall assist participants who may be unfamiliar with meeting tools. The Contractor shall coordinate meeting facilities/conference rooms/teleconferences, develop agendas, produce minutes, and monitor action item status. The Contractor shall support the following activities as outlined below:

a. Meeting/Event Planning. The Contractor shall coordinate with Government leadership to plan, conduct, and document a variety of meetings, working groups, and other official events. The Contractor shall coordinate with the appropriate POCs, subject matter experts, and stakeholders to identify the appropriate schedule and cycle to best meet the needs of OIT. The Contractor shall effectuate CIO/executive leadership coordination with the designated VA ethics POC on all requests for official social engagements or with the IT Strategic Communications Team for official speaking engagements. The Contractor shall provide an Event Plan that consists of a chronological listing of the following: actions and the purpose/details about the actions resources, location(s), personnel, and event duration. Additionally, the Event Plan shall include all necessary coordination and preparation needed to enact the plan and is to be provided to senior leadership in ten (10) business days in advance of the event for review/approval.

b. Event/Meeting Support. The Contractor shall identify organizational purpose and goal of each meeting or events and shall coordinate with Government leadership to document these goals to create detailed agendas, identify attendees, and define meeting outcomes. Following organizational senior leader concurrence, the Contractor shall disseminate this information to meeting/event participants and shall manage event/meeting logistics. The Contractor shall be responsible for coordinating data collection prior to meeting and presenting data when applicable. While Government leadership will host and chair the reviews, the Contractor shall provide facilitation services and shall document the outcomes of each meeting or call-in meeting minutes.

c. Meeting/Event Agendas. The Contractor shall provide written agendas for all briefings/meetings along with all approved read ahead materials no later than one (1) business day prior to meeting. The agenda shall consist of a chronological listing of the topics to be discussed as well as the presenters, locations and read ahead materials.

d. Meeting/Event Set up. The Contractor shall coordinate/orchestrate the necessary technical experts and/or prepare the room/event area to include, but not limited to procuring the necessary equipment, arranging the room, testing all electronic communications equipment, ensuring all administrative supplies are available and adequate seating is available for all participants to include accommodations for disabled personnel.

e. Meeting Minutes. The Contractor shall provide minutes from all briefings and meetings no later than two business days after briefing/meeting completion. In addition to documenting meeting attendees, topics of discussions, and related responses or decisions for the discussions, the Contractor shall create, organize, and distribute Action Items. The Contractor shall be responsible for passing Action Items to the appropriate business office/action officer and following up with action owners to ensure response and resolution.

f. Meeting/Event Execution. The Contractor shall oversee the set-up, coordinate the necessary logistics and support, and orchestrate the execution of any assigned official event.

2. The Contractor shall support the following coordination activities as outlined below:

a. Coordination of local travel including, but not limited, to reservations, registration, RSVP/confirmation, and the identification of onsite POCs and support.

b. Coordination with the respective organizational business office(s) to ensure action items are tasked out to the appropriate subject matter experts and tracking of responses to meet all suspense dates.

c. Coordination of on-site and reach back support for travel.

d. Coordination of travel schedules with accompanying support and other travelers.

e. Coordination of meetings and events to include the invitation and presence of the appropriate POCs, subject matter experts, or stakeholders for meetings, calls, or events.

f. Coordination of the appropriate VA services (e.g., protocol, security, IT help/support, VTC, etc.).

g. Coordination with IT Strategic Communications on the planning of official events for scripts, talking points.

h. Coordination with VA protocol and ethics on official event planning.

i. Coordination with the offices of other senior executives, Government officials, or industry leaders for meetings, calls, and events.

j. Coordination with the appropriate security offices for access to facilities and events.

3. Logistics: This task involves the request of VA facilities, equipment, and supplies for meetings, events, and travel to include but not limited to:

a. VA rooms and facilities

b. IT equipment (conference phones, VTC, whiteboards, etc.)

c. Supplies and equipment for meetings, events, and taskings

d. Transportation

Deliverables:

A. Event Plans B. Meeting Agendas with Read Ahead Materials C. Meeting Minutes with Action Items

5.2.2 TRAVEL SCHEDULING, PREP, AND COORDINATION

The Contractor shall schedule/deconflict all travel required by the executive staff through coordination with the hosting organization, the Government staff with access to CONCUR and the executive.

1. Scheduling the event on the executive’s calendar.

2. Coordinating with the Government POC with access to CONCUR.

3. Coordinating the necessary means/modes of transportation (to/from/at the location) and coordinating reservations and receiving confirmation.

4. Ensuring approval of the executive’s travel in CONCUR prior to the reservation cut-off date.

5. Ensuring the executive’s Government travel card is active.

6. Synching the executive’s schedule, travel, and accommodations with other travelers.

7. Identifying on-site support required and notifying personnel of the travel requirement for support.

8. Developing a draft agenda of events at the travel site with the appropriate stakeholders.

9. Coordinating for an onsite POC and receiving their mobile contact information.

10. Notifying the appropriate POCs for executive duty status reporting.

11. Coordinating with offices for the necessary advance materials for the executive (i.e., trip book, biographies, etc.).

12. Clearing social events through the VA Ethics POC.

The Contractor shall provide a travel book with an agenda to each executive two business days in advance of the travel for review and approval. The travel book with the agenda shall consist of a chronological listing of all travel and events of the trip and shall also include POCs, actions and the purposes and details of those actions, locations, durations, and travel confirmations.

Deliverables:

A. Travel Book with Agenda

5.2.3 ADMINISTRATIVE SUPPORT

The Contractor shall have expertise and shall utilize the full Microsoft Suite, SharePoint, and Adobe Professional to complete assignments as required.

The Contractor shall:

1. Monitor the personal and the primary organizational email inbox and acknowledge and/or address all emails and inquiries received within 60 minutes of receipt;

2. Create, update, and maintain recall and high frequency contact rosters. This consists of a listing key VA and OIT senior executives with their primary and alternate contact information for use in the event of emergencies or after-duty hours;

3. Complete a daily executive status report for the Executive Secretary and Assistant Secretary detailing the locations and availability of Senior OIT Executives;

4. Perform centralized call management for the office;

5. Manage senior executive office access;

6. Maintain a contact list (email/phone) of high-frequency contacts and critical internal and external contacts;

7. Facilitate urgent contact (calls, meetings, video teleconferences) at the direction of the office senior executives;

8. Complete forms and registrations as directed by the office senior executives;

9. Coordinate urgent support from VA services as required by the office senior executives;

10. Craft executive summaries of documents as directed by the office senior executives within two business days of assignment;

11. Special assignments as assigned.

Deliverables:

A. Executive Summaries B. Executive Status Reports C. Recall and High-Frequency Contact Rosters

0.1 BUSINESS SUPPORT – T&M

5.3.1 DATA CALL AND ACTION ITEM SUPPORT

The Contractor shall assist the Government by facilitating coordinated replies to VA stakeholders, business sponsors, and external agencies; performing other non-routine administrative tasks and providing mission-driven ad hoc requests for information. The Contractor shall further support the Government by drafting responses to recurring tasks and other mission-driven OIT Business Office ad hoc requests. The Contractor shall provide daily briefings on assignments being worked; create, assemble, and provide daily read files for senior organizational leadership, and provide task management and orchestration support. The Contractor shall provide executive reporting and correspondence support to OIT senior executive staff ensuring executive correspondence submissions are well written, concise, complete, and completed in a timely manner. The level of complexity of the assignments will vary with an average of 40-50 open communications at any time.

The Contractor shall:

1. Prioritize and complete tasks received within the Senior Executive Offices within the timeframe specified by the executive;

2. Provide a meeting minutes and action item document that summarizes the key points, speakers, summary of all deliverables tasked to OIT or by an executive, the action officer responsible and suspense dates within two business days after the briefing/meeting;

3. Provide analysis and research to support and develop written and oral products that must be prepared for the Senior Executive Offices across a broad range of topics;

4. Utilize the full Microsoft Suite (including Visio), SharePoint, and Adobe Professional to complete assignments as required;

5. Attend virtual and/or onsite training on the VIEWS (VA Integrated Enterprise Workflow System) system;

6. Coordinate with the respective organizational business office to ensure action items are tasked out to the appropriate subject matter experts and tracking of responses to meet all suspense dates;

7. Read, write, edit, standardize, and analyze senior-level executive reports; requests (assignments)/some of which may be prepared by multiple writers;

8. Manage updates and revisions to papers, briefings, correspondence while maintaining continuity of style and content at all times;

9. Consolidate multiple responses into a single cohesive, error-free response;

10. Research previous assignments to obtain an understanding on how they may or may not affect new assignments and gain a solid understanding of the importance of the correlation between the assignments;

11. Maintain versioning control of products (papers, briefings, documents, etc.) created, edited, or reviewed by the Contractor;

12. Ensure that any documents or products (i.e. presentations, papers, etc.) that are created or edited by the Contractor are Section 508 compliant;

13. Assist in creating within two business days of request and/or updating as needed standard operating procedures (SOP) to standardize the formats and flow of information and packages across the Office of the Assistant Secretary. The Contractor shall adhere to all relevant VA and OIT standards, directives, and guidance. The list of documents to be created or updated include flowcharts, Desk references/guides, and other related documents in support of the organizational Business Office processes;

14. Create and provide daily executive read files and summary binders for organization senior executives to include, but not limited to critical reports, high-interest items, daily calendar highlights, critical actions/suspense dates, and dashboards;

15. Provide comprehensive correspondence packages with executive summaries for executive leadership review to facilitate rapid decision making within two business days of request;

16. Provide executive summaries on lengthy documents (more than three pages) that captures the key points and facts for executive leadership review within two business days of request;

17. Draft letters, papers, memorandums and any other documents required for senior executive approval and signature within two business days of request;

18. Collect, analyze, develop and/or edit content for white papers as required by senior executives within two business days of request.

Deliverables:

A. Meeting Minutes and Action Items B. Organization Business Office Process SOPs C. Daily Executive Read Files/Summary Binders D. Executive Correspondence Packages E. Executive Summaries F. Draft Letters/Papers/Documents/Memorandums G. White Papers

5.3.2 DATA MANAGEMENT

The Contractor shall generate, staff, control, distribute, and maintain various documents, data, processes, and artifacts in accordance with VA directives. The Contractor shall coordinate and work closely with OIT records management personnel while completing this task. The Contractor shall track all information reported to internal and external organizations, including what is being reported, responsible domain owner, frequency of reporting, etc. while ensuring that all responses are consistent, timely, and all communications loops are completed and closed to OIT senior leadership’s satisfaction; and provide executive administrative support in storing executive reports and responses in an organized, easily accessible location.

The Contractor shall be responsible for the following activities:

1. Document and Data Repository. The Contractor shall maintain data record file repositories with a directory utilizing the existing program/project level Government hosted SharePoint Sites or resources. The Contractor shall store Government and Contractor developed official program data, allowing audit trails and easy, logical retrieval on demand. The Contractor shall promptly respond to requests from VA for document retrieval and ad hoc reports, providing documents as required within one business day of request.

2. File Naming Convention. The Contractor shall devise and with COR concurrence promulgate and apply a file naming convention for program electronic documents. This naming convention shall consider document names, author names, version/revision number, and date format.

3. Document and Data Development. The Contractor shall coordinate with the organizational Business Office to identify needs for creation, editing, and reviewing of both formal and informal documents and data. The Contractor shall coordinate with the teams, staff, and other teammates to generate, review, and staff various program documents and data. The Contractor shall staff draft versions of the documents to ensure review by responsible officials. The Contractor shall identify content requirements, identify, and apply format requirements and then capture and compile inputs from a variety of subject matter experts and VA stakeholders. Where comments and changes are required, the Contractor shall maintain an audit trail and proper version control.

4. The Contractor shall ensure that all OIT-level documents:

a. Follow VA style guides.

b. Communicate the intended message clearly and concisely.

c. Are free of typographical errors, spelling errors, grammatical errors and errors of logic.

d. Coordinate with the organizational business office to receive official copies of all completed tasks

e. Are created in a manner that avoids excessive printing costs or unnecessarily large electronic files.

f. Are stored in a location that is easily retrievable by the Government team and in accordance with applicable VA and federal record management, information security, and freedom of information guidance.

g. The Contractor shall maintain and, following OIT Business Office approval, shall enhance the existing file naming conventions for program electronic documents.

h. The Contractor shall ensure that any documents or products (i.e., presentations, papers, etc.) that are released are Section 508 compliant.

Deliverables:

A. Record/File Repository with Directory

5.3.3 MEETING SUPPORT

This task provides support for IT Governance through active engagement with governance bodies, chair(s), membership, and other stakeholders to provide pre-meeting activities, post meeting activities, and facilitation of scheduled and unscheduled governance meetings.

The contractor shall:

a. Provide direct support (pre-meeting, facilitation, and post meeting activities to include the management of action items) to an IT Governance Framework comprised of over twenty-seven (27) internal, interdepartmental, and interagency governance bodies (boards, councils, committees, tiger teams, and working groups. Assists with the startup and administrative support of governance bodies at the department, administration, and office level where IT is the primary focus.

1. Investment Review Board or Equivalent Board (one weekly @1.5 hr./wk.).

2. CIO Monthly Briefings (six monthly or as needed @1.5hr/wk)

3. IT Governance Board (once monthly or as needed @1hr/wk.).

4. IT Governance Councils (eight monthly or as needed @1hr/wk.).

5. IT Governance Committees (seventeen monthly or as needed @1.5hr/wk.).

6. IT Governance Tiger Teams (as needed @1.5hr/wk.).

7. IT Governance Working Groups (as needed @1.5hr/wk.).

8. Cross departmental forums (two times monthly @1.5hr/wk).

9. Interagency forums (two times monthly @1.5hr/wk).

10. Adhoc tiger teams/working groups stood up to assist in new governance lanes (council and committees) (as needed @4hrs/wk.)

b. Assist with development and maintenance of charters, memorandums, white papers, and strategy. Assist with development of priority and goal documentation that are aligned to VA and OIT strategic plans per governance body.

c. Collaborate with governance stakeholders to coordinate plans, activities, processes, trainings, and reports necessary for efficient oversight. Track all activities, actions, and assignments as an outcome of governance meetings.

d. Creation, management, and implementation of Communications Plan due within 14 days of governance body assignment.

e. Prepare weekly, monthly, and annual reports for each supported governance body. Weekly reports are due close of business Mondays for the previous week (or COB Tuesday if Monday is a federal holiday); monthly reports are due two business days after the month ends; and annual reports are due five business days after the end of the year.

f. Management of the ESPG team’s Outlook mailboxes (to include management of calendars) and Microsoft 365 products (such as Planner, Forms, MS Teams, 365 groups, SharePoint, websites, and network drives (manage document libraries, creation of lists, archives, databases, and webparts to store, organization, and display content for internal and external consumers).

g. Conduct or participate in projects and process improvement efforts for programs within the office’s purview.

h. Review internal procedures and interview employees as needed to establish and maintain procedural guides and training products in various formats as appropriate or as requested for the delivery of such content, e.g., Word, OneNote, Wiki, Visio, PowerPoint, etc.

Deliverables:

1. Month in Review Report

1. Weekly Governance Report

1. Year in Review Report

1. Communication Plan based on Industry-based practices

5.4 EXECUTIVE SUPPORT FOR OTHER OIT OFFICES – T&M

5.4.1 SCHEDULING, PLANNING, AND CALENDAR MANAGEMENT

The Contractor shall provide senior executive support that ranges from scheduling, coordination, logistics, analysis, and reporting. A more thorough description of the requirements is outlined in the task description below. Approximately 200 meetings per month are anticipated.

1. This task requires great flexibility in a fast-paced environment. It encompasses calendar management and event planning and execution to include, but not limited to, scheduling/rescheduling/deconfliction of meetings, calls, travel, and events and will entail registration, confirmation, and follow-up on all events. This includes the invitation of the proper stakeholders, subject matter experts, or representatives as directed by senior organizational leadership. The Contractor shall coordinate with proposed event/meeting participants to compare calendars and identify mutually acceptable meeting dates and times; post meetings on participant calendars using the following automated tools or compatible products: MS Outlook, MS Teams, and Cisco WebEx; and reserve meeting/conference facilities and required equipment. The Contractor shall ensure that meeting participants are notified of meetings, shall follow-up with participants if a response is not received, and shall assist participants who may be unfamiliar with meeting tools. The Contractor shall coordinate meeting facilities/conference rooms/teleconferences, develop agendas, produce minutes, and monitor action item status. The Contractor shall support the following activities as outlined below:

a. Meeting/Event Planning. The Contractor shall coordinate with Government leadership to plan, conduct, and document a variety of meetings, working groups, and other official events. The Contractor shall coordinate with the appropriate POCs, subject matter experts, and stakeholders to identify the appropriate schedule and cycle to best meet the needs of OIT. The Contractor shall effectuate CIO/executive leadership coordination with the designated VA ethics POC on all requests for official social engagements or with the IT Strategic Communications Team for official speaking engagements. The Contractor shall provide an Event Plan that consists of a chronological listing of the following: actions and the purpose/details about the actions resources, location(s), personnel, and event duration. Additionally, the Event Plan shall include all necessary coordination and preparation needed to enact the plan and is to be provided to senior leadership in ten business days in advance of the event for review/approval.

b. Event/Meeting Support. The Contractor shall identify organizational purpose and goal of each meeting or events and shall coordinate with Government leadership to document these goals to create detailed agendas, identify attendees, and define meeting outcomes. Following organizational senior leader concurrence, the Contractor shall disseminate this information to meeting/event participants and shall manage event/meeting logistics. The Contractor shall be responsible for coordinating data collection prior to meeting and presenting data when applicable. While Government leadership will host and chair the reviews, the Contractor shall provide facilitation services and shall document the outcomes of each meeting or call-in meeting minutes.

c. Meeting/Event Agendas. The Contractor shall provide written agendas for all briefings/meetings along with all approved read ahead materials no later than one business day prior to meeting. The agenda shall consist of a chronological listing of the topics to be discussed as well as the presenters, locations and read ahead materials.

d. Meeting/Event Set up. The Contractor shall coordinate/orchestrate the necessary technical experts and/or prepare the room/event area to include, but not limited to procuring the necessary equipment, arranging the room, testing all electronic communications equipment, ensuring all administrative supplies are available and adequate seating is available for all participants to include accommodations for disabled personnel.

e. Meeting Minutes. The Contractor shall provide minutes from all briefings and meetings no later than two business days after briefing/meeting completion. In addition to documenting meeting attendees, topics of discussions, and related responses or decisions for the discussions, the Contractor shall create, organize, and distribute Action Items. The Contractor shall be responsible for passing Action Items to the appropriate business office/action officer and following up with action owners to ensure response and resolution.

f. Meeting/Event Execution. The Contractor shall oversee the set-up, coordinate the necessary logistics and support, and orchestrate the execution of any assigned official event.

b. The Contractor shall support the following coordination activities as outlined below:

a. Coordination of local travel including, but not limited, to reservations, registration, RSVP/confirmation, and the identification of onsite POCs and support.

b. Coordination with the respective organizational business office(s) to ensure action items are tasked out to the appropriate subject matter experts and tracking of responses to meet all suspense dates.

c. Coordination of on-site and reach back support for travel.

d. Coordination of travel schedules with accompanying support and other travelers.

e. Coordination of meetings and events to include the invitation and presence of the appropriate POCs, subject matter experts, or stakeholders for meetings, calls, or events.

f. Coordination of the appropriate VA services (e.g., protocol, security, IT help/support, VTC, etc.).

g. Coordination with IT Strategic Communications on the planning of official events for scripts, talking points.

h. Coordination with VA protocol and ethics on official event planning.

i. Coordination with the offices of other senior executives, Government officials, or industry leaders for meetings, calls, and events.

j. Coordination with the appropriate security offices for access to facilities and events.

2. Logistics: This task involves the request of VA facilities, equipment, and supplies for meetings, events, and travel to include but not limited to:

a. VA rooms and facilities

b. IT equipment (conference phones, VTC, white boards, etc.)

c. Supplies and Equipment for meetings, events, and taskings

d. Transportation

Deliverables:

A. Event Plans B. Meeting Agendas with Read Ahead Materials C. Meeting Minutes with Action Items

5.4.2 TRAVEL SCHEDULING, PREP, AND COORDINATION

The Contractor shall schedule/deconflict all travel required by the executive staff through coordination with the hosting organization, the Government staff with access to CONCUR and the executive.

1. Scheduling the event on the executive’s calendar;

2. Coordinating with the Government POC with access to CONCUR;

3. Coordinating the necessary means/modes of transportation (to/from/at the location) and coordinating reservations and receiving confirmation;

4. Ensuring approval of the executive’s travel in CONCUR prior to the reservation cut-off date;

5. Ensuring the executive’s Government travel card is active;

6. Synching the executive’s schedule, travel and accommodations with other travelers;

7. Identifying on-site support required and notifying personnel of the travel requirement for support;

8. Developing a draft agenda of events at the travel site with the appropriate stakeholders;

9. Coordinating for an onsite POC and receiving their mobile contact information; Notifying the appropriate POCs for executive duty status reporting;

10. Coordinating with offices for the necessary advance materials for the executive (i.e. trip book, biographies, etc.);

11. Clearing social events through the VA Ethics POC.

The Contractor shall provide a travel book with an agenda to each executive two business days in advance of the travel for review and approval. The travel book with the agenda shall consist of a chronological listing of all travel and events of the trip and shall also include POCs, actions and the purposes and details of those actions, locations, durations, and travel confirmations.

Deliverables:

A. Travel Book with Agenda

5.4.3 ADMINISTRATIVE SUPPORT

The Contractor shall have expertise and shall utilize the full Microsoft Suite, SharePoint, and Adobe Professional to complete assignments as required.

The Contractor shall:

1. Monitor the personal and the primary organizational email inbox and acknowledge and/or address all emails and inquiries received within 60 minutes of receipt;

2. Create, update, and maintain recall and high frequency contact rosters. This consists of a listing key VA and OIT senior executives with their primary and alternate contact information for use in the event of emergencies or after-duty hours;

3. Complete a daily executive status report for the Executive Secretary and Assistant Secretary detailing the locations and availability of Senior OIT Executives;

4. Perform centralized call management for the office;

5. Manage senior executive office access;

6. Maintain a contact list (email/phone) of high-frequency contacts and critical internal and external contacts;

7. Facilitate urgent contact (calls, meetings, video teleconferences) at the direction of the office senior executives;

8. Complete forms and registrations as directed by the office senior executives;

9. Coordinate urgent support from VA services as required by the office senior executives;

10. Craft executive summaries of documents as directed by the office senior executives;

11. Special assignments as assigned.

Deliverables:

A. Executive Summaries B. Executive Status Reports C. Recall and High-Frequency Contact Rosters

0. OPTIONAL TASK ONE - TRANSITION AND ORIENTATION SUPPORT (FFP)

The Contractor shall develop and deliver a Phase-Out Transition Plan if all or part of the tasks are terminated or completely transitioned to the Government or a new Contractor at the end of the POP. The Contractor shall submit details for the Phase-Out portion of the Transition Plan and execute the Phase-Out Transition Plan upon Government approval. The Transition Plan may be exercised once by the Government anytime during the base or Option periods. The Phase-Out Transition Plan shall be delivered within 30 days prior to the end of the POP of this Optional Task. All transition actions shall be completed five days prior to end of POP of this Optional Task. The Contractor shall provide subject matter expertise support to affect the requisite knowledge transfer in accordance with the resulting Transition Plan.

The Contractor shall work collaboratively with other support contractors and/or Government personnel. As part of collaboration, the Contractor shall convey any and all information, as it pertains to the Executive Support effort. This support shall also consist of providing advice, clarification, or explanation to facilitate the understanding of the information presented. The Transition Plan shall detail both the assumption of responsibilities and the transfer of responsibilities to follow on parties at the conclusion of the PoP. This transition plan shall include, but is not limited to:

1. Coordination with Government representatives,

2. Review, evaluation, and transition of current support services,

3. Transition of historic data to new Contractor system (e.g. Project Management System),

4. Government-approved training and certification process,

5. Transfer of hardware warranties and software licenses (if applicable),

6. Transfer of all necessary business and/or technical documentation,

7. Orientation phase and program to introduce Government personnel, programs, and users to the Contractor's team, tools, methodologies, and business processes,

8. Knowledge transfer demonstration.

Deliverable:

A. Transition Plan

GENERAL REQUIREMENTS

6.1 PERFORMANCE METRICS

The table below defines the Performance Standards and Acceptable Levels of Performance associated with this effort.

A. Technical/Quality of Product or Service

1. Shows understanding of requirements

2. Efficient and effective in meeting requirements

3. Meets technical needs and mission requirements

4. Provides quality services/products Satisfactory or higher

B. Project Milestones and Schedule

1. Quick response capability

2. Products completed, reviewed, delivered in accordance with the established schedule

3. Notifies customer in advance of potential problems Satisfactory or higher

C. Cost & Staffing

1. Currency of expertise and staffing levels appropriate

2. Personnel possess necessary knowledge, skills and abilities to perform tasks Satisfactory or higher

The COR will utilize a Quality Assurance Surveillance Plan (QASP) throughout the life of the TO to ensure that the Contractor is performing the services required by this PWS in an acceptable level of performance. The Government reserves the right to alter or change the QASP at its own discretion. A Performance Based Service Assessment will be used by the COR in accordance with the QASP to assess Contractor performance.

6.2 SECTION 508 – INFORMATION AND COMMUNICATION TECHNOLOGY (ICT) STANDARDS

On January 18, 2017, the Architectural and Transportation Barriers Compliance Board (Access Board) revised and updated, in a single rulemaking, standards for electronic and information technology developed, procured, maintained, or used by Federal agencies covered by Section 508 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973, as well as our guidelines for telecommunications equipment and customer premises equipment covered by Section 255 of the Communications Act of 1934. The revisions and updates to the Section 508-based standards and Section 255-based guidelines are intended to ensure that information and communication technology (ICT) covered by the respective statutes is accessible to and usable by individuals with disabilities.

The following Section 508 Requirements supersede Addendum A, Section A3 from the T4NG Basic PWS.

The Section 508 standards established by the Access Board are incorporated into, and made part of all VA orders, solicitations and purchase orders developed to procure ICT. These standards are found in their entirety at: https://www.access-board.gov/guidelines-and-standards/communications-and-it/about-the-ict-refresh/final-rule/text-of-the-standards-and-guidelines. A printed copy of the standards will be supplied upon request.

Federal agencies must comply with the updated Section 508 Standards beginning on January 18, 2018. The Final Rule as published in the Federal Register is available from the Access Board: https://www.access-board.gov/guidelines-and-standards/communications-and-it/about-the-ict-refresh/final-rule.

The Contractor shall comply with “508 Chapter 2: Scoping Requirements” for all…