Draft RFQ No. 70RDAD23Q00000035.pdf
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- Specialized Cost Services (SCS) II Federal contract opportunity
- Solicitation number
- 70RDAD23Q00000035
About this file
This is a draft request for quote (RFQ) for specialized cost services to support the Department of Homeland Security's Office of the Chief Financial Officer. The RFQ will establish multiple blanket purchase agreements set aside for small business General Services Administration Multiple Award Schedule contract holders. Services include developing and delivering cost estimates and analyses to improve acquisition outcomes across DHS. Vendors must have Special Item Number 541715 for engineering research and development on their GSA MAS contract. The estimated value of orders against the BPAs over five years is $96 million. The RFQ includes a statement of work outlining requirements for cost estimating products and analyses, data warehousing and analysis support, and cost estimating training. It provides details on tasks, deliverables, government-furnished resources, key contractor personnel requirements, security, travel, and Section 508 compliance. Questions on the draft RFQ are due by April 10th, with an industry day tentatively planned for April 12th.
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Other files for this federal contract opportunity
| File | Type | Posted |
|---|---|---|
| Attachment 5 - Draft RFQ Question and Answer Form.xlsx | XLSX spreadsheet | |
| Attachment 1 - Contractor Teaming Arrangements.docx | DOCX document | |
| Attachment 4 - BPA Pricing Worksheet.xlsx | XLSX spreadsheet |
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Text version
Request for Quotation (RFQ)
No. 70RDAD23Q00000035 for
The Department of Homeland Security (DHS)
Office of the Chief Financial Officer (OCFO)
Specialized Cost Services (SCS)
DHS Office of Procurement Operations 245 Murray Lane, SW
Mailstop #0115 Washington, D.C. 20528
DHS Request for Quotation 70RDAD23Q00000035
Blanket Purchase Agreement (BPA)
In the spirit of the Federal Acquisition Streamlining Act, the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) and
(Insert Contractors Name) enter into a BPA to support DHS and its activities. The intent is to further reduce the administrative costs by acquiring commercial services from the General Services Administration (GSA) Multiple Award Schedule (MAS) contract.
Signatures:
DHS Office of Procurement Operations (OPO) Contracting Officer
Printed Name OPO Title Signature Date
Contractor
Printed Name Company Title Signature Date
SPECIALIZED COST SERVICES (SCS)
REQUEST FOR QUOTATION
A.1 SPECIALIZED COST SERVICES (SCS)
This procurement will be conducted utilizing procedures found in FAR 8.405 – Ordering procedures for Federal Supply Schedules to establish a multiple award Blanket Purchase Agreement (BPA). The Government anticipates establishing at least two (2) BPAs that will be set-aside for small business General Services Administration (GSA) Multiple Award Schedule (MAS) Contract holders. The Prime Vendor’s GSA MAS contract must include Professional Services Category (PSC) Special Item Number (SIN) 541715 - Engineering Research and Development and Strategic Planning at the time of Quotation submission.
A.2 FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT
Information that is furnished under this RFQ may be subject to disclosure under the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA). All items that are confidential to business, contain trade secrets, proprietary or personnel information shall be clearly marked. If such items are not marked, all information contained within the documents submitted will be deemed releasable. Marking of items will not necessarily preclude disclosure when the Department of Homeland Security determines disclosure is warranted by FOIA.
A.3 SPECIALIZED COST SERVICES (SCS) REQUEST FOR QUOTATION (RFQ)
SECTION I: BPA TERMS AND CONDITIONS
1.0 General
This section presents the general requirements applicable to the BPA Contractor(s).
It is the responsibility of the Contractor to notify the Contracting Officer of GSA Schedule price changes affecting services listed in this BPA prior to award of any order. Contractors may offer further price reductions in accordance with its commercial practice and are encouraged to offer additional discounts at the BPA level and the order level. The relationship between the current price in the GSA Schedule and the price offered in the Contractor's quotation shall remain constant; i.e., the discount shall remain the same throughout the term of the BPA. All orders placed against this BPA are subject to the terms and conditions of the GSA Schedule contract, except as specifically noted in this BPA.
2.0 Services
At the BPA order level, the BPA Contractor shall provide the estimated labor categories and hours to perform the requirements identified.
3.0 Types of Orders
This BPA provides for Firm-Fixed-Price (FFP), Time and Material (T&M) and Labor-Hour (LH) orders with options. The type of order will be identified at the BPA order level.
4.0 BPA Total Estimated Dollar Value
The estimated dollar value of the total BPA orders placed under the BPA is $96,000,000.00 over the course of 5 years.
5.0 Obligation
This BPA does not obligate any funds. Each individual order placed against this BPA will obligate funds.
6.0 Additional Federal Acquisition Regulation (FAR) and Homeland Security Acquisition Regulation (HSAR) Provisions and Clauses All terms and conditions of the General Services Administration (GSA) Multiple Award Schedule (MAS) contract flow down into this BPA and subsequent task orders.
This BPA incorporates one or more clauses by reference, with the same force and effect as if they were given in full text. Upon request, the Contracting Officer will make their full text available. Also, the full text of a clause may be accessed electronically at this address:
https://www.acquisition.gov/?q=browsefar or for DHS specific clauses at:
http://farsite.hill.af.mil/vmhsara.htm.
Clause Title Date Additional FAR Clauses/Provisions
FAR 52.204-2 Security Requirements MAR 2021 FAR 52.219-6 Notice of Total Small Business Set-Aside NOV 2020 FAR 52.219-14 Limitation on Subcontracting OCT 2022 FAR 52.227-17 Rights in Data -- Special Works DEC 2007
FAR 52.217-5 Evaluation of Options (July 1990)
Except when it is determined in accordance with FAR 17.206(b) not to be in the Government’s best interests, the Government will evaluate offers for award purposes by adding the total price for all options to the total price for the basic requirement. Evaluation of options will not obligate the Government to exercise the option(s).
(End of provision)
FAR 52.217-8 Option to Extend Services (Nov 1999)
The Government may require continued performance of any services within the limits and at the rates specified in the contract. These rates may be adjusted only as a result of revisions to prevailing labor rates provided by the Secretary of Labor.
The option provision may be exercised more than once, but the total extension of performance hereunder shall not exceed 6 months. The Contracting Officer may exercise the option by written notice to the Contractor within 30 days.
https://www.acquisition.gov/?q=browsefar%20 http://farsite.hill.af.mil/vmhsara.htm
(End of clause)
HSAR 3052.209-70 Prohibition on Contracts with Corporate Expatriates (JUN 2006)
(a) Prohibitions.
Section 835 of the Homeland Security Act, 6 U.S.C. 395, prohibits the Department of Homeland Security from entering into any contract with a foreign incorporated entity which is treated as an inverted domestic corporation as defined in this clause, or with any subsidiary of such an entity.
The Secretary shall waive the prohibition with respect to any specific contract if the Secretary determines that the waiver is required in the interest of national security.
(b) Definitions. As used in this clause:
Expanded Affiliated Group means an affiliated group as defined in section 1504(a) of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986 (without regard to section 1504(b) of such Code), except that section 1504 of such Code shall be applied by substituting ‘more than 50 percent’ for ‘at least 80 percent’ each place it appears.
Foreign Incorporated Entity means any entity which is, or but for subsection (b) of section 835 of the Homeland Security Act, 6 U.S.C. 395, would be, treated as a foreign corporation for purposes of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986.
Inverted Domestic Corporation. A foreign incorporated entity shall be treated as an inverted domestic corporation if, pursuant to a plan (or a series of related transactions)—
(1) The entity completes the direct or indirect acquisition of substantially all of the properties held directly or indirectly by a domestic corporation or substantially all of the properties constituting a trade or business of a domestic partnership;
(2) After the acquisition at least 80 percent of the stock (by vote or value) of the entity is held—
(i) In the case of an acquisition with respect to a domestic corporation, by former shareholders of the domestic corporation by reason of holding stock in the domestic corporation; or
(ii) In the case of an acquisition with respect to a domestic partnership, by former partners of the domestic partnership by reason of holding a capital or profits interest in the domestic partnership; and
(3) The expanded affiliated group which after the acquisition includes the entity does not have substantial business activities in the foreign country in which or under the law of which the entity is created or organized when compared to the total business activities of such expanded affiliated group.
Person, domestic, and foreign have the meanings given such terms by paragraphs (1), (4), and
(5) of section 7701(a) of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986, respectively.
(c) Special rules. The following definitions and special rules shall apply when determining whether a foreign incorporated entity should be treated as an inverted domestic corporation.
(1) Certain stock disregarded. For the purpose of treating a foreign incorporated entity as an inverted domestic corporation these shall not be taken into account in determining ownership:
(i) Stock held by members of the expanded affiliated group which includes the foreign incorporated entity; or
(ii) Stock of such entity which is sold in a public offering related to an acquisition described in section 835(b)(1) of the Homeland Security Act, 6 U.S.C. 395(b)(1).
(2) Plan deemed in certain cases. If a foreign incorporated entity acquires directly or indirectly substantially all of the properties of a domestic corporation or partnership during the 4-year period beginning on the date which is 2 years before the ownership requirements of subsection (b)(2) are met, such actions shall be treated as pursuant to a plan.
(3) Certain transfers disregarded. The transfer of properties or liabilities (including by contribution or distribution) shall be disregarded if such transfers are part of a plan a principal purpose of which is to avoid the purposes of this section.
(d) Special rule for related partnerships. For purposes of applying section 835(b) of the Homeland Security Act, 6 U.S.C. 395(b) to the acquisition of a domestic partnership, except as provided in regulations, all domestic partnerships which are under common control (within the meaning of section 482 of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986) shall be treated as a partnership.
(e) Treatment of Certain Rights.
(1) Certain rights shall be treated as stocks to the extent necessary to reflect the present value of all equitable interests incident to the transaction, as follows:
(i) warrants;
(ii) options;
(iii) contracts to acquire stock;
(iv) convertible debt instruments; and
(v) others similar interests.
(2) Rights labeled as stocks shall not be treated as stocks whenever it is deemed appropriate to do so to reflect the present value of the transaction or to disregard transactions whose recognition would defeat the purpose of Section 835.
(f) Disclosure. The offeror under this solicitation represents that [Check one]:
__ it is not a foreign incorporated entity that should be treated as an inverted domestic corporation pursuant to the criteria of (HSAR) 48 CFR 3009.108-7001 through 3009.108-7003;
__ it is a foreign incorporated entity that should be treated as an inverted domestic corporation pursuant to the criteria of (HSAR) 48 CFR 3009.108-7001 through 3009.108-7003, but it has submitted a request for waiver pursuant to 3009.108-7004, which has not been denied; or
__ it is a foreign incorporated entity that should be treated as an inverted domestic corporation pursuant to the criteria of (HSAR) 48 CFR 3009.108-7001 through 3009.108-7003, but it plans to submit a request for waiver pursuant to 3009.108-7004.
(g) A copy of the approved waiver, if a waiver has already been granted, or the waiver request, if a waiver has been applied for, shall be attached to the bid or proposal.
HSAR 3052.209-72 Organizational Conflicts of Interest (JUN 2006)
(a) Determination. The Government has determined that this effort may result in an actual or potential conflict of interest, or may provide one or more offerors with the potential to attain an unfair competitive advantage. The nature of the conflict of interest and the limitation on future contracting is that the Contractor performing the services required under this BPA will, at the BPA order level, have visibility into multiple acquisition programs across DHS at various stages of their development.
(b) If any such conflict of interest is found to exist, the Contracting Officer may (1) disqualify the offeror, or (2) determine that it is otherwise in the best interest of the United States to contract with the offeror and include the appropriate provisions to avoid, neutralize, mitigate, or waive such conflict in the contract awarded. After discussion with the offeror, the Contracting Officer may determine that the actual conflict cannot be avoided, neutralized, mitigated or otherwise resolved to the satisfaction of the Government, and the offeror may be found ineligible for award.
(c) Disclosure: The offeror hereby represents, to the best of its knowledge that:
___ (1) It is not aware of any facts which create any actual or potential organizational conflicts of interest relating to the award of this contract, or ___ (2) It has included information in its proposal, providing all current information bearing on the existence of any actual or potential organizational conflicts of interest, and has included a mitigation plan in accordance with paragraph (d) of this provision.
(d) Mitigation. If an offeror with a potential or actual conflict of interest or unfair competitive advantage believes the conflict can be avoided, neutralized, or mitigated, the offeror shall submit a mitigation plan to the Government for review. Award of a contract where an actual or potential conflict of interest exists shall not occur before Government approval of the mitigation plan. If a mitigation plan is approved, the restrictions of this provision do not apply to the extent defined in the mitigation plan.
(e) Other Relevant Information: In addition to the mitigation plan, the Contracting Officer may require further relevant information from the offeror. The Contracting Officer will use all information submitted by the offeror, and any other relevant information known to DHS, to determine whether an award to the offeror may take place, and whether the mitigation plan adequately neutralizes or mitigates the conflict.
(f) Corporation Change. The successful offeror shall inform the Contracting Officer within thirty
(30) calendar days of the effective date of any corporate mergers, acquisitions, and/or divestures that may affect this provision.
(g) Flow-down. The contractor shall insert the substance of this clause in each first tier subcontract that exceeds the simplified acquisition threshold.
(End of provision)
HSAR 3052.209-73 Limitation of Future Contracting (JUN 2006)
(a) The Contracting Officer has determined that this acquisition may give rise to a potential organizational conflict of interest. Accordingly, the attention of prospective offerors is invited to FAR Subpart 9.5--Organizational Conflicts of Interest.
(b) The nature of this conflict is that the Contractor performing the services required under this BPA will, at the BPA order level, have visibility into multiple acquisition programs across DHS at various stages of their development.
(c) The restrictions upon future contracting are as follows:
(1) If the Contractor, under the terms of this contract, or through the performance of tasks pursuant to this contract, is required to develop cost estimations that are to be incorporated into a procurement, the Contractor shall be ineligible to perform the work described in that solicitation as a prime or first-tier subcontractor under an ensuing DHS contract. This restriction shall remain in effect for a reasonable time, as agreed to by the Contracting Officer and the Contractor, sufficient to avoid unfair competitive advantage or potential bias (this time shall in no case be less than the duration of the initial production contract). DHS shall not unilaterally require the Contractor to prepare such cost estimations under this contract.
(2) To the extent that the work under this contract requires access to proprietary, business confidential, or financial data of other companies, and as long as these data remain proprietary or confidential, the Contractor shall protect these data from unauthorized use and disclosure and agrees not to use them to compete with those other companies.
HSAR 3052.212-70 Contract Terms and Conditions Applicable to DHS Acquisition of Commercial Items. (SEP 2012)
The Contractor agrees to comply with any provision or clause that is incorporated herein by reference to implement agency policy applicable to acquisition of commercial items or components. The provision or clause in effect based on the applicable regulation cited on the date the solicitation is issued applies unless otherwise stated herein. The following provisions and clauses are incorporated by reference: [The Contracting Officer should either check the provisions and clauses that apply or delete the provisions and clauses that do not apply from the list. The Contracting Officer may add the date of the provision or clause if desired for clarity.]
(b) Clauses.
__X_3052.203-70 Instructions for Contractor Disclosure of Violations.
__X_3052.204-70 Security Requirements for Unclassified Information Technology Resources.
__X_3052.204-71 Contractor Employee Access.
__X_Alternate I
__X_3052.205-70 Advertisement, Publicizing Awards, and Releases.
__X_Alternate I
__X_3052.215-70 Key Personnel or Facilities. See Section 6.3 of the Statement of Work.
__X_3052.242-72 Contracting Officer's Representative.
SAFEGUARDING OF SENSITIVE INFORMATION (MAR 2015)
(a) Applicability. This clause applies to the Contractor, its subcontractors, and Contractor employees (hereafter referred to collectively as “Contractor”). The Contractor shall insert the substance of this clause in all subcontracts.
(b) Definitions. As used in this clause—
“Personally Identifiable Information (PII)” means information that can be used to distinguish or trace an individual's identity, such as name, social security number, or biometric records, either alone, or when combined with other personal or identifying information that is linked or linkable to a specific individual, such as date and place of birth, or mother’s maiden name. The definition of PII is not anchored to any single category of information or technology. Rather, it requires a case-by-case assessment of the specific risk that an individual can be identified. In performing this assessment, it is important for an agency to recognize that non-personally identifiable information can become personally identifiable information whenever additional information is made publicly available—in any medium and from any source—that, combined with other available information, could be used to identify an individual.
PII is a subset of sensitive information. Examples of PII include, but are not limited to: name, date of birth, mailing address, telephone number, Social Security number (SSN), email address, zip code, account numbers, certificate/license numbers, vehicle identifiers including license plates, uniform resource locators (URLs), static Internet protocol addresses, biometric identifiers such as fingerprint, voiceprint, iris scan, photographic facial images, or any other unique identifying number or characteristic, and any information where it is reasonably foreseeable that the information will be linked with other information to identify the individual.
“Sensitive Information” is defined in HSAR clause 3052.204-71, Contractor Employee Access, as any information, which if lost, misused, disclosed, or, without authorization is accessed, or modified, could adversely affect the national or homeland security interest, the conduct of Federal programs, or the privacy to which individuals are entitled under section 552a of Title 5, United States Code (the Privacy Act), but which has not been specifically authorized under criteria established by an Executive Order or an Act of Congress to be kept secret in the interest of national defense, homeland security or foreign policy. This definition includes the following categories of information:
(1) Protected Critical Infrastructure Information (PCII) as set out in the Critical Infrastructure Information Act of 2002 (Title II, Subtitle B, of the Homeland Security Act, Public Law 107296, 196 Stat. 2135), as amended, the implementing regulations thereto (Title 6, Code of Federal Regulations, Part 29) as amended, the applicable PCII Procedures Manual, as amended, and any supplementary guidance officially communicated by an authorized official of the Department of Homeland Security (including the PCII Program Manager or his/her designee);
(2) Sensitive Security Information (SSI), as defined in Title 49, Code of Federal Regulations, Part 1520, as amended, “Policies and Procedures of Safeguarding and Control of SSI,” as amended, and any supplementary guidance officially communicated by an authorized official of the Department of Homeland Security (including the Assistant Secretary for the Transportation Security Administration or his/her designee);
(3) Information designated as “For Official Use Only,” which is unclassified information of a sensitive nature and the unauthorized disclosure of which could adversely impact a person’s privacy or welfare, the conduct of Federal programs, or other programs or operations essential to the national or homeland security interest; and
(4) Any information that is designated “sensitive” or subject to other controls, safeguards or protections in accordance with subsequently adopted homeland security information handling procedures.
“Sensitive Information Incident” is an incident that includes the known, potential, or suspected exposure, loss of control, compromise, unauthorized disclosure, unauthorized acquisition, or unauthorized access or attempted access of any Government system, Contractor system, or sensitive information.
“Sensitive Personally Identifiable Information (SPII)” is a subset of PII, which if lost, compromised or disclosed without authorization, could result in substantial harm, embarrassment, inconvenience, or unfairness to an individual. Some forms of PII are sensitive as stand-alone elements. Examples of such PII include: Social Security numbers (SSN), driver’s license or state identification number, Alien Registration Numbers (A-number), financial account number, and biometric identifiers such as fingerprint, voiceprint, or iris scan. Additional examples include any groupings of information that contain an individual’s name or other unique identifier plus one or more of the following elements:
(1) Truncated SSN (such as last 4 digits)
(2) Date of birth (month, day, and year)
(3) Citizenship or immigration status
(4) Ethnic or religious affiliation
(5) Sexual orientation
(6) Criminal History
(7) Medical Information
(8) System authentication information such as mother’s maiden name, account passwords or personal identification numbers (PIN)
Other PII may be “sensitive” depending on its context, such as a list of employees and their performance ratings or an unlisted home address or phone number. In contrast, a business card or public telephone directory of agency employees contains PII but is not sensitive.
(c) Authorities. The Contractor shall follow all current versions of Government policies and guidance accessible at http://www.dhs.gov/dhs-security-and-training-requirements-contractors, or available upon request from the Contracting Officer, including but not limited to:
(1) DHS Management Directive 11042.1 Safeguarding Sensitive But Unclassified (for Official Use Only) Information
(2) DHS 4300A Information Technology System Security Program, Sensitive Systems, v 13.2
(3) DHS Security Authorization Process Guide
(4) DHS Handbook for Safeguarding Sensitive Personally Identifiable Information
(5) DHS Instruction Handbook 121-01-007 Department of Homeland Security Personnel Suitability and Security Program
(6) DHS Information Security Performance Plan (current fiscal year)
(7) DHS Privacy Incident Handling Guidance
(8) Federal Information Processing Standard (FIPS) 140-2 Security Requirements for Cryptographic Modules accessible at http://csrc.nist.gov/groups/STM/cmvp/standards.html
(9) National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) Special Publication 800-53 Security and Privacy Controls for Federal Information Systems and Organizations accessible at http://csrc.nist.gov/publications/PubsSPs.html
(10) NIST Special Publication 800-88 Guidelines for Media Sanitization accessible at http://csrc.nist.gov/publications/PubsSPs.html
(d) Handling of Sensitive Information. Contractor compliance with this clause, as well as the policies and procedures described below, is required.
(1) Department of Homeland Security (DHS) policies and procedures on Contractor personnel security requirements are set forth in various Management Directives (MDs), Directives, and Instructions. MD 11042.1, Safeguarding Sensitive But Unclassified (For Official Use Only) Information describes how Contractors must handle sensitive but unclassified information. DHS uses the term “FOR OFFICIAL USE ONLY” to identify sensitive but unclassified information that is not otherwise categorized by statute or regulation. Examples of sensitive information that are categorized by statute or regulation are PCII, SSI, etc. The DHS 4300A Information Technology System Security Program, Sensitive Systems, v 13.2 provides the policies and procedures on security for Information Technology (IT) resources. The DHS Handbook for Safeguarding Sensitive Personally Identifiable Information provides guidelines to help safeguard SPII in both paper and electronic form. DHS Instruction Handbook 121-01-007 Department of Homeland Security Personnel Suitability and Security Program establishes procedures, program responsibilities, minimum standards, and reporting protocols for the DHS Personnel Suitability and Security Program.
(2) The Contractor shall not use or redistribute any sensitive information processed, stored, and/or transmitted by the Contractor except as specified in the contract.
(3) All Contractor employees with access to sensitive information shall execute DHS Form 11000-6, Department of Homeland Security Non-Disclosure Agreement (NDA), as a condition of access to such information. The Contractor shall maintain signed copies of the NDA for all employees as a record of compliance. The Contractor shall provide copies of the signed NDA to the Contracting Officer’s Representative (COR) no later than two (2) days after execution of the form.
(4) The Contractor’s invoicing, billing, and other recordkeeping systems maintained to support financial or other administrative functions shall not maintain SPII. It is acceptable to maintain in these systems the names, titles and contact information for the COR or other Government personnel associated with the administration of the contract, as needed.
(e) Authority to Operate. The Contractor shall not input, store, process, output, and/or transmit sensitive information within a Contractor IT system without an Authority to Operate (ATO) signed by the Headquarters or Component CIO, or designee, in consultation with the Headquarters or Component Privacy Officer. Unless otherwise specified in the ATO letter, the
ATO is valid for three (3) years. The Contractor shall adhere to current Government policies, procedures, and guidance for the Security Authorization (SA) process as defined below.
(1) Complete the Security Authorization process. The SA process shall proceed according to the DHS 4300A Information Technology System Security Program, Sensitive Systems, v 13.2, or any successor publication, and the Security Authorization Process Guide including templates.
(i) Security Authorization Process Documentation. SA documentation shall be developed using the Government provided Requirements Traceability Matrix and Government security documentation templates. SA documentation consists of the following: Security Plan, Contingency Plan, Contingency Plan Test Results, Configuration Management Plan, Security Assessment Plan, Security Assessment Report, and Authorization to Operate Letter. Additional documents that may be required include a Plan(s) of Action and Milestones and Interconnection Security Agreement(s). During the development of SA documentation, the Contractor shall submit a signed SA package, validated by an independent third party, to the COR for acceptance by the Headquarters or Component CIO, or designee, at least thirty (30) days prior to the date of operation of the IT system. The Government is the final authority on the compliance of the SA package and may limit the number of resubmissions of a modified SA package. Once the ATO has been accepted by the Headquarters or Component CIO, or designee, the Contracting Officer shall incorporate the ATO into the contract as a compliance document. The Government’s acceptance of the ATO does not alleviate the Contractor’s responsibility to ensure the IT system controls are implemented and operating effectively.
(ii) Independent Assessment. Contractors shall have an independent third party validate the security and privacy controls in place for the system(s). The independent third party shall review and analyze the SA package, and report on technical, operational, and management level deficiencies as outlined in NIST Special Publication 800-53 Security and Privacy Controls for Federal Information Systems and Organizations. The Contractor shall address all deficiencies before submitting the SA package to the Government for acceptance.
(iii) Support the completion of the Privacy Threshold Analysis (PTA) as needed. As part of the SA process, the Contractor may be required to support the Government in the completion of the PTA. The requirement to complete a PTA is triggered by the creation, use, modification, upgrade, or disposition of a Contractor IT system that will store, maintain and use PII, and must be renewed at least every three (3) years. Upon review of the PTA, the DHS Privacy Office determines whether a Privacy Impact Assessment (PIA) and/or Privacy Act System of Records Notice (SORN), or modifications thereto, are required. The Contractor shall provide all support necessary to assist the Department in completing the PIA in a timely manner and shall ensure that project management plans and schedules include time for the completion of the PTA, PIA, and SORN (to the extent required) as milestones. Support in this context includes responding timely to requests for information from the Government about the use, access, storage, and maintenance of PII on the Contractor’s system, and providing timely review of relevant compliance documents for factual accuracy. Information on the DHS privacy compliance process, including PTAs, PIAs, and SORNs, is accessible at http://www.dhs.gov/privacy-compliance.
(2) Renewal of ATO. Unless otherwise specified in the ATO letter, the ATO shall be renewed every three (3) years. The Contractor is required to update its SA package as part of the ATO renewal process. The Contractor shall update its SA package by one of the following methods:
(1) Updating the SA documentation in the DHS automated information assurance tool for acceptance by the Headquarters or Component CIO, or designee, at least 90 days before the ATO expiration date for review and verification of security controls; or (2) Submitting an updated SA package directly to the COR for approval by the Headquarters or Component CIO, or designee, at least 90 days before the ATO expiration date for review and verification of security controls.
The 90 day review process is independent of the system production date and therefore it is important that the Contractor build the review into project schedules. The reviews may include onsite visits that involve physical or logical inspection of the Contractor environment to ensure controls are in place.
(3) Security Review. The Government may elect to conduct random periodic reviews to ensure that the security requirements contained in this contract are being implemented and enforced.
The Contractor shall afford DHS, the Office of the Inspector General, and other Government organizations access to the Contractor’s facilities, installations, operations, documentation, databases and personnel used in the performance of this contract. The Contractor shall, through the Contracting Officer and COR, contact the Headquarters or Component CIO, or designee, to coordinate and participate in review and inspection activity by Government organizations external to the DHS. Access shall be provided, to the extent necessary as determined by the Government, for the Government to carry out a program of inspection, investigation, and audit to safeguard against threats and hazards to the integrity, availability and confidentiality of Government data or the function of computer systems used in performance of this contract and to preserve evidence of computer crime.
(4) Continuous Monitoring. All Contractor-operated systems that input, store, process, output, and/or transmit sensitive information shall meet or exceed the continuous monitoring requirements identified in the Fiscal Year 2014 DHS Information Security Performance Plan, or successor publication. The plan is updated on an annual basis. The Contractor shall also store monthly continuous monitoring data at its location for a period not less than one year from the date the data is created. The data shall be encrypted in accordance with FIPS 140-2 Security Requirements for Cryptographic Modules and shall not be stored on systems that are shared with other commercial or Government entities. The Government may elect to perform continuous monitoring and IT security scanning of Contractor systems from Government tools and infrastructure.
(5) Revocation of ATO. In the event of a sensitive information incident, the Government may suspend or revoke an existing ATO (either in part or in whole). If an ATO is suspended or revoked in accordance with this provision, the Contracting Officer may direct the Contractor to take additional security measures to secure sensitive information. These measures may include restricting access to sensitive information on the Contractor IT system under this contract.
Restricting access may include disconnecting the system processing, storing, or transmitting the sensitive information from the Internet or other networks or applying additional security controls.
(6) Federal Reporting Requirements. Contractors operating information systems on behalf of the Government or operating systems containing sensitive information shall comply with Federal reporting requirements. Annual and quarterly data collection will be coordinated by the Government. Contractors shall provide the COR with requested information within three (3) business days of receipt of the request. Reporting requirements are determined by the Government and are defined in the Fiscal Year 2014 DHS Information Security Performance Plan, or successor publication. The Contractor shall provide the Government with all information to fully satisfy Federal reporting requirements for Contractor systems.
(f) Sensitive Information Incident Reporting Requirements.
(1) All known or suspected sensitive information incidents shall be reported to the Headquarters or Component Security Operations Center (SOC) within one hour of discovery. When notifying the Headquarters or Component SOC, the Contractor shall also notify the Contracting Officer, COR, Headquarters or Component Privacy Officer, and US-CERT using the contact information identified in the contract. If the incident is reported by phone or the Contracting Officer’s email address is not immediately available, the Contractor shall contact the Contracting Officer immediately after reporting the incident to the Headquarters or Component SOC. The Contractor shall not include any sensitive information in the subject or body of any e-mail. To transmit sensitive information, the Contractor shall use FIPS 140-2 Security Requirements for Cryptographic Modules compliant encryption methods to protect sensitive information in attachments to email. Passwords shall not be communicated in the same email as the attachment.
A sensitive information incident shall not, by itself, be interpreted as evidence that the Contractor has failed to provide adequate information security safeguards for sensitive information, or has otherwise failed to meet the requirements of the contract.
(2) If a sensitive information incident involves PII or SPII, Contractors shall also provide as many of the following data elements that are available at the time the incident is reported, with any remaining data elements provided within 24 hours of submission of the initial incident report:
(i) Data Universal Numbering System (DUNS);
(ii) Contract numbers affected unless all contracts by the company are affected;
(iii) Facility CAGE code if the location of the event is different than the prime contractor location;
(iv) Point of contact (POC) if different than the POC recorded in the System for Award Management (address, position, telephone, email);
(v) Contracting Officer POC (address, telephone, email);
(vi) Contract clearance level;
(vii) Name of subcontractor and CAGE code if this was an incident on a subcontractor network;
(viii) Government programs, platforms or systems involved;
(ix) Location(s) of incident;
(x) Date and time the incident was discovered;
(xi) Server names where sensitive information resided at the time of the incident, both at the Contractor and subcontractor level;
(xii) Description of the Government PII and/or SPII contained within the system;
(xiii) Number of people potentially affected and the estimate or actual number of records exposed and/or contained within the system; and
(xiv) Any additional information relevant to the incident.
(g) Sensitive Information Incident Response Requirements.
(1) All determinations related to sensitive information incidents, including response activities, notifications to affected individuals and/or Federal agencies, and related services (e.g., credit monitoring) will be made in writing by the Contracting Officer in consultation with the Headquarters or Component CIO and Headquarters or Component Privacy Officer.
(2) The Contractor shall provide full access and cooperation for all activities determined by the Government to be required to ensure an effective incident response, including providing all requested images, log files, and event information to facilitate rapid resolution of sensitive information incidents.
(3) Incident response activities determined to be required by the Government may include, but are not limited to, the following:
(i) Inspections,
(ii) Investigations,
(iii) Forensic reviews, and
(iv) Data analyses and processing.
(4) The Government, at its sole discretion, may obtain the assistance from other Federal agencies and/or third-party firms to aid in incident response activities.
(h) Additional PII and/or SPII Notification Requirements.
(1) The Contractor shall have in place procedures and the capability to notify any individual whose PII resided in the Contractor IT system at the time of the sensitive information incident not later than 5 business days after being directed to notify individuals, unless otherwise approved by the Contracting Officer. The method and content of any notification by the Contractor shall be coordinated with, and subject to prior written approval by the Contracting
Officer, in consultation with the Headquarters or Component Privacy Officer, utilizing the DHS Privacy Incident Handling Guidance. The Contractor shall not proceed with notification unless the Contracting Officer, in consultation with the Headquarters or Component Privacy Officer, has determined in writing that notification is appropriate.
(2) Subject to Government analysis of the incident and the terms of its instructions to the Contractor regarding any resulting notification, the notification method may consist of letters to affected individuals sent by first class mail, electronic means, or general public notice, as approved by the Government. Notification may require the Contractor’s use of address verification and/or address location services. At a minimum, the notification shall include:
(i) A brief description of the incident;
(ii) A description of the types of PII and SPII involved;
(iii) A statement as to whether the PII or SPII was encrypted or protected by other means;
(iv) Steps individuals may take to protect themselves;
(v) What the Contractor and/or the Government are doing to investigate the incident, to mitigate the incident, and to protect against any future incidents; and
(vi) Information identifying who individuals may contact for additional information.
(i) Credit Monitoring Requirements. In the event that a sensitive information incident involves PII or SPII, the Contractor may be required to, as directed by the Contracting Officer:
(1) Provide notification to affected individuals as described above; and/or
(2) Provide credit monitoring services to individuals whose data was under the control of the Contractor or resided in the Contractor IT system at the time of the sensitive information incident for a period beginning the date of the incident and extending not less than 18 months from the date the individual is notified. Credit monitoring services shall be provided from a company with which the Contractor has no affiliation. At a minimum, credit monitoring services shall include:
(i) Triple credit bureau monitoring;
(ii) Daily customer service;
(iii) Alerts provided to the individual for changes and fraud; and
(iv) Assistance to the individual with enrollment in the services and the use of fraud alerts;
and/or
(3) Establish a dedicated call center. Call center services shall include:
(i) A dedicated telephone number to contact customer service within a fixed period;
(ii) Information necessary for registrants/enrollees to access credit reports and credit scores;
(iii) Weekly reports on call center volume, issue escalation (i.e., those calls that cannot be handled by call center staff and must be resolved by call center management or DHS, as appropriate), and other key metrics;
(iv) Escalation of calls that cannot be handled by call center staff to call center management or DHS, as appropriate;
(v) Customized FAQs, approved in writing by the Contracting Officer in coordination with the Headquarters or Component Chief Privacy Officer; and
(vi) Information for registrants to contact customer service representatives and fraud resolution representatives for credit monitoring assistance.
(j) Certification of Sanitization of Government and Government-Activity-Related Files and Information. As part of contract closeout, the Contractor shall submit the certification to the COR and the Contracting Officer following the template provided in NIST Special Publication 800-88 Guidelines for Media Sanitization.
INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY SECURITY AND PRIVACY TRAINING (MAR 2015)
(a) Applicability. This clause applies to the Contractor, its subcontractors, and Contractor employees (hereafter referred to collectively as “Contractor”). The Contractor shall insert the substance of this clause in all subcontracts.
(b) Security Training Requirements.
(1) All users of Federal information systems are required by Title 5, Code of Federal Regulations, Part 930.301, Subpart C, as amended, to be exposed to security awareness materials annually or whenever system security changes occur, or when the user’s responsibilities change.
The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) requires that Contractor employees take an annual Information Technology Security Awareness Training course before accessing sensitive information under the contract. Unless otherwise specified, the training shall be completed within thirty (30) days of contract award and be completed on an annual basis thereafter not later than October 31st of each year. Any new Contractor employees assigned to the contract shall complete the training before accessing sensitive information under the contract. The training is accessible at http://www.dhs.gov/dhs-security-and-training-requirements-contractors. The Contractor shall maintain copies of training certificates for all Contractor and subcontractor employees as a record of compliance. Unless otherwise specified, initial training certificates for each Contractor and subcontractor employee shall be provided to the Contracting Officer’s Representative (COR) not later than thirty (30) days after contract award. Subsequent training certificates to satisfy the annual training requirement shall be submitted to the COR via e-mail notification not later than October 31st of each year. The e-mail notification shall state the required training has been completed for all Contractor and subcontractor employees.
(2) The DHS Rules of Behavior apply to every DHS employee, Contractor and subcontractor that will have access to DHS systems and sensitive information. The DHS Rules of Behavior shall be signed before accessing DHS systems and sensitive information. The DHS Rules of Behavior is a document that informs users of their responsibilities when accessing DHS systems and holds users accountable for actions taken while accessing DHS systems and using DHS Information Technology resources capable of inputting, storing, processing, outputting, and/or transmitting sensitive information. The DHS Rules of Behavior is accessible at http://www.dhs.gov/dhs-security-and-training-requirements-contractors. Unless otherwise specified, the DHS Rules of Behavior shall be signed within thirty (30) days of contract award.
Any new Contractor employees assigned to the contract shall also sign the DHS Rules of Behavior before accessing DHS systems and sensitive information. The Contractor shall maintain signed copies of the DHS Rules of Behavior for all Contractor and subcontractor employees as a record of compliance. Unless otherwise specified, the Contractor shall e-mail copies of the signed DHS Rules of Behavior to the COR not later than thirty (30) days after contract award for each employee. The DHS Rules of Behavior will be reviewed annually and the COR will provide notification when a review is required.
(c) Privacy Training Requirements. All Contractor and subcontractor employees that will have access to Personally Identifiable Information (PII) and/or Sensitive PII (SPII) are required to take Privacy at DHS: Protecting Personal Information before accessing PII and/or SPII. The training is accessible at http://www.dhs.gov/dhs-security-and-training-requirements-contractors.
Training shall be completed within thirty (30) days of contract award and be completed on an annual basis thereafter not later than October 31st of each year. Any new Contractor employees assigned to the contract shall also complete the training before accessing PII and/or SPII. The Contractor shall maintain copies of training certificates for all Contractor and subcontractor employees as a record of compliance. Initial training certificates for each Contractor and subcontractor employee shall be provided to the COR not later than thirty (30) days after contract award. Subsequent training certificates to satisfy the annual training requirement shall be submitted to the COR via e-mail notification not later than October 31st of each year. The email notification shall state the required training has been completed for all Contractor and subcontractor employees.
(End of clause)
7.0 Term of the BPA
7.1 The BPA shall remain in effect for a maximum ordering period of five (5) years from the date of award or until the expiration or termination of the BPA Contractor's GSA Schedule contract, whichever is sooner. The period of performance for each individual BPA order shall be specified at the BPA order level.
7.2 BPA orders may be issued at any time during the five-year period. The performance period will be specified in the BPA order and may include option periods which extend the BPA order up to 12-months beyond the expiration date of this BPA.
8.0 Ordering Officers
DHS warranted Contracting Officers are authorized to place orders against this BPA.
9.0 Orders
Orders that will be placed against this BPA by the DHS Contracting Officers shall be in accordance with the Ordering Procedures identified in the BPA.
10.0 Ordering Procedures
The DHS order-level Contracting Officer shall award and administer orders in accordance with the ordering procedures and ordering guidelines set forth in this BPA and the procedures outlined in FAR 8.405-3(c)(2), Ordering from multiple-award BPAs.
10.1 When a requiring office identifies a need that is within the scope of this BPA, the requiring office shall follow all component procedures for ordering off a multiple-award BPA established using FAR 8.405-3. The order-level Contracting Officer is responsible for obtaining any required approval for an other than firm-fixed-price type order following DHS and component procedures.
10.2 Each order issued under this BPA will include the following information, as applicable:
(1) BPA number and order number;
(2) Date of the order;
(3) Description of the work to be performed;
(4) The work schedule, period of performance, or required completion date (include the requiring office typical hours of operation);
(5) Place of performance;
(6) Deliverables;
(7) CLIN number and description, quantity, unit price, and extended total;
(8) The firm-fixed-price to complete the requirements or labor-mix table with labor categories and rates identified;
(9) The security requirements;
(10) The payment schedule; and
(11) Accounting and appropriation data.
10.3 The order-level Contracting Officer shall provide a BPA order RFQ to all BPA holders under the multiple-award BPA. BPA orders shall be within the scope of the BPA. Only the Contracting Officer for the BPA may modify the BPA.
10.4 The order-level Contracting Officer shall fairly consider all responses received and make award in accordance with the selection procedures identified in the BPA order RFQ and document all evidence of compliance with these procedures and the basis for the award decision.
11.0 Invoicing
Invoicing procedures will be specified in each individual order.
12.0 Order of Precedence
The terms and conditions included in this BPA apply to all orders pursuant to it.
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