Attachment_J-6_Draft_QASP.doc

DRAFT QASP - RFP DTFT60-13-R-0001

ATTACHMENT J-6

Triennial Review

ATTACHMENT J-6

SAMPLE QUALITY ASSURANCE SURVEILLANCE PLAN (QASP)

Applicable for Triennial Review

1. PURPOSE

This Quality Assurance Surveillance Plan (QASP) is a Government developed and applied document used to make sure that systematic quality assurance methods are used in the administration of the Performance Based Service Contract (PBSC) standards included in this contract and in subsequent task orders issued thereunder. The intent is to ensure that the Contractor performs in accordance with performance metrics set forth in the contract documents, that the Government receives the quality of services called for in the contract and that the Government only pays for the acceptable level of services received.

2. AUTHORITY

Authority for issuance of this QASP is provided under Contract Section E – Inspection and Acceptance, which provides for inspections and acceptance of the articles, services, and documentation called for in task orders to be accomplished by the Contracting Officer or his duly authorized representative.

3. SCOPE

To fully understand the roles and the responsibilities of the parties, it is important to first define the distinction in terminology between the Quality Control Plan and the Quality Assurance Surveillance Plan.

The Contractor, and not the Government, is responsible for management and quality control actions necessary to meet the quality standards set forth by the contract and follow-on task orders. The Contractor develops and submits his Quality Control Plan (QCP) for Government approval in compliance with his contract deliverables. Once accepted, the Contractor then uses the QCP to guide and to rigorously document the implementation of the required management and quality control actions to achieve the specified results. The QASP on the other hand, is put in place to provide Government surveillance oversight of the Contractor’s quality control efforts to assure that they are timely, effective and are delivering the results specified in the contract or task order. The QASP is not a part of the contract nor is it intended to duplicate the Contractor’s QCP. The Government has provided the Contractor an informational copy of the QASP as an Attachment to the solicitation to support the Contractor’s efforts in developing a QCP and for providing the contractor an opportunity to comment and propose innovative solutions for the Government’s QASP.

4. GOVERNMENT RESOURCES

The following definitions for Government resources are applicable to this plan:

Contracting Officer - A person duly appointed with the authority to enter into, administer, or terminate contracts and make related determinations and findings on behalf of the Government.

Contracting Officer Representative (COR)/Program Manager - An individual designated in writing by the Contracting Officer to act as his authorized representative to assist in administering a contract. The source and authority for a COR is the Contracting Officer. COR limitations are contained in the written letter of designation.

5. RESPONSIBILITIES

The Government resources shall have responsibilities for the implementation of this

QASP as follows:

Contracting Officer – The Contracting Officer ensures performance of all necessary actions for effective contracting, ensures compliance with the terms of the contract and safeguards the interests of the United States in the contractual relationship. It is the

Contracting Officer that assures the Contractor receives impartial, fair, and equitable treatment under the contract. The Contracting Officer is ultimately responsible for the final determination of the adequacy of the Contractor’s performance.

Contracting Officer Representative (COR)/Program Manager - The COR is responsible for technical administration of the project and assures proper Government surveillance of the Contractor’s performance.

The Project Officer is not empowered to make any contractual commitments or to authorize any contractual changes on the Government’s behalf. Any changes that the

Contractor deems may affect contract, price, terms, or conditions shall be referred to the Contracting Officer for action.

6. METHODS OF QA SURVEILLANCE

The below listed methods of surveillance shall be used in the administration of this

QASP. In addition to specific instructions that may be mentioned, the appropriate and standardized form that is to be used for documentation of QA surveillance is the

Surveillance Activity Checklist, included as Attachment A.

Customer Feedback – Customer feedback may be obtained either from the results of formal customer satisfaction surveys or from random customer complaints. Customer complaints, to be considered valid, must set forth clearly and in writing the detailed nature of the complaint, must be signed and must be forwarded to the Project Officer.

The Project Officer shall maintain a summary log of all formally received customer complaints as well as a copy of each complaint in a documentation file. The Project Officer shall also keep the tabulated results of all customer satisfaction surveys on file and shall enter the summary results into the Surveillance Activity Checklist.

100% Inspection - This level of inspection shall be accomplished by monitoring and documentation. Each month, the Project Officer, or if so designated the appropriate Technical Monitor, shall review the generated documentation and enter summary results into the Surveillance Activity Checklist.

Periodic Inspection - Periodic inspections shall be conducted if and when specified in individual task orders. For the potential tasks that have been identified so far and included in this QASP, the appropriate Technical Monitor typically performs the periodic inspection on a monthly basis.

Random Monitoring - Random monitoring shall be conducted if and when specified in individual task orders. For the potential tasks that have been identified so far and included in this QASP, the random monitoring shall be performed by the Project Officer or by the appropriate designated Technical Monitor.

7. IDENTIFIED QA SURVEILLANCE TASKS

The following PBSC items are identified within the Contract Statement of Work to be applicable on a wide basis and are to be monitored under this QASP.

See the Performance Requirements Summary and Section B.

For Each Task Order:

Performance Requirement – As agreed upon between the Contractor and FTA Performance Standard - As agreed upon between the Contractor and FTA Method of Measurement – As agreed upon between the Contractor and FTA Performance Metrics – As agreed upon between the Contractor and FTA Contractors are required to meet these recommended standards in the performance of their work. These samples standards and measures may be incorporated into the QASP:

· Adherence to Direction – Contractor shall follow all contract requirements, Triennial Review SOPs, and the direction of the COR.

· Customer Service – Contractor shall act with professionalism and be respectful and courteous at all times.

· Response Time – Contractor shall respond to COR within 24hrs and designate an acting PM/POC when unavailable. Contractor shall respond to all contractual parties promptly and maintain available lines of communication at all times.

· Multiple Review Coordination – Contractor shall cooperate fully and collaborate with other FTA oversight review contractors when concurrent reviews are underway for the same grantee, as directed by the COR.

· Deadline Adherence – Time is of the essence in the performance of all Triennial Review activities. Contractor shall meet deadlines for all tasks and deliverables. As required, the necessary approvals or responses (contractor, FTA, or grantee) prior to submission of deliverable or completion of task shall be received and documented. If any party fails to respond to contractor in a timely manner, possibly affecting their adherence to deadline, the contractor shall elevate that failure to respond to the COR. The contractor shall request an adjustment of deadline for cause from the COR, in advance of deadline.

· Software Competency – Contractor shall be skilled in use of MS Office Suite, including editing and formatting functions.

· Written Deliverable Typographical Accuracy and Formatting – Written deliverables shall be: spelled correctly, grammatically correct, free of typographical errors, formatted correctly and consistently, accurate in the use of professional salutations, and provided in a software type/version that meets the needs of the receiving office.

· Precision in Written Deliverables – Written deliverables shall be: thorough, accurate, clear, concise, professional, consistent, and thorough in their use of citations of relevant requirements or materials.

· Oversight Tracking System Accuracy and Timeliness – Contractor shall input all entries and updates into the oversight tracking system within two days of a status change. Entries shall be consistent, thorough, and accurate.

· Quality Assurance / Quality Control – Contractor shall employ adequate quality assurance / quality control methods to ensure all activities and deliverables meet the performance requirements.

· Work Papers – Contractor shall maintain and organize work papers so as to be made accessible electronically and in hard copy for audits within 24 hrs of request.

8. DOCUMENTATION

The COR will, in addition to providing documentation to the Contracting Officer, maintain a complete Quality Assurance file. The file will contain copies of all reports, evaluations, recommendations, and any actions related to the Government’s performance of the quality assurance function, including the originals of all Surveillance Activity Checklists. All such records will be retained for the life of this contract. The Project Officer shall forward these records to the Contracting Officer at termination or completion of the contract.

9. ATTACHMENTS

Attachment A – Surveillance Activity Checklist

ATTACHMENT A

Surveillance Activity Checklist

Performance

Requirement Performance

Standard Method of

Measurement

Performance

Metrics Method of

Surveillance Date

Accomplished Compliance

(Exceeded, Met or

Partially Met)