ETSA PWS Draft Mark Up.pdf

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SECTION I-CONTRACT REQUIREMENTS

1. CONTRACT TYPE AND CEILING

The purpose of this Work Statement is to establish one (1) single award Indefinite Delivery/Indefinite Quantity (IDIQ) contract, Firm Fixed Price Contract to procure commercial off the shelf (COTS) Tax preparation software and support. Firm Fixed Price orders will be issued as the volunteer sites require software and services.

The contractor is guaranteed an order of 8,500 software licenses during the base period and if exercised, under each of the four (4) option periods.

2. PERIOD OF PERFORMANCE

The base ordering period is one twelve-month base period, with four (4) consecutive twelve-month option ordering periods as detailed below:

• Base Period: Date of Award – June 1, 2026 – May 31, 2027

• Option Period 1: June 1, 2027 – May 31, 2028

• Option Period 2: June 1, 2028 – May 31, 2029

• Option Period 3: June 1, 2029 – May 31, 2030

• Option Period 4: June 1, 2030 – May 31, 2031

Transition-in activities are required for the first (180) days of contract performance.

During the initial contract period, the live web-based training sessions will be started in June 2027.

In option years, the live web-based training sessions will be started in October and be completed before January each year.

Software shall operate at its full capacity by the beginning of the 2026 filing season (Tax Year 2025).

Software licenses are valid one year from November – November of each contract period.

3. PLACE OF PERFORMANCE

The place of performance will primarily be the Contractor’s site. Task orders may be issued for performance to be at VITA sites, TCE site, Internal Revenue Service (IRS) facilities, or Treasury facilities. The specific place of performance will be determined on a task order by task order basis.

DRAFT

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4. ORDERING PROCEDURES

Firm Fixed Price Task Orders (TOs) will be issued to the Contractor using the pricing submitted for each deliverable, for the Contract Line Item Number (CLIN), as the need for software and support arises. TOs against the contract will only be issued from the Procurement Office via a Contracting Officer and/or Contract Specialist when the Contracting Officer’s Representative (COR) or Program Officer requires the next level of support for a specific CLIN and a fully funded requisition is provided.

5. SHIP TO LOCATIONS

Unless otherwise specified, all deliverables/ work products shall be provided to the IRS COR and shipping to approximately 12,000 domestic and 70 international shipping addresses which could include multiple deployments.

6. DELIVERABLES

Unless otherwise requested in writing by the COR, work products shall be produced using Microsoft Office 2010 or later Professional products and delivered in accordance with the deliverable schedule under Attachment 2. If it is required that deliverable(s) be submitted in media storage form, all devices must be scanned and certified as virus free.

7. RAMP-UP PERIOD

Work under this statement of work may require a ramp-up period at the initial start of this contract. Under the Ramp-up Period the Contractor will recruit and hire personnel specifically for this contract.

Note: Refer to 4.6 TASK 6: RAMP-UP KNOWLEDGE TRANSFER-IN.

8. ORDER ADMINISTRATIVE DATA

8.1 Identification of Government Task Order Personnel

The COR designation will be identified by the CO’s written designation memo. Similarly, the Alternate COR (ACOR) will be identified by the CO’s written designation memo. The CO will identify the (COR/ACOR) via e-mail to the Contractor

8.2 Performance Required Beyond Standard Workday

If needed, performance may be required beyond the standard workday. Beginning with the delivery of software through April, help desk support shall be available as follows: Mon - Fri: 8 AM ET - 12 AM ET and Sat and Sun: 8 AM ET - 8 PM ET. Post filing season, normal help desk hours are required Mon-Fri: 8 AM ET – 5 PM ET. In the case of a problem the expectation is that the Contractor will have someone working on it until it is resolved or a work around is established.

8.3 Personnel Removal and Replacement

The applicable contractor employees are subject to investigation by the government. Applicable contractor employees who undergo contractor clearances that reveal, but are not limited to, the following, may be unacceptable under this contract: conviction of a felony, a crime of violence or a serious misdemeanor, a record of arrests for continuing offenses, or failure to file or pay

2032H5-26-D-000-- Page 3 of 87 federal income tax. The government reserves the right to determine if a contractor employee assigned to a task shall continue with the task. The contractor shall agree to remove the person assigned within one day of official notification by the government and provide a replacement within five days. New hires or substitutions of personnel are subject to the contractor clearance requirement.

8.4 Deliverables/ Work Products

All contractor deliverables or work products shall remain categorized as "Official Use Only.”

The release of any portion must be authorized in writing by the government.

The contractor shall adhere to Section 508 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973, which requires access to the Federal Government electronic and information technology. The law applies to all Federal agencies when they develop, procure, maintain, or use electronic and information technology. Federal agencies must ensure that this technology is accessible to employees and members of the public with disabilities. http://www.section508.gov/.

Each Electronic and Information technology product or service furnished under this statement of work shall comply with the Electronic and Information Technology (EIT) Accessibility Standards (29 U.S.C. 87794(d)).

For every EIT product or service accepted under this contract by the Government that does not comply with (29 U.S.C. 87794(d)), the contractor shall at the discretion of the Government, make every effort to replace or upgrade it with a compliant equivalent product or service, if commercially available and cost neutral, on either the planned refresh cycle of the product or service, or on the order renewal date, whichever shall occur first.

The contractor will be working with sensitive taxpayer data under this contract and must demonstrate the ability to pass all IRS security reviews required to receive access to encrypted sensitive taxpayer data.

The Remainer of his page is intentionally left blank.

http://www.section508.gov/

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SECTION II-STATEMENT OF WORK

1. INTRODUCTION AND BACKGROUND

This is a Performance-Based Acquisition (PBA) with mission-oriented, event-driven performance measures and incentives.

The Stakeholder Partnerships, Education and Communication (SPEC) organization within Customer Assistance, Relationships and Education (CARE), provides free electronic tax preparation for taxpayers who are generally low-income, elderly, disabled or have limited English proficiency. This service is provided nationwide in approximately 12,000 volunteer sites. The majority of return preparation is performed by certified volunteers.

Over each of the last three years, approximately 3.6 million Federal returns and 2.7 million state returns were processed at these sites by over 96,000 volunteers, partners and employees.

Generally, sites operate from January (beginning of e-file) through April 15. Some sites remain open year around.

1.1 Volunteer Income Tax Assistance (VITA)

SPEC partners with Community Based Coalitions, Non-profit Organizations, and local City and State Governmental Agencies to provide free tax preparation services. These agencies support the Volunteer Income Tax Assistance (VITA) program. VITA partners and volunteers prepare basic tax returns for low-income taxpayers, who are U.S. citizens, residents and non-resident aliens. All tax preparation is performed by a certified volunteer with the taxpayer present or by a taxpayer with the assistance of a certified volunteer. These returns generally include income from wages.

VITA sites are located at neighborhood community centers, libraries, churches, shopping malls and other locations that are convenient to the taxpayer, including a supplemental program for taxpayers living abroad or near U.S. embassies overseas. Internet accessibility is to be determined by location.

SPEC also partners with the Armed Forces Tax Council to provide free return preparation for active and retired military personnel at military bases and ships across the nation and internationally. These returns can be more complex and include a wide- variety of forms and schedules. These sites have Internet access but operate in a secure environment which tends to impede communication speeds.

1.2 Tax Counseling for the Elderly (TCE)

Tax Counseling for the Elderly (TCE) offers tax assistance services similar to those provided by VITA, as well as free tax counseling for elderly taxpayers, who are restricted to retirement homes, neighborhood sites, or private care homes. These returns are generally more complex than those prepared through VITA and may include income from pensions, annuities, and social security benefits.

2. OBJECTIVES

The objectives of this single award Indefinite Delivery/Indefinite Quantity (IDIQ) contract are the following:

• to provide commercial off the shelf (COTS) Tax Preparation Software which may be customized to meet IRS regulatory, security, and privacy standards and IRS report

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• to provide software services including software maintenance, report generation, customer support, Help Desk support, training for software users, and training materials for IRS use.

3. SCOPE

The contractor shall provide electronic tax preparation software and support services for volunteer tax preparers. The respective software and services shall allow tax preparers to complete accurate tax returns and securely transmit the completed tax returns to the IRS and state agencies. The respective software and services shall support the IRS organizations’ various tax assistance programs described in the previous sections of this statement of work. The software shall take advantage of current and commercially proven technology. The tax preparation software shall meet the requirements under this contract and be compliant with IRS electronic e-file for tax preparation capability. The tax preparation software shall operate out-of-the- box with minimal configuration/custom development to meet IRS regulatory, security and privacy standards.

CARE’s goal is a successful deployment of various user-friendly software applications to be used by the IRS tax assistance programs to provide free electronic federal and state tax return preparation and transmission for taxpayers. The software is expected to be used by preparers with varying degrees of experience, including tax professionals and non-tax professionals. This includes IRS partners, volunteers, employees (referred to hereafter as IRS licensees) and taxpayers at approximately 12,000 locations worldwide, with diverse technical operating environments.

4. TASKS

CARE’s requirements include contractor support and facilitation of the following tasks:

TASK 1, Orientation Briefing TASK 2, Software Production Environment: Software TASK 3, Reporting Capabilities: User Generated, Recurring Contractor Generated Management Reporting and Ad Hoc Contractor Generated Reporting TASK 4, Help desk assistance and technical problem resolution support TASK 5, Regulatory, Security and Privacy Standards TASK 6, Ramp-Up Knowledge Transfer-In TASK 7, Ramp-Up Knowledge Transfer-Out TASK 8, Period of Performance Summary Report TASK 9, Transition to Support TASK 10, Site File Upload to the Tax Software TASK 11, Direct Client Portal

4.1. TASK 1: ORIENTATION BRIEFING

Within two weeks of task order award, the contractor shall conduct an orientation briefing for the Government. The Government does not desire an elaborate orientation briefing, nor does it expect the contractor to expend significant resources in preparation for this briefing. Rather, the intent of the briefing is to initiate the communication process between the Government and

2032H5-26-D-000-- Page 6 of 87 contractor by introducing key task order participants, explaining their roles, reviewing communication ground rules, and assuring a common understanding of task order requirements and objectives.

The orientation briefing shall be held at the Government's IRS, Lanham-Seabrook, MD facility or via a conference call. Both parties shall mutually agree upon which method, the date and time.

The completion of this briefing shall result in the following:

A. The contractor and Government personnel who will perform work under this task order will be introduced.

B. Any issues concerning the contractor clearances for contractor personnel will be discussed.

C. The contractor shall demonstrate confirmation of their understanding of the work to be accomplished under this statement of work.

4.2 TASK 2: SOFTWARE PRODUCTION ENVIRONMENT: SOFTWARE

The Contractor shall provide software to satisfy functional, technical, performance, quality, availability and reporting requirements to meet the needs of both the IRS and its partner organizations.

The Contractor shall provide perpetual licensing to support an English version, which includes the ability to print in Spanish, for the following products:

• Professional Web-Based Version for assisted tax preparation.

• Professional Desktop Version with networking capabilities for assisted tax preparation;

and

• Self-Preparer Web-Based Version if separately licensed.

The design of the user interfaces, terminology and data entry methods for the three versions supporting assisted tax preparation should be similar, such that a user, who is trained on one platform will be able to utilize the other platform with little to no retraining effort.

The contractor shall provide a user guide accessible online to all licensees. Periodically, tax law changes and new tax law requirements are enacted. These changes and all software updates need to be reflected in a final version annually.

4.2.1 Functional Requirements for All Software:

4.2.1.1 All software shall be capable of accurately preparing and filing any individual federal, state and local income tax returns for all possible tax situations prescribed by the IRS that may occur among those served by the VITA and TCE programs. At these sites, volunteers either prepare tax returns for taxpayers, or assist taxpayers with self-preparation. Not all volunteer sites have internet access. The contractor must provide a method for the software to function as a Web-Based Version, Self-Preparer Web-Based Version, and a Desktop Version. (See Glossary)

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4.2.1.1.a The software shall be capable of electronic return preparation for the following 1040 Series Family Forms, including but not limited to, 1040, 1040SR, 1040NR, 1040NREZ, 1040PR and 1040X.

The Contractor shall provide/support/implement:

• Method for the software to function as a web-based application for assisted tax preparation.

• Capability of the Desktop Version to install software and prepare tax returns on computers without an internet connection.

• Method to enable site managers to track the status of prepared return as it passes through

IRS-defined stages: Preparing, Reviewing & e-file/transmitting.

• Method to ensure that only one preparer can edit a return at any given time.

• Functionality which allows for capturing generic preparer-user data fields to capture information not found on the return, such as client demographic information or other user defined fields.

• Method for real-time diagnostic form checks (aka schema validation) and tax law validation on tax returns.

• Functionality of the Versions to support the indirect transmission of e-filed federal, applicable state, and local tax returns.

• Method to securely download a taxpayer data file on fixed and removable storage media and to import the data file back into the software.

• Method for a user at one location to be able to securely upload taxpayer documents to a different user at another location.

• Method to ensure that only authorized users (see Attachment 5 - Glossary) can use the software within distinct permission levels in order to restrict certain users from performing functions described in Attachment 1 – Roles and Responsibilities.

• Method to allow transmission for multiple EFINs by a single site.

• Quality control features which require review of a completed tax return and, the ability to print a return, prior to submission.

• Method to ensure authorized users can determine who is working on a return during each stage of the filing process.

• Ability to identify who performed a quality review tracked in the system

• Need for remote quality reviews o Video chat function o Add the ability to call taxpayers within the software instead of having a volunteer call using their own cellphone

• Potentially adding a function to allow volunteers to share a document with the client and an ability to restrict certain functions so the taxpayer can’t access a finalized document before signing their return. Method for volunteers completing taxes to include notes

• Ability for software to calculate the allowable portion of the standard deduction when there’s exempt income

• Ability for the software to calculate the reduction in foreign taxes

• Method for the administrator or designee to restrict a user to one Data entry (i.e., prepare

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vs. transmitter) mode.

• Method for which EFIN/SIDNs of authorized licensees are associated with every return.

• Process for which the Contractor can authenticate the EFIN of every transmission to the authorized licensee of the software.

• Notification process and the timeframe to acknowledge receipt, acceptance, and rejection of a return by the IRS.

• Functionality to provide timely notifications for acknowledgements, receipt, acceptance, and rejection of a return by the IRS.

• Method to require volunteers to update passwords upon first login.

• Method to allow a return that is started on a software package at a site to be completed by another volunteer using the same software package at the same site.

• Method to print individual forms and/or a customizable package of forms for all printer

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4.2.2 Requirements for Self-Preparation Version:

Functionality of the Self-Preparer Version to return errors and acknowledgements to the taxpayer via electronic notification.

4.2.3 Preparation Capabilities

All software shall be capable of preparing and filing any individual federal, state and local income tax returns for all possible tax situations prescribed by the IRS that may occur among those served by the VITA and TCE programs. Refer to Publication 1345, Handbook for Authorized IRS e-file Providers of Individual Income Tax Returns. The Contractor shall provide/support/implement:

• Software shall have no limit as to the number of local, state, and federal tax returns that can be filed per licensed copy.

• Method for securely storing data from the previous tax year returns and supporting the secure transfer of taxpayer information into the current tax return.

• Ability to meet IRS assurance testing system standards for filing electronic returns as well as the ability to prepare non-e-file returns.

• Data entry modes for different experience levels of tax preparation to assist with gathering information necessary to prepare a return.

• Method for switching between form-based and interview-based data entry modes in real-time, without losing any information already entered.

• Ability for the software to support state income tax return preparation capabilities for all states with an income tax filing requirement by the 1st day of the filing season.

• Ability to support multiple states, local, and municipal return preparation capabilities.

• Ability to support independent federal and state return preparation capabilities. (e.g.

either return may be prepared without preparing the other.)

• Supported refund and payment methods including Electronic Funds transfer (EFT) (i.e.

direct deposit, direct debit), paper check, split refunds and savings bond refunds.

• Capability to disable any feature that offers the taxpayers a debit card.

• State return preparation capabilities for full and part year residents and non- residents.

• Method of auto-populating information between state and federal returns.

• Method for users accessing self-service help features to understand how to navigate and complete a tax return and resolve errors. The help features must provide context sensitive help, including form-specific and field-specific help instructions.

• Ability to prepare Federal, state and local individual tax returns for the current tax year and previous five tax years.

• Ability to e file federal individual tax returns for the current tax year and previous two tax years.

• Ability to prepare amended returns.

• A method to carry forward permissible data to the next year’s tax return within each software version.

• A method to support interview-based data entry capabilities for federal, state, and local returns. (See Glossary)

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• Method to support form-based data entry capabilities for federal, state and local returns.

(See Glossary)

• Method to scan/upload images of tax documents (i.e., W-2, 1099, supporting documents, etc.) at site A (intake site) into the software for temporary storage and transfer to site B (return preparation site). (See Glossary) In order to increase VITA/TCE partner flexibility and facilitate the remote preparation of tax returns at offsite partner tax locations, the contractor shall provide the capability for volunteers to upload, view, and store files to the tax software. Documents can be uploaded to the contractor’s secure servers using either a scanner and/or a mobile device. The uploaded files must be associated with a specific client tax account or return. Users will have the ability to label and delete files as needed. File storage will be unlimited, and uploaded files will not be automatically deleted until the tax software is taken down for revisions/upgrades for the following tax year (i.e., November or December).

4.3 TASK 3: REPORTING CAPABILITIES: USER GENERATED, RECURRING

CONTRACTOR GENERATED MANAGEMENT REPORTING AND AD HOC

CONTRACTOR GENERATED REPORTING

Each volunteer site is required to provide statistics on the taxpayers served at the site to its sponsoring organization. Therefore, the contractor shall provide, within the software, site level reporting capabilities. The respective software shall also provide the IRS POC, or their designee, the ability to retrieve statistical data of taxpayers served for all IRS licensees. In addition to the standard reports the Contractor shall allow for custom reporting.

4.3.1 User Generated Reports

The contractor shall provide software that allows appropriately authorized users to create and run customized (also called “ad hoc”) management reports, based on a selection of data fields listed in 4.3.2 Recurring Contractor Generated Management Reporting section below. This ability can be provided from within the software and must be accessible through a separate reporting website. The online reporting website for all IRS licensees shall run the same reports available from the desktop software. Users will be able to generate reports with any available data. They should also be able to customize reports by adding the features they require and exporting the file in a readable format such as MS Excel. Reports should be expanded such as FSA and remote reports. Be able to customize prior year returns reports on the dates needed.

The contractor shall provide the following standard statistical reports on demand, for all platforms:

• Summary report on federal tax returns, categorized by various parameters including EFIN, return status and date of preparation.

• Detailed report on federal tax returns prepared by EFIN and SIDN including Adjusted Gross Income (AGI) and general information for each taxpayer and detailed information about each return prepared.

• Summary and Detailed reports on federal tax returns by tax form type with schedules – and should include all forms and schedules prepared.

• IRS e-Filing Acceptance and Rejects summary and detailed reports.

• Pending Acknowledgement summary and detailed reports – from either the IRS or states.

• Listing of all clients with summarized general information details for each client and

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• Listing of all Employer Identification Numbers (EIN) used in each tax return (state or federal) and summary across all tax returns. That is, the EINs from the taxpayer’s W- 2, 1099.

• Reports cross-referencing details captured within the generic data fields per prepared tax return.

• Tax Preparer summary and detailed reports.

• Number of claims and total dollar amount for state claims of EIC, refunds, and balance due.

• Summary reports on counts of self-prepared and volunteer prepared.

4.3.2 Recurring Contractor Generated Management Reporting

The Contractor shall provide accurate, timely management reports containing the required information weekly and monthly. In addition to reports provided to the licensees within the software, the contractor shall provide the following reports to the IRS POC:

• weekly management reports during January through April

• monthly management reports May through October

• a summary report containing the aggregate information below about the returns entered at each site and at all sites in accordance with the delivery schedule specified in the table of deliverables. The reports shall contain, but not limited to the following data fields:

1040 Returns – Type of Return 1040SR Returns – Type of Return 1040X Returns – Type of Return Single – Filing Status Married Filing Joint – Filing Status Married Filing Separately – Filing Status Head of Household – Filing Status Qualifying Widow(er) – Filing Status Earned Income Tax Credit – Number of taxpayers that claimed EITC Average EITC – Average dollar amount of EITC claimed Total EITC – Total dollar amount of EITC claimed Child Tax Credit/Credit for Other Dependents – Number of taxpayers that claimed

CTC/Child tax credit/credit for other dependents Average Child Tax Credit/Child tax credit/credit for other dependents – Average dollar amount of CTC/Child tax credit/credit for other dependents claimed Total Child Tax Credit/Child tax credit/credit for other dependents – Total dollar amount of CTC/Child tax credit/credit for other dependents claimed Education Tax Credit – Number of taxpayers that claimed the Education Tax Credit Average Education Tax Credit – Average dollar amount of Education Tax Credit claimed Total Education Tax Credit – Total dollar amount of Education Tax Credit claimed Elderly Credit – Number of taxpayers that claimed the Elderly Tax Credit Average Elderly Credit – Average dollar amount of Elderly Tax Credit claimed Total Elderly Credit – Total dollar amount of Elderly Tax Credit claimed Total_Marketplace – Total number of marketplace exemptions claimed Total_Exemptions_7A – Total number exemptions claimed

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Total_IRS_Exemptions – Total number of exemptions claimed Full_Year_Count – Total number of returns with full year coverage Resp_Payment_Count – Total number of returns with Shared Responsibility Payment

(SRP)

Total_Resp_Payment – Total dollar amount of SRP Average_Payment – Average dollar amount of SRP Adv_PTC_Repayment_Count – Total number of returns with Advance PTC

Repayment Total_Adv_PTC_Repayment – Total dollar amount of Advance PTC Repayment Average_Adv_PTC_Repayment – Average dollar amount of Advance PTC

Repayment PTC_Count – Total number of returns with Premium Tax Credit Total_PTC – Total dollar amount of Premium Tax Credit Average_PTC – Average dollar amount of Premium Tax Credit Transmitted – Total number of returns that were transmitted Accepted – Total number of returns that were accepted Rejected – Total number of returns that were rejected First Transmission Date – Date the first transmission was sent to contractor Last Transmission Date – Date the last transmission was sent to contractor Requesting Direct Deposit – Total number of returns that requested Direct Deposit Average AGI – Average Adjusted Gross Income Total Refund Amt – Total refund amount for all transmitted returns Average Refund Amt – Average refund amount for all transmitted returns Total BalDue Amt – Total balance due amount for all transmitted returns Average BalDue Amt – Average balance due amount for all transmitted returns Primary or Secondary 60+ - Total number of primary taxpayer/spouses that were 60 years of age or older SIDN/PTIN – Site Identification Number SCHED_A – If a schedule A is included in the return = A SCHED_B - If a schedule B is included in the return = B SCHED_C - If a schedule C is included in the return = C SCHED_D - If a schedule D is included in the return = D SCHED_E - If a schedule E is included in the return = E SCHED_F - If a schedule F is included in the return = F SCHED_R - If a schedule R is included in the return = R SCHED_SETP - If a schedule SE is included in the return = SE-TP SCHED_SESP - If a schedule SE is included in the return = SE-SP SCHED_EIC - If a schedule EIC is included in the return = EIC SCHED_CEZ - If a schedule CEZ is included in the return = CEZ EFIN – Electronic Filing Identification Number USER_NAME – User Name where the return is stored FIRST_NAME – Taxpayer’s first name LAST_NAME – Taxpayer’s last name FILING_STATUS – 1=Single; 2=Married filing Joint; 3=Married filing Separate;

4=Head of Household; 5=Qualifying Widow/Widower NUMBER_OF_DEPENDENTS – Number of dependents claimed on return AGI - Total dollar amount of AGI on return

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CHILD_CARE_CREDIT Total dollar amount of Child Care Credit claimed TAX - Total dollar amount of tax on return UNEMPLOYMENT - Total dollar amount of Unemployment Income reported REFUND - Total dollar amount of refund on return RETURN_TYPE – E = Electronic; P=Paper DIRECT_DEPOSIT – T=Yes; F=No MULTIPLE_REFUND_DEPOSIT – Total number of refunds deposited into a single bank account STATE_REFUND - Total dollar amount of State Refund on return STATE_REJECTED_DATE – Date return was rejected STATE_ACCEPTED_DATE – Date return was accepted STATE_TRANSMITTED – Total number of returns that were transmitted TAXPAYER_AGE – Primary taxpayer’s age at time of the return DATE_OF_BIRTH – Date of birth for primary taxpayer

CITY

STATE

ZIP

FORM_8888 – T=Yes; F=No ITIN - Number of ITIN returns prepared

4.3.3 Ad Hoc Contractor Generated Reporting

The Contractor shall provide accurate, timely management reports containing the required information as needed for ad hoc requests. In addition to reports provided to the licensees within the software, the contractor shall provide management reports on an ad hoc basis to the IRS POC. The reports may contain the following information by the preparing EFIN:

• The total number of accepted federal and state returns filed electronically identified as transmitted, accepted and rejected.

• The total number of accepted returns by filing status, i.e. married filing jointly, single, etc. and by type of form (1040, 1040S-R, etc.).

• Software package used, the SIDN, State EITC, State balance dues, State refund, the total number of accepted returns electronically filed claiming the earned income tax credit, child tax credit, education credit, and credit for the elderly, and the total amount of credits claimed.

• Each EFIN’s beginning and ending transmission date.

• Total number of accepted returns electronically filed requesting direct deposit of refunds.

• Average AGI of returns electronically filed.

• The total number of federal returns that have zero or one-dollar AGI.

• Number of accepted returns electronically filed where the primary or secondary filers were age 60 or over.

• The total number of accepted returns electronically filed claiming a refund and the total amount of refunds.

• The total number of zero balance returns.

• Total number of self-prepared and preparer prepared returns.

• The total number of accepted returns electronically filed claiming a balance due and

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• The total number of returns filed that used an ITIN.

4.4 TASK 4: HELP DESK ASSISTANCE AND TECHNICAL PROBLEM RESOLUTION

SUPPORT

The Contractor shall provide a support website, toll-free telephone number, email, and chat help desk support to licensees for all products. The help desk will provide timely issue resolution to the licensees and detailed reporting to the IRS. Help desk support is defined as assistance that provides successful resolution of questions relating to software/hardware compatibility and functionality issues of the Contractor’s software. This includes providing support for trouble-shooting technical issues related to the installation and operation of the software (hardware, printers, etc.).

Provided below are the minimum help desk requirements:

• Beginning with the delivery of software through April, help desk support shall be available as follows: Mon - Fri: 8 AM ET - 12 AM ET and Sat and Sun: 8 AM ET - 8 PM ET. Post filing season (see Glossary), normal help desk hours are required Mon-Fri: 8 AM ET – 5 PM ET. In the case of a problem the Contractor will have someone working on it until it is resolved or a work around is established.

• The POCs for support issues shall provide contact information including a phone number, an email address, and contact information for after hours as necessary.

• The help desk support shall permit unlimited contact from POC and IRS licensees by phone, email, chat, etc.

• The help desk shall provide a first contact resolution rate of at least 95% regardless of the method of reporting the problem.

• If resolution cannot be achieved during the initial contact, the Contractor shall provide a response within one hour with a status update. In no more than 4 hours the help desk shall present a plan for resolution. Problem resolution shall occur within 24 hours.

• All calls shall receive first level help desk support with an on-hold time less than five minutes.

• During the filing season, all help desk contacts shall be logged and accounted for in detail. The contact log shall contain a tracking number and capture the following:

The type of IRS program, i.e. VITA, TCE, etc., licensee's EFIN, the problem identified, the solution that was provided to the licensee, date of contact, time of day, date of solution, length of time to answer in minutes, length of call in minutes if applicable, number of incoming contacts, number of abandoned contacts, if contacts are categorized, the Contractor will provide a legend that defines the categories, Software type (web-based, desktop or self-preparer version).

• The Contractor shall provide, administer, and maintain a support website for licensee

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• The support website shall be available to IRS licensees twenty-four hours a day, seven days a week.

• All content on the support website (including FAQs, Blogs, etc.) shall be text searchable and accessible for a period of three years.

• The Contractor’s support website shall provide product information, frequently asked questions and answers (FAQ’s), links to email support and software updates.

• In the event of an unscheduled outage, the Contractor shall provide initial notification to the COR no later than (15) minutes after initial discovery, hourly updates, and a resolution of the problem via broadcast email to all licensed POCs.

• In order to increase efficiency of interactions between VITA/TCE partners and clients, the contractor shall provide a client portal that allows for direct two-way communication between sites and clients.

The portal will allow clients to:

1) Sign-in to their account

2) Securely upload files to their account using a computer or other device

3) Check the status of their tax return 4) Send and receive messages about their account from their tax preparation site

4.5 TASK 5: REGULATORY, SECURITY AND PRIVACY STANDARDS

Award of this contract will be contingent upon the contractor’s facility, systems, and procedures, successfully passing the IRS Contractor Review, performed within 2-weeks after notice of intent to award. Subsequent to the Contractor Review, the contractor will submit a plan of compliance to mitigate the risks within 2-weeks from IRS notification of vulnerabilities or risks disclosed during the review. The vendor is solely responsible for the costs of the respective mitigation plan. The contractor shall be fully compliant with the risk mitigation plan, including IRS required changes, to the risk mitigation plan. IRS will perform a follow-up safeguard review within 2-weeks after the 60-day deadline to validate contractor compliance.

Because of heightened security awareness, the IRS may, from time to time, notify the contractor of increased risks, and request changed security procedures. The contractor shall negotiate with the IRS to determine the timing, scope, and resolution of the problems.

The contractor shall comply with all applicable security rules and regulations as specified in this statement of work. In addition, the contractor shall comply with the most current version of the publications listed on Attachment 3 – Applicable IRS Publications and IRS Internal Revenue Manuals (IRM).

4.6 TASK 6: RAMP-UP KNOWLEDGE TRANSFER-IN

Ramp-Up Knowledge Transfer-In is defined as the Contractor obtaining and understanding the necessary documentation, information, readiness activities, and processes related to any work that is used for the VITA and TCE programs. This task includes meeting with the IRS Subject Matter Experts frequently to gather any tacit knowledge related to the Internal Revenue Service, Information Technology (IT) computer systems and services (i.e. Core Systems, Compliance Document Matching, and Solutions Engineering/Enterprise Services) or programs in development. The government estimates this task will take approximately four to six months to complete after the contract is awarded.

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The Contractor shall appoint a knowledge transfer manager to oversee the transfer-in process.

Prior to the process, the Contractor shall develop a draft Knowledge Transfer Plan (KTP) and present it to the Government within the first 15 business days after the contract is awarded. The KTP shall identify the Contractor resources and roles involved in the process, provide a list of risks and mitigation strategies for the transfer, and contain a detailed resource balanced project schedule. The KTP project schedule shall identify responsibilities needs, milestones, and lessons learned under the previous contract. The project schedule shall be at a sufficient level of detail to track progress on a bi-weekly basis, (i.e., all responsibilities will be detailed to a level such that no activity has duration of more than ten workdays).

The Government shall have 10 business days to review the draft KTP plan and provide comments to the Contractor. Government and Contractor representatives will then meet to discuss the comments after which the Contractor shall incorporate the agreed-upon changes and deliver a final KTP plan within five working days of the government’s feedback.

The contractor shall meet with the IRS bi-weekly (twice a month) to discuss the progress of the knowledge transfer. The Contractor shall show an updated KTP schedule/timeline and discuss any risks or concerns at this time.

The Contractor shall implement the KTP (to not disrupt the tax season) and provide a schedule of events. In addition, the Contractor shall complete the following readiness activities:

• customization of reporting capabilities;

• software customizations, if applicable;

• testing;

• help desk stand up; and

• training volunteers to use the software.

4.7 TASK 7: RAMP-UP KNOWLEDGE TRANSFER-OUT

At the end of this contract, the Contractor shall provide transfer-out services. The Contractor shall facilitate the transition of contracted activities and services to a new Contractor in accordance with the Government Approved Transfer-Out Plan. The transition period shall not exceed 180 days after the new contract is awarded. Should the incumbent not be awarded the re-compete contract, the Contractor will be required to support phase out activities and transition to the new Contractor. The Contractor shall provide a Knowledge Transfer Plan that is accepted by the Government and successfully completes knowledge transfer in accordance with the plan. The Contractor shall:

• Minimize transition impact to the user community.

• Ensure no breaks in service availability.

• Maintain existing service quality and performance levels.

• Ensure a transparent and seamless transition.

• Maintain support and meet delivery milestones of ongoing projects.

• Ensure that the IT security posture during transition is maintained at current levels without creating gaps and/or vulnerabilities.

4.8 TASK 8: PERIOD OF PERFORMANCE SUMMARY REPORT

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Customer Support Services for the IRS COR: The Contractor shall provide a full time point of contact (POC) to partner with the IRS Contracting Officer Representative (COR) to be available to discuss and address issues that may arise. The Contractor POC shall facilitate and participate in conference calls with IRS licensees at least twice a week at the beginning of the IRS’ fiscal year starting in October of each year throughout the filing season to discuss updates to the software and field questions from partners. In addition, as part of filing season readiness (starting in May of each year), the contractor shall facilitate and/or participate in post filing season activities (lessons learned, training, meetings, etc.), as needed per the request of the IRS POC. The Contractor shall provide a period of performance summary report which provides details on accomplishments, challenges, proposed changes, strategic planning, and anything noteworthy for the preceding period.

The Contractor shall provide the ability for IRS licensees to designate additional notification points of contact (POC) who will also receive automatic e-mail notifications of updates and changes to the software. The Contractor POC shall work with the IRS on employee, partner, and volunteer communications relating to their products and services.

The Contractor POC shall respond to reasonable requests for customization of features within the software. Examples of such requests include blocking bank products, linking to IRS training websites or customizing default values within the software (in order to reduce volunteer burden).

The Contractor shall respond to requests for reports as needed on previously described data fields and for fields which are impacted by new tax law and tax law changes. The Contractor shall create and run customized management reports at the request of the IRS POC. The reports may be generated for internal or external use.

The Contractor shall allow the IRS the right to include screenshots and Contractor product information material in written materials and collateral, that will be used in support of the Tax Assistance Programs. The Contractor shall partner with the IRS POC to verify accuracy of software screenshots or product information included in IRS publications. The Contractor may be asked to provide screenshots to the IRS POC via email if the information is not readily available via the software.

The Government also reserves the right to request this report at any point during the performance of the order at the discretion of the Contracting Officer. This ad hoc report, if desired, will only be requested once during the life of the task order and is in addition to the regularly scheduled Period of Performance Summary report.

The Contractor shall provide the Period of Performance Summary Report. The Contractor shall provide customer support/helpdesk to the licensee sites, deployment of software and associated materials and training to the volunteers. The goal is to facilitate open communications between the Contractor and IRS POC. The Contractor and IRS POC shall remain in constant communication regarding the software, updates, reporting, required training, or any other tasks within the scope of the statement of work.

4.9 TASK 9: TRANSITION TO SUPPORT

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The transition to support process shall include, but not be limited, to the following:

Training requirements and materials:

The volunteers who are preparing tax returns and assisting taxpayers may have limited experience with tax preparation and using the Contractor’s software. The Contractor shall provide/implement a method of delivery in which to provide training that is effective, efficient, and feasible to ensure that up to 96,000 volunteers and employees are trained to use the software. The Contractor shall provide/implement their methods to deliver online and face-to-face training.

The contractor’s training methods shall include use of online training modules including videos, face-to-face, webinars, recordings of webinars, a practice environment to enter mock return information and Contractor facilitated training forums.

The contract should provide a testing environment for volunteer training purposes.

During contract performance, the contractor shall provide a Beta version of all software and documentation, prior to it becoming commercially available, no later than October 15th of each year. This software will be made available to the IRS Workstations Standards Idea Lab for testing and to the IRS Point of Contact (POC).

Functionality of the Web-Based Professional Version and Desktop Professional Version is such that they would require the same training to use both of them.

The contractor shall provide a training plan. The training plan shall be subject to modification based on feedback from the IRS POC once the contract has been awarded. (See Attachment 2 - Deliverables)

The contractor’s training plan shall specify the following training details:

• trouble-shooting scenarios;

• a training pilot session;

• length of training;

• training schedule;

• course objectives;

• course content outline with each section or topic indicating user roles and user segments targeted;

• course material to include exercises and examples, for each user role and user segment;

• measurement method/tool to indicate successful completion of specific exercises or test; and

• a plan for IRS licensee training over the life of the contract.

The contractor’s web-based training software must provide a three second or shorter response time.

The Contractor shall describe/provide/implement a registration process for student enrollment in training sessions.

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The Contractor shall describe/provide/implement a method to capture participants no later than 5 days after attending each training session.

The Contractor shall describe/provide/implement a method to customize the training, curriculum and materials for IRS requirements based on user responsibilities. (See Attachment 1- Roles and Responsibilities)

The Contractor shall describe/provide/implement a method for training IRS volunteers without access to the internet.

The Contractor shall describe/provide/implement a method to access reference materials within the software.

The contractor shall provide a printed user guide to accompany each software package delivered. The contractor shall also make the user guide accessible online to all users.

Training materials shall cover accurately preparing federal tax returns, transmitting the returns, generating reports, picking up acknowledgement/ rejected files, and correcting rejected returns.

The Contractor shall make printed and electronic training materials available in English and Spanish.

The Contractor shall describe/provide/implement their method of providing training materials in all software versions.

The Contractor shall provide online training for multiple users per site to practice creating, modifying, and printing sample returns with solutions to practice problems.

The Contractor shall provide an online training environment that replicates the Desk/Web version of federal returns and requires users to create a unique account. The Contractor shall provide training materials for IRS use.

Software Production Environment: Software, Maintenance, Distribution, and Disaster Recovery (i.e. fix software bugs/problems, updates, and upgrades) The Contractor shall provide/support/implement their:

• Method for distributing software.

• Method of maintenance for software packages (including release notes for bug fixes, patches, notification regarding updates to users, and upgrades).

• Method for ordering, providing immediate acknowledgement of orders, tracking, and distributing software to the IRS and shipping to approximately 12,000 domestic and 70 international shipping addresses which could include multiple deployments.

• Method that allows for unused licenses to be transferred from one user to a different user.

• Method to provide a credit for unused licenses.

• Ability to provide deployment metrics back to the IRS Contracting Officer

Representative such as real-time counts of the software units purchased, distributed, 2032H5-26-D-000-- Page 21 of 87 deployed, and un-delivered shipments.

• Ordering process that allows only the IRS COR or designee to place software orders and authorize software distribution upon receipt of a signed delivery order.

• Method to allow a site administrator to create a local network, to manage user accounts, passwords, system updates, shared printing, and other configurable items.

Availability Requirements at a minimum shall:

• Web-based software shall be available 99% of…