DoD_Federal_Procurement_Performance_Study_PWS_3_7_2013.doc

RFP: OSBP-20 I3-STUDIES/J B-O 1

OFFICE OF SMALL BUSINESS PROGRAMS

PERFORMANCE WORKSTATEMENT

DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE FEDERAL PROCURMENT PERFORMANCE STUDY

RFP: OSBP-20 I3-STU DIES/J B-O 1

RFP: OSBP-20 I3-STU DIES/J B-O 1

1.0 BACKGROUND

The Office of Small Business Programs (OSBP), Department of Defense (DoD) advises the Secretary of Defense on all matters related to small business and is committed to maximizing the contributions of small business in DoD acquisitions. The OSBP provides leadership and guidance to the Military Departments and Defense Agencies to meet the needs of the nation’s war fighters while creating opportunities for small business. Additionally, the OSBP responds to inquiries from Congress and industry, proposes and refines regulatory coverage and program policy, coordinates with the Small Business Administration (SBA), administers congressionally mandated programs, and promotes activities to increase awareness of prime contract and subcontract opportunities within DoD for small businesses. The DoD OSBP is located at Mark Center Drive, Suite 15G13, in Alexandria, VA.

2.0 OBJECTIVE

The overall objective of this requirement is to obtain contractor support to assess DoD’s current policies and guidelines related to small business prime contracting and subcontracting; identify shortcomings and make recommendations for improvement. The DoD intends to include this independent assessment in a report to Congress in accordance with National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) 2013, Section 1613 (b)(4).

3.0 SCOPE

The general scope of this work is for the contractor to conduct a study which examines DoD’s policies and guidelines related to small business prime contracting and subcontracting, as well as efforts to ensure compliance. The contractor shall report all findings and provide substantiated recommendations for improving the Department’s small business prime contracting and subcontracting practices, processes and goals.

The contractor shall, as an independent contractor, and not as an agent of the Government, furnish all management, labor, tools, supplies, and materials necessary to perform the requirements contained herein, unless otherwise provided by the Government. The contractor shall obtain Government approval prior to contractor use of contractor provided hardware and software in the performance of this work.

The Contractor shall not publish or disclose in any manner any information or data collected without the CO/COR’s written consent, and shall be treated as sensitive proprietary data and shall not be disclosed or used for any unauthorized purposes. This includes any details of any preliminary findings.

4.0 TASKS / REQUIREMENTS

The purpose of this contract is to meet the mandate of Section 1613 (b)(4) of the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) for fiscal year 2013, which requires the Secretary of Defense to select an appropriate entity to conduct an independent assessment of the procurement performance of the Department of Defense related to small business concerns. The assessment includes an examination of the extent to which the Department adheres to current policies and guidelines relating to small business prime contracting and subcontracting goals. This section also requires the Secretary to submit a report to the congressional defense committees not later than January 1, 2014, on the independent assessment.

In addition, the Department requires an examination of efforts to ensure compliance and recommendations for improvement. The contractor shall:

4.1 Identify policies, guidelines and processes that the Department has related to small business prime contracting; determine if they are sufficient for the Department; provide recommendations for any identified deficiencies;

4.2 Identify policies, guidelines, and processes that the Department has related to small business subcontracting; determine if they are sufficient for the Department; provide recommendations for any identified deficiencies;

4.3 Determine efficiency and effectiveness of compliance/surveillance reviews related to Small Business Programs throughout the Department; provide recommendations for any identified deficiencies;

4.4 Prepare a final document on the findings and recommendations of the assessment. This document will accompany the report which the Secretary of Defense submits to Congress.

5.0 KEY PERSONNEL

The contractor shall provide a qualified contract manager for this contract. The Contract Manager (CM) shall meet the minimum qualifications described below at time of proposal submission. The CM shall have at least 10 years of experience with managing DoD contracts; with five (5) years of experience supporting Small Business program office within DoD; holds or previously held Defense Acquisition Workforce Improvement Act (DAWIA) Level III.

Non-Disclosure Agreement. All contractor personnel supporting this requirement including all subcontractors and consultants) shall sign a Nondisclosure Agreement within 20 days of contract award.

6.0 CONTRACT ADMINISTRATION

6.1 Contract Management

6.1.1 Contracting Officer (KO). The KO administers the contract.

6.1.2 Contracting Officer Representative (COR). The COR monitors all technical aspects of the contract and assists in contract administration.

6.1.3 Subject Matter Expert (SME). The SME shall assist the COR in monitoring the technical aspects of the contract and ensuring the overall objectives of the Performance Work Statement for this study are met by the contractor.

6.2 Quality Assurance

6.2.1 The Quality Assurance Evaluator (QAE). The QAE/COR/SME evaluates the services the Contractor is required to furnish by the contract.

6.3 Period of Performance. The period of performance shall be for 8.5 months from date of award.

6.4 Place of Performance/Hours of Operation. Performance shall take place at the facilities of the Contractor and its subcontractors as applicable. Generally, the contractor is responsible for performing study activities at the contractor’s facility.

6.5 Travel. The government does not anticipate any travel outside the National Capitol Region.

6.6 Quality Assurance. The government will evaluate the contractor’s performance under this contract in accordance with the Performance Requirements Summary (PRS) section included in this Statement of Work.

6.7 Post Award Conference/ Kick-Off Meeting. The Contractor shall attend a Kick-Off Meeting with the CO/COR/SME to discuss contract objectives and review the Contractor's project plan NLT 7 business days after the date of award. The Kick-Off Meeting will be held at the Government’s facility (OSBP).

6.8 Status Meetings: The Contractor shall meet with the CO/COR/SME on a regular basis to provide a status of the performance of this requirement.

7.0 DELIVERABLES

All deliverables must be submitted to, reviewed and approved by the COR/SME.

1 paper copy

1 paper copy

1 paper copy

1 paper copy

8.0 PERFORMANCE REQUIREMENTS SUMMARY (PRS)

The contractor service requirements are summarized into performance objectives that relate directly to mission essential items. The performance standard briefly describes the minimum acceptable levels of service required for each requirement at which successful performance has been accomplished. These performance standards/thresholds will be inspected by the COR//SME and are critical to mission success. The Contractor shall:

9.0 QUALITY ASSURANCE / QUALITY SURVEILLANCE PLAN (QASP)

The Government will review monthly performance and progress reports and will attend regular performance review meetings with the Contractor to survey quality of products and services according to the Quality Surveillance Plan (QASP). See Appendix A

APPENDIX A

QUALITY ASSURANCE / QUALITY SURVEILLANCE PLAN (QASP)

Applicable for the

Office of Small Business Department of Defense Study

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. The guidance found in this document will used to measure and determine contract compliance of the quality and quantity of goods and services purchased from a contractor. This plan provides for monitoring and evaluating all contract requirements through a combination of devices such as Inspection Checklists and Periodic Inspection.

2. AUTHORITY

Authority for issuance of this QASP is provided under designated contract section (Section E) – Inspection and Acceptance, which provides for inspections and acceptance of the articles, services, and the required documentation and deliverables. The QASP 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.

3. SYSTEMATIC SURVEILLANCE PROCESS

The objective of this surveillance plan is to provide a systematic method to evaluate the services the Contractor is required to furnish by the contract. The primary interest is in the final product/service that the Contractor is providing and not in the details of how he is accomplishing the task. The COR/QAE may evaluate work at any stage of the Contractor’s work performance. This plan documents the methods to be used for measuring each contract requirement, the scheduling of inspections, and the results of the surveillance program.

4. RESPONSIBILITIES

4.1. Contracting Officer (CO). The Contracting Officer ensures performance of all necessary actions for effective contracting and 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.

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

2 SURVEILLANCE METHODS

Each inspection made by the COR/QAE will be documented and filed for further reference, audit, and proof of inspection. The COR/QAE will develop a monthly surveillance schedule based on the surveillance plan’s requirements. The monthly schedule shall be completed no later than the last workday of the preceding month.

2.1 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 file, documentation/report shall be used to document QA findings.

2.2 Periodic Inspection: Periodic inspection is a QA method based on a predetermined plan to evaluate part of the contract outputs using subjective judgment and analysis of agency resources to decide what work to inspect and how frequently to inspects it (daily, weekly, monthly, quarterly, etc.) as determined by the COR/QAE.

2.3 100% inspection: 100% inspection is a QA method designed to evaluate all outputs of the contract requirement. This method requires a total inspection of Contractor’s performance.

3 INSPECTION METHOD SELECTION

The depth and detail of observations of work shall be based on the relative importance of the items of work under evaluation. The principal method of surveillance shall be periodic inspection; however, any surveillance method can be used at the Government’s discretion. The tasks identified in this study are important enough that nonperformance or poor performance may significantly impact the mission and are of a nature that is conducive to 100% inspection. Joint inspections may be made by the COR/QAE and the Contractor. These are beneficial when routinely performed. They are vital when any disagreement or misunderstanding occurs.

3.1 The contract deliverables will be inspected for timeliness, completeness, format compliance, quantity of copies, and quality (also reference PRS).

3.2 Periodic meetings between the COR/QAE and the Contractor will take place at least monthly and more often by mutual agreement to ensure progress is maintained to meet delivery/performance due dates.

3.3 The Contractor is required to meet the delivery timelines established in the contract. However, these requirements have not been purchased by DoD OSBP before and performance timelines are aggressive. Once deliverables are received, the COR/QAE will inspect the deliverable and may obtain review/inspection of the deliverables by others such as the Director of OSBP, DCMA or DoD Components. The Contractor may be asked to revise the deliverable based on this inspection. In such case, the contractor will not receive a Contract Discrepancy Report or suffer negative past performance assessments unless the original deliverable did not meet the minimum requirements of timeliness, completeness, format compliance, and quantity or if the quality was so poor as to render it unacceptable.

4 SURVEILLANCE PERFORMANCE

Surveillance results must be able to support action taken by the COR/Contracting Officer when nonperformance or unacceptable performance occurs.

4.1 Surveillance Activity Checklists. An essential part of any QASP is the Inspection Checklist for the service that will be evaluated. A standard Inspection Checklist form ensures documented, uniform appraisal of each service occurrence, and that equal weight is given to each evaluation. The checklist shall contain such information as type of service, QAE, inspection results, date, time, and other remarks relevant to the inspection. These checklists form the basis for all QA evaluations and constitute the documentation which will be used to substantiate determination of unsatisfactory performance should that occur.

4.2 Other Surveillance Records. The COR/QAE at times will need to make other types of records such as MFRs, or Memoranda of Telephone Conversations, documentation of periodic meetings with contractor.

5 UNACCPETABLE PERFORMANCE

5.1 If performance is judged unacceptable, the COR will initiate a Contract Discrepancy Report (CDR) and obtain the contractor’s representative’s initials on the record of the observation and submit the CDR, along with the Inspection Checklist recording the unacceptable performance, to the Contracting Officer. The seriousness of the situation should govern whether the COR should provide the CDR to the Contracting Officer as soon as unacceptable performance is indicated or wait until not later than the third workday of the month following the surveillance. If the COR/QAE’s surveillance shows consistently poor performance (3 consecutive months with unacceptable performance), the Government should issue a Show Cause letter and consider Termination for Default.

5.2 Inform Contract Manager. The COR must always contact the Contractor’s manager and inform them of the unacceptable performance, and have the manager initial the entry on the Inspection Checklist. The COR must note on the back of the checklist where the defect was found, the time and method of notification, and sign.

6 REVISIONS

6.1 Revisions to the surveillance plan are the joint responsibility of the COR and the Contracting Officer.