Attachment C - 2024 STREET SWEEPING QASP.docx

Pentagon Street Sweeping Quality Assurance Surveillance Plan 2024 Contract Purpose This Quality Assurance Surveillance Plan (QASP) is a Government developed and applied document used to ensure that systematic quality assurance methods are used in the administration of this contract. The intent is to ensure that the Contractor performs in accordance with the performance standards/acceptable quality levels contained in the Performance Work Statement (PWS); 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. The QASP is a living document and subject to periodic changes at any time.

Scope It is important to understand the responsibilities of the parties and distinguish between the Quality Control Plan (QCP) and the QASP. The Contractor is responsible for managing and developing a QCP to meet the quality standards established in the PWS. The QASP is put in place to provide Government surveillance and oversight of the Contractor’s efforts in meeting the performance standards required by the contract. The QASP is not part of the contract nor is it intended to duplicate the Contractor’s QCP. The Government may provide the Contractor with an informational copy of the QASP to support the Contractor’s efforts in developing and maintaining a robust quality control program that will interrelate with the QASP.

The QASP or any other Government resources are “not” to be used in lieu of the Contractor’s quality control program. It is the Contractor’s full and complete responsibility to monitor its own street sweeping activities and make corrections before the Government identifies nonperformance as deficiencies as outlined in this QASP.

Roles and Responsibilities The following personnel will implement all surveillance activities:

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

Contracting Officer’s Representative (COR) - The COR is responsible for technical administration of the contract 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 KO for action.

Project Manager (PM) - The Contractor’s PM provides detailed technical oversight of the Contractor’s performance and reports progress, issues, and other key project information to the COR in a timely and complete fashion to support the COR’s administration activities. The PM is the primary technical and managerial interface between the Contractor, KO, and the COR.

Quality Control Inspector/Safety Inspector (QCI/SI) – The Contractor’s QCI/SI performs inspections of all work performed in compliance with the Contractor’s Government-approved QCP. It is the Contractor’s full and complete responsibility to monitor its own custodial activities and make corrections before the Government identifies nonperformance as deficiencies as outlined in this QASP.

Methods of QA Surveillance The methods of surveillance listed below shall be used in the administration of this QASP. The specific surveillance method for each performance standard and acceptable quality level is listed in the Surveillance Activity Summary Form (ATTACHMENT A).

COR Review - Indicates that the COR will be responsible for monitoring the Contractor’s performance in meeting a specific performance standard/acceptable quality level.

In the case of a written deliverable, COR Review will consist of 100% inspection of the specific deliverable and supporting documentation.

In the case of day-to-day support activities, COR Review will consist of periodic surveillance or random monitoring.

Customer Feedback - Customer feedback may be obtained either from the results of formal Government customer satisfaction surveys or from customer complaints. Customer complaints will be documented in writing (ATTACHMENT B) describing the nature of the complaint. The COR will assess the validity of the complaint and retain it in a documentation file. An unscheduled inspection will take place following the customer’s complaint and the COR will assess the worksite to determine if the services provided by the contractor were made unsatisfactorily. If service is incomplete, the COR will contact the contractor for remediation within the allocated time in the Response to Customer Complaints section of this QASP.

The results of all monitoring activity shall be documented on the Surveillance Activity Summary Form (ATTACHMENT A). Copies of the form shall be submitted to the KO as requested, at the conclusion of contract performance, and whenever contractor performance fails to meet acceptable quality levels.

Periodic Surveillance The Government’s Quality Assurance (QA) program includes regular inspections, however due to sheer size of the Pentagon Reservation, it is not possible to visit every location on a reoccurring inspection. The Government will conduct periodic surveillance activities to monitor the Contractor’s performance during periods of street sweeping. The Government will inspect swept areas. Deficiencies identified during this time frame will be considered a QA “Failure”.

Response to Customer Complaints The COR will report all valid complaints to the Contractor in writing. The Contractor shall respond to these validated complaints after receipt of notice and provide resolution to the problem within 24 hours. The Contractor shall submit written documentation of service follow-up and response time to the COR within 24 hours of service completion. The Contractor will be given one opportunity to correct any deficiencies within the allotted time frame as stated above. Should the Contractor fail to correct per contract requirements within 24 hours after the COR’s written request, the Government reserves the right to have the complaint resolved by other means and charge the Contractor for any excess costs.

Documentation The COR or designee will, in addition to providing documentation to the KO, maintain a complete quality assurance file. The file will contain copies of all reports, evaluations, recommendations, surveillance checklists, and any actions related to the Government’s performance of the quality assurance surveillance function. All such records will be retained for the life of the contract and forwarded to the KO upon completion.

Maintenance The Contractor shall maintain all equipment used in the performance of this contract. All Contractor supplied equipment shall be in good physical and mechanical condition, without fuel, hydraulic, or other leaks. All equipment shall be in good working order to retain and not spill material collected during sweeping.

Acceptable Quality Level (AQL) The AQL for this project is 95% due to the need to prevent pollutants from entering local waterways and adhere to the maximum loads of pollutants that can be discharged under the Small Municipal Separate Storm Sewer System (MS4) permit.

Contractor Performance Performance Evaluation The Government will document performance within the Contractor’s annual Contractor Performance Assessment Reporting System (CPARS) report. Government acceptance of services permits the Contractor to invoice for the service fee. In evaluating the quality of Contractor’s performance, the following CPARS performance ratings may be used:

Unacceptable Performance Unacceptable Contractor performance can be identified by customer complaints or upon scheduled or unscheduled surveillance evaluations. When unacceptable performance occurs, the COR will inform the Contractor. This will normally be in writing unless circumstances necessitate verbal communication (e.g., safety concerns). The COR will document the discussion and place it in the COR file and provide a copy to the KO.

When the COR determines formal written communication is required, the COR will prepare a Corrective Action Report (CAR) (ATTACHMENT C). The CAR is forwarded to the KO for dissemination to the Contractor.

The Contractor shall acknowledge receipt of the CAR in writing. The CAR will specify if the Contractor is required to prepare a corrective action plan to document how the Contractor shall correct the unacceptable performance and avoid a recurrence. The CAR will also state how long after receipt the Contractor has to present this corrective action plan to the KO and COR. The Government may withhold payment for services until corrective action is taken. The Government shall review the Contractor's corrective action plan to determine acceptability. Upon Government acceptance of the corrected services the Contractor will be permitted to invoice for the service fee. The CAR is in addition to, and does not replace, the CPARS report.

Any CAR may become a part of the supporting documentation for contract payment deductions, CPARS, or other actions deemed necessary by the KO.

ATTACHMENT A

SURVEILLANCE ACTIVITY SUMMARY FORM

Methods Monitoring Performed by (Date(s)) Compliance with Performance Standard/AQL (Yes/No)

Periodic surveillance.

Validated customer complaints.

COMMENTS:

ATTACHMENT B

SOURCE OF COMPLAINT

NATURE OF COMPLAINT

CONTRACT REFERENCE

VALIDATION

DATE/TIME CONTRACTOR INFORMED OF COMPLAINT

ACTION TAKEN BY CONTRACTOR

RECEIVED/VALIDATED BY

ATTACHMENT C

CORRECTIVE ACTION REPORT (CAR)

(If more space is needed, use reverse and identify by number)

I. PERFORMANCE

II. CONTRACTOR VALIDATION

12. CORRECTIVE ACTION ESTIMATED COMPLETION DATE

13. CONTRACTOR REPRESENTATIVE CORRECTIVE ACTION AND PREVENTION OF RECURRENCE OR REASON FOR NON-CONCURRENCE OF COR CITED DEFICIENCY

III. ACTION CORRECTED

14. CONCUR NON-CONCUR COR SIGNATURE AND DATE

15. COR REMARKS (REQUIRED)

16. CONTRACTOR REPRESENTATIVE REMARKS