HR5000_SOO__Final_12May17_.docx

Statement of Objectives (SOO) for CBP Frontline Recruitment and Hiring

STATEMENT OF OBJECTIVES

For

OFFICE OF HUMAN RESOURCES MANAGEMENT

FRONTLINE RECRUITMENT AND HIRING SERVICES

PURPOSE

An Executive Order issued on January 25, 2017, Titled: “Border Security and Immigration Enforcement Improvements,” directed that all appropriate action be taken for U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) to hire 5,000 Border Patrol Agents (BPAs). Due to the current recruitment challenges CBP faces, and the associated uncertainties, it is imperative that an aggressive focus be placed on educating the public on CBP’s mission and the process to becoming a CBP BPA. This will be accomplished by incorporating a hard-hitting, targeted recruitment campaign consisting of promoting the CBP law enforcement careers and opportunities while educating and guiding the potential candidates through the hiring process. This procurement will assist the CBP Hiring Center (HC) in meeting the demands required to achieve the aforementioned hiring goals.

BACKGROUND:

The CBP Office of Human Resources Management (HRM) Talent Management Directorate is responsible for administering the Agency’s recruitment and outreach plan, and provides a centrally coordinated system of advance planning and recruitment in order to establish a pipeline of highly qualified and diverse candidates to fill its mission-critical law enforcement positions (Customs and Border Protection Officer, Border Patrol Agent, Air and Marine Interdiction Agents). Employment practices include the use of web-based application systems and a centrally managed nationwide recruitment network.

There is intense competition for a shrinking pool of candidates, and a need for a large volume of interested and well qualified applicants to maintain Congressionally-mandated staffing levels. These requirements have created the need for CBP to seek the services and expertise of industry to assist with its recruitment and hiring mission to protect America’s borders. CBP needs all requisite recruitment, market research, data analytics, advertising and marketing services to be performed by a contractor with the experience and capability to execute a recruiting and hiring campaign to meet Customs and Border Protection staffing requirements on expedited timelines.

SCOPE

The Contractor shall provide expert market research, data analytics, recruitment and advertising expertise aimed at applicants for law enforcement opportunities within the Customs and Border Protection Agency, and possess knowledge of the CBP law enforcement applicant processing path, systems integration skills, and demonstrated experience necessary to perform the full range of law enforcement talent acquisition processes.

The Government wishes to emphasize the importance of delivering results rather than merely performing tasks. The Government intends to design a contract, therefore, that makes payments based on performance. Ultimately, the goal is to produce the required number of employees who actually enter on duty—which means individuals who have completed the application, who have successfully passed the entrance exam, who meet physical requirements, who are suitable for employment at Customs and Border Protection (i.e., who can pass a very demanding background investigation, who can pass a polygraph examination, and who have the highest integrity), and who are compatible with the rigors of Border Patrol training and operational environments. Currently more than 133 initial applicants must be recruited in order to successfully hire and place one BPA. This recruiting processing requirement may be expanded during the contract period to include other CBP or DHS requirements.

The contractor will recruit enough highly qualified Border Patrol Agent (BPA) candidates to successfully satisfy the Executive Order over the course of the contract. The contractor should be able to produce a minimum of 500 fully qualified applicants who enter on duty in the first year, 1,500 fully qualified applicants who enter on duty the second year and 1,500 fully qualified applicants who enter on duty in the third year and 1,500 fully qualified applicants in the fourth year.

Ultimately, remuneration to the contractor will be based primarily on the delivery of qualified applicants, as demonstrated by successful completion of ALL elements of the hiring process. The Government is interested in suggestions from industry about how best to design such a payment structure in the resulting contract.

The contractor shall understand and comply with Title 5 U.S.C. policies and procedures applicable to Federal employees; including the provisions of the civil service Interchange Agreements approved by the Secretary, Department of Homeland Security (DHS) and Director, Office of Personnel Management (OPM), and Executive Order 13197.

Computer systems must be compatible with existing CBP-, DHS- and Government-wide enterprise architectures required to satisfy CBP objectives.

All Contractor employees shall be US citizens.

This recruiting processing requirement may be expanded during the contract period to include other CBP or DHS requirements.

PLACE OF PERFORMANCE:

1.

Most work shall be performed primarily at the Contractor’s site(s).

Per multiple objectives, some activities are performed at locations throughout the U.S. and its territories.

Work may also be performed at CBP Headquarters in Washington, DC or the CBP Hiring Center in Bloomington, MN.

OBJECTIVES

Objective 1 - Recruiting The vendor will determine appropriate applicant pools for law enforcement positions through use of historical data, interface with candidate sourcing services, and other industry best practices.

Develop a successful Border Patrol Agent (BPA) Recruitment Plan that results in maximum number of qualified applicants that may be expanded to include plans for other CBP or DHS requirements during the contract period.

Prepare a BPA Hiring Plan to assist the agency in developing a hiring strategy utilizing CBP-provided annual BPA recruitment objectives. Utilizing field office familiarity with local market conditions and recruitment vehicles, develop the most effective strategy for reaching those markets and fine tune the BPA Recruitment Plan that will recruit an adequate number of qualified candidates to meet the requirements of the Executive Order. The Recruitment Plan should include the roles and responsibilities for execution of plan activities between CBP and contractor personnel. Provide advice/consultation/input, when needed, on staffing plans, recruitment strategies, priorities etc., needed to accommodate regular and unique workforce staffing issues. Finally, provide human capital expertise to analyze and evaluate BPA recruitment needs/objectives, advise on industry best practices and recommend the most effective course of action to meet and achieve those objectives. This requirement may be expanded to include building Recruitment Plans for other CBP or DHS requirements during the contract period as CBP mission or Congressional requirements dictate.

Objective 2 - Coordinate with the CBP Hiring Center on the posting of Vacancy Announcements Ensure quality and accuracy of BPA (and/or other Frontline positions based on CBP mission requirements) job vacancy announcements on USAJobs website.

Provide guidance to the CBP Hiring Center on the development of the Job Opportunity Announcements (JOAs) for the entry-level Border Patrol Agent (BPA) position. The CBP Hiring Center will be responsible for the development and posting of the JOAs, along with the applicant qualification and eligibility determinations. The contractor will be responsible for providing guidance for recruitment methods and locations based on the aforementioned recruitment strategy.

Objective 3 – Help Desk Utilize an automated case management tracking system to provide Tier I End-user CBP HC Help Desk Services for problem resolution and facilitation of applicant questions to ensure that end user Human Capital issues are resolved as quickly as possible.

Tier I: A Help Desk agent who responds to calls using automated scripts and/or their acquired knowledge. If a call cannot be resolved, the agent will transfer the call to a HC Tier II agent or Subject Matter Expert.

Objective 4 - Application Intake and Applicant Processing This function entails managing the full life cycle of the hiring process from job posting to processing new entry-level BPA hires. The CBP hiring process currently consists of a 12 step pre-employment process, along with the processing of new hires into the USDA National Finance Center (NFC) database. The 12 step hiring process is outlined on Attachment 1 of this document. The contractor would be required to provide the proper systems to manage the full lifecycle of the BPA entry-level process.

This process will require the contractor to manage a high volume of candidate application materials typically generated in response to entry-level BPA job vacancy announcements. The hiring process and onboarding process consists of the following functions:

1. Job Opportunity Announcement Posting The Job Opportunity Announcement (JOA) is posted on USA Jobs, which facilitates an application intake process, and satisfies a requirement for posting of competitive positions. Announcements for BPA are open on a continuous basis, with applicants being placed into the pre-employment process every two weeks.

2. Entrance Exam Scheduling and Administration Applicants for entry level (GL-5 and 7) BPA positions are required to take an entrance exam per OPM qualification standards. The exam is a proctored exam at a computerized testing facility at locations spread across the country. The Candidate Experience Record portion of the exam is taken un-proctored at home by the applicant.

3. Applicant Eligibility and Qualification Review Applicants’ resumes are reviewed to ensure they meet the minimum qualifications for the position of BPA. Depending on their experience, they have the opportunity to qualify at the GL-5, GL-7 or GL-9 levels for entry level BPA positions.

4. Medical Exam Scheduling, Administration and Adjudication Following a tentative job offer, a medical examination is conducted by an authorized physician in order to apply the medical standards and determine medical qualification. These results are adjudicated against the established standards.

5. Fitness Test 1Scheduling, Administration and Adjudication An initial Physical Fitness Tests (PFT) is conducted to ensure that each candidate is in sound physical condition to endure the physical exertion required under rigorous environmental conditions.

6. Background Investigation Initiation (e-QIP) DHS requires every employee be of good conduct and character and suitable for employment with CBP. To meet those standards, all selected applicants must undergo and successfully pass a background investigation as a condition of placement into a CBP LEO position. The SF-86 Questionnaire for National Security Positions must be completed to initiate the background investigation and conduct a polygraph examination.

7. Structured Interview Structured interviews are designed to evaluate and measure critical competencies for successful performance in training and on the job. They also measure competencies that are not conducive to evaluation via a written test.

8. Polygraph Examination and Adjudication DHS requires every employee be of good conduct and character and suitable for employment with CBP. To meet those standards, all selected applicants must undergo and successfully pass a polygraph test as a condition of placement into a CBP LEO position.

9. Background Investigation and Adjudication The results of polygraph examination and background investigation field study are reviewed and adjudicated to determine applicant suitability for employment.

10. Drug Test CBP employees are routinely exposed to illegal substances since their duties involve the investigation, apprehension, and detention of persons suspected of smuggling drugs. To maintain the high professional standards of the CBP workforce, it is imperative that individuals who use illegal drugs are screened out during the pre-employment process prior to entrance on duty.

11. Fitness Test 2 Scheduling and Administration The second Physical Fitness Test (PFT) is designed to assess the candidate’s physical fitness level immediately prior to entering the academy

12. Final Offer with Appointment Coordinate the scheduling of academy classes for applicants that have successfully completed pre-employment requirements. Set pay and ensure all documents are prepared for the applicants on-boarding.

13. On-Boarding and Processing Personnel Action Ensure the applicant enters-on-duty in a timely manner and onboarding paperwork is loaded into the personnel file. This function also includes processing the personnel action into the USDA’s National Finance Center (NFC) database.

Objective 5 - Reporting Generate recurring and ad-hoc automated data analysis and summary reports to effectively depict, track, and analyze the agency’s recruitment, assessment, processing, and on-boarding efforts. Generate dashboards specific to requirements of each Frontline positions.

For example, applicant flow (e.g., number of candidates at each phase of the hiring process and processing time for each phase), adverse impact, the success of various demographic groups (e.g. veterans) during the applicant process, hiring process throughput rates, other pass/fail analyses, time to hire, cost per hire, recruitment sources, and/or reliability and validation analyses.

Objective 6 - Maintenance and Management of Employment Data Properly maintain all pre-employment and hiring documents, including medical information, in accordance with all Federal, CBP and OPM guidelines.

Comply with National Archives and Records Administration (NARA) and other regulatory requirements in applying standards, procedures, and techniques to improve the management of records; promote the maintenance of those records of continuing value; and facilitate the segregation and disposal of temporary records. Disposition applicable records to NARA according to laws, regulations, and procedures.

Objective 7- Security Protect Personally Identifiable Information (PII) by administrative, technical, and physical protective measures, including safeguarding of information in hard-copy or on portable electronic devices.

The Contractor shall ensure all policies and procedures governing physical, environmental, personal, and sensitive information security described in the various CBP regulations pertaining thereto, good business practices, and the specifications, directives, and manuals for conducting work to generate the products as required by this contract are followed. All contract employees must pass a Background Investigation.

Objective 8 - System Interfaces Interface and integrate with multiple Federal information systems, including United States Department of Agriculture, National Finance Center payroll, time keeping, and personnel systems; United States OPM systems, Commercial-off-the-Shelf products and other CBP Enterprise Databases of Record.

Objective 9 – Program Management Provide program management and continuous improvement processes for the CBP accelerated BPA recruiting and hiring efforts, setting goals for business and process improvement to stay aligned with CBP HRM strategic objectives and emerging federal initiatives over the life of the contract.

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