FINAL_RFP_HSFE60-13-R-0016_NFIP_Call_Center.pdf

NFIP Call Center RFP Number HSFE60-13-R-0016

SECTION B

SCHEDULE OF SUPPLIES OR SERVICES

B.1 DESCRIPTION OF SERVICES

The Contractor shall furnish all personnel, facilities, technology infrastructure, supplies, and services required to plan, implement, operate, and manage the NFIP Call Center as specified in Section C, Performance Work Statement (PWS)).

B.1.1 Project Start Up

Charges associated with Project Start-Up shall include the following:

CLIN 10000 Facility, Equipment, and services – Costs incurred to prepare the site and to equip the systems at each center to support the projected work volumes for the NFIP Call Center task, including facility, equipment, supplies and services.

B.1.1.1 Facility and Equipment

This is a one-time charge to be paid for all facility, equipment, software, supplies and services needed at each center to support task requirements.

B.2 PRICE TABLES

Prices identified in this section represent the ceiling prices for each of the contract items for the one (1) year base period and four (4) one (1) year optional period of performances. . Offerors shall complete table A.1, A.2, A.3, A.4, A.5, A.6, and A.7 according to the instructions below. The pricing tables for the base period and the optional period of performances will be used to evaluate offerors proposed price.

This is a firm fixed price contract per unit.

Table A.1. Transition In Charges associated with transitioning shall include the following:

Table A.2 through A.6 Toll Free Number Calls Offerors shall complete tables A.2 through A.6 for the per call/contact price in each of the bands under each of the CLINS.

CLIN 0001 and its associated CLINs in the option periods are guaranteed amounts per period of performance but the price per call must be listed here.

CLIN 0002 and its associated CLINs in the option periods are Not to Exceed (NTE) amounts priced per call consistent with the bands below. The band that is reached during the monthly billing cycle will be the price per call for all calls about 10,000. As is this CLIN will be an NTE CLIN, the contractor will alert the

Contractor Officer (CO) and the Contracting Officer’s Representative (COR) within 5 business days of 85% of the NTE being reached.

CLINs associated with CLIN 0003 are representative of calls over the guaranteed amounts which may be caused by high call volume associated with National Disasters.

Table A.1: BASE PERIOD /Transition In

DESCRIPTION UNIT OF ISSUE UNIT PRICE

CLIN 10000 Base Equipment and Facility

Table A.2: BASE PERIOD CALLS PER YEAR PRICE PER CALL EXTENDED PRICE

CLIN 10001 0-10,000

CLIN 10002 10,001- 12,000

CLIN 10003 12,001or more

Table A.3: OPTION

PERIOD I

CALLS PER MONTH PRICE PER CALL EXTENDED PRICE

CLIN 20001 0-10,000

CLIN 20002 10,001- 12,000

CLIN 20003 12,001- or more

Table A.4: OPTION

PERIOD II

CALLS PER YEAR PRICE PER CALL EXTENDED PRICE

CLIN 30001 0-10,000

CLIN 30002 10,001- 12,000

CLIN 30003 12,001- or more

Table A.5: OPTION

PERIOD III

CALLS PER YEAR PRICE PER CALL EXTENDED PRICE

CLIN 40001 0-10,000

CLIN 40002 10,001- 12,000

CLIN 40003 12,001- or more

Table A.6: OPTION

PERIOD IV

CALLS PER YEAR PRICE PER CALL EXTENDED PRICE

CLIN 50001 0-10,000

CLIN 50002 10,001- 12,000

CLIN 50003 12,001- or more

SECTION C

Performance Work Statement (PWS)

1.0 BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE

The Federal Insurance and Mitigation Administration (FIMA) is a component of the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), which operates the National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP). The purpose of this Statement of Objectives is to obtain contract support to provide expert professional call center operations management for the three toll free lines into the NFIP call center. These are the NFIP Flood Insurance Reform Act (FIRA) Inquiry Toll Free Line (1- 866-395-7496); the NFIP General Information Toll Free Line (1-800-427-4661); and a secondary general information toll free line (1- 800-426-6347).

For over 40 years, FEMA’s National Flood Insurance Program has been offering flood insurance coverage to homeowners, renters and businesses as protection against flood losses. In return, local governments provide commitment to sound floodplain management and related flood disaster mitigation efforts. In addition to offering flood insurance, the duties of the NFIP include identifying communities’ flood risks, mapping and publishing Flood Insurance Rate Maps of those risks, helping communities meet floodplain management requirements, and communicating the benefits of flood insurance protection so that more Americans are reimbursed for flood damage through the insurance mechanism, rather than through Federal disaster assistance funds.

Flood insurance policies are sold through licensed insurance agents either through their affiliated Write- Your-Own (WYO) Insurance Companies or through the NFIP Direct Servicing Agent (DSA); the premium rates, coverage’s, and rules are determined by FEMA. By law, flood insurance is required of borrowers as a condition of making, increasing, extending, or renewing loans from federally regulated or insured lending institutions for improved real property in identified Special Flood Hazard Areas.

The NFIP Call Center will be the focal point for inquiries from NFIP policyholders who receive annual mailings upon policy renewal in compliance with the Flood Insurance Reform Act of 2004 (FIRA 2004).

Also, calls from the public will be directed into the NFIP Call Center over the widely-published NFIP General Information Toll Free Line. Additional duties include providing agent referrals; providing back-up support for inquiries into the NFIP training contract; phone support in the event of a flooding event;

assisting with loss history requests, and disputed information on the loss history reports.

1.1 FEMA Strategic Initiatives

FEMA’s mission, as laid out in the Fiscal years 2011-2014 Strategic Plan, is “to support our citizens and first responders to ensure that as a nation we work together to build, sustain, and improve our capability to prepare for, protect against, respond to, recover from, and mitigate all hazards.”

FEMA’s Strategic Plan leverages the core values and guiding principle of “compassion, fairness, integrity, and respect,” and identifies the following initiatives for 2011-2014:

1. Foster a Whole Community Approach to Emergency Management Nationally;

2. Build the Nation’s Capacity to Stabilize and Recover From a Catastrophic Event;

3. Build Unity of Effort and Common Strategic Understanding Among the Emergency Management Team;

4. Enhance FEMA’s Ability to Learn and Innovate as an Organization

1.2 Federal Insurance Mitigation Administration (FIMA) Mission

The mission of FIMA is to create safer communities by reducing loss of life and property; enable individuals to recover more rapidly from floods and other disasters; and lessen the financial impact of disasters on the Nation. This is accomplished through three primary objectives:

Analyze Risk – Determining the impact of natural hazards that lead to effective strategies for reducing risk.

Reduce Risk – Reducing or eliminating long-term risk from hazards on the existing built environment and future construction.

Insure for Flood Risk – Reducing the impact of floods on the Nation by providing flood insurance.

2.0 OVERALL OBJECTIVES

The Contractor shall provide all personnel, facilities, equipment, materials, supplies, services, and otherwise do all things necessary for providing the services listed in this PWS.

STAFFING: The Contractor shall provide a professional staff, knowledgeable on the rules and regulations which govern the National Flood Insurance Program to effectively handle questions from NFIP policyholders, insurance agents and adjusters, and the General Public.

TRAINING: The NFIP Call Center is the front line for answering questions from program stakeholders on a wide variety of flood insurance topics; therefore, staff training is paramount. Contractor staff must be able to answer general inquiry questions which come in over the General Information line. Additionally, they must be well-versed on the National Flood Insurance Reform Act of 2004 (FIRA) and its respective annual mailing to policyholders. Contractor staff will need to be thoroughly familiar with the NFIP’s Flood Insurance Manual which can be found at the following link: http://www.fema.gov/flood-insurance-manual. The link for the online version of the 2004 FIRA legislation ishttp://www.gpo.gov/fdsys/pkg/PLAW-108publ264/pdf/PLAW-108publ264.pdf. As the NFIP is an evolving Program, staff training will need to be conducted as Program changes and Flood Insurance Manual updates are issued. Bulletins issued by the Bureau & Statistical Agent also provide up-to-date information on flooding events, changes to underwriting and claims procedures, and general NFIP information. These are available on the NFIP Bureau & Statistical website at www.NFIPstat.gov.

There is online FEMA training and other resources available for the Contractor to use, over the www.FEMA.gov website. FEMA expects the Contractor staff to remain up to date with program changes.

Contractor Management will participate in Call Center Coordination Meetings held quarterly via a conference call. These meetings keep NFIP entities apprised of projects they are working on and ensure uniformity in their communications to the calling public.

http://www.fema.gov/flood-insurance-manual http://www.fema.gov/flood-insurance-manual http://www.gpo.gov/fdsys/pkg/PLAW-108publ264/pdf/PLAW-108publ264.pdf https://www.fema.gov/library/viewRecord.do?id=4429 https://www.fema.gov/library/viewRecord.do?id=4429 http://www.nfipstat.gov/ http://www.fema.gov/

FACILITIES: The Contractor shall provide and maintain call center space and telephone equipment using a Call Management System which displays the daily call flow. This type of system shows the number of representatives logged on, their logon IDs, the number of incoming calls, and the number of abandons, the average speeds of answer for calls and abandons, and length of calls. The system provided by the Contractor must be capable of producing reports of these types of call statistics which enable the calculation of the monthly Grade of Service (SLA3.) Additionally the Contractor must provide a system with the capability of recording 100% of calls for performance monitoring and training purposes.

Remote capability is also desirable for times when weather or some other event closes the facility; reps may log on from a remote location (home, etc.) and receive calls without interruption.

LOSS HISTORY: Upon written request by the policyholder, the Contractor shall initiate the research into the accuracy of the property loss data in cases where the policyholder disputes the data on the Property Loss History Report. The Contractor shall collaborate with the Legacy System Contractor and the Bureau and Statistical Agent Contractor in these efforts and then respond back to the requestor with the results of the search.

SURGE CAPACITY: During times of flooding, the call center may need to go into surge capacity mode where the Contractor is expected to work extended hours, including Saturday and Sunday and on Federal holidays. Overtime must be approved by the Contracting Officer.

Historically this call center has managed the challenge of surge by scheduling extended shifts for regular staff without having to bring in additional temporary workers or additional trunk lines. In the event of a major catastrophe where temporary workers need to be hired, the Contractor would act upon the request of the Contracting Officer by providing a proposal which outlines their needs to meet the surge.

Surge capacity will differ based on the severity of the situation.

NATIONAL FLOOD CONFERENCE ATTENDANCE: Annually, the NFIP hosts a National Flood Conference, the location of which varies every year, but the conference is held within the continental United States.

The Contractor shall send up to two staff members to the National Flood Conference on an annual basis with travel reimbursed by FEMA; it is expected the Project Manager and the Deputy Project Manager will attend the conference.

3.0 TRANSITION-IN/TRANSITION-OUT

The Government will provide the Contractor with a transition-in period not to exceed 90 calendar days.

During the transition-in period, the Contractor shall become familiar with performance requirements, establish the management organization, and finalize the required Program Management Plan. The Contractor shall begin transition and assume duties in accordance with the Transition Plan, which is due within fifteen (15) calendar days of contract award. At a minimum, the Contractor shall address the following areas in the Transition Plan:

1. Interface and coordination with the Government

2. Identification of key transition events and objectives, including a transition schedule

3. Identification of key persons participating in the transition including authority of Contractor management during transition

4. Specific actions that will be taken to alleviate problems during the transition

During the transition-in period, the Contractor shall submit Weekly Progress Reports by each Wednesday of the week immediately following the week on which work is conducted. The Progress Report shall include, at a minimum:

1. A brief description of what was planned and what was accomplished during the reporting period

2. A brief outline, by task and/or sub-task, of what is planned for accomplishment during the next four (4) weeks or to the end of the of the transition period if less than four weeks is left in the transition period

3. Problems, delays, and risks experienced and specific action required to alleviate the problems and risks

The Contractor shall attend a Weekly Progress Review that will be held once a week with:

The NFIP Contracting Officer’s Representative (COR)

The NFIP Program Manager

The Contracting Officer The meeting shall address progress, planned work, problems and risks.

The Contractor shall support a phase out or transition of services upon contract completion and shall cooperate with FEMA and/or any successor(S). All developed materials and data are property of the Government.

4.0 CALL CENTER GENERAL REQUIREMENTS

The Contractor shall furnish qualified staff with a minimum of two yearsexperience in a call center environment. FEMA is especially interested in whether significant numbers of employees have experience working in a flood insurance operation in underwriting, claims, administration or call center areas which provide familiarity with the NFIP. The Contractor shall establish, operate and manage a toll-free Customer Service Center for the purpose of handling complex program inquiries.

The Contractor shall have the capability to ramp up quickly with knowledgeable staff to provide telephone support to the NFIP DSA in the event of a flooding event.

The Contractor shall ensure that adequate trucking is configured to support the Regular day-to-day operations of the call center. Adequate trunking is defined as for the busiest hour of the day, not more than ten (10) calls out of each one hundred (100) calls presented to the PBX/ACD will receive a busy signal at the PBX/ACD. See SSPA 3.

The Contractor shall provide all telecommunication devices and equipment, including phones, call monitoring software, and computers, and coordinate installation/activation of trunk lines with FEMA IT to facilitate start up and maintenance of the Call Center. The Contractor must also establish a computer link to the Bureau & Statistical Agent’s Legacy System and Data Exchange (Issue Track) for the purpose of researching Property Loss History disputes. The Contractor’s system shall meet all FEMA IT requirements as well as meet FEMA’s 508 Compliance guidelines. If the Contractor cannot meet FEMA’s 508 Compliance guidelines, then the proposal will not be considered for contract award.

NOTE: No web hosting is needed.

The Contractor shall manage staff and provide detailed procedures for answering inquiries and otherwise managing phone service so as to maintain cost-effective levels of service. Operating hours shall be from 8:00 am to 8:00 pm Eastern Standard Time/Eastern Daylight Savings Time, Monday through Friday. The Contractor shall provide an automatic answering system for after normal working hours, including weekends and Federal holidays for messages. Follow-up activities for messages left on the recorder shall be performed by close of business on the next working day. Additionally a dedicated facsimile line must be available at all times to send and receive faxes.

During flooding events, the Contractor may be required to keep the call center open additional hours, Monday through Friday, weekends, and on Federal holidays. The Contracting Officer will need to approved in advance any request for employees to work overtime.

5.0 CALL CENTER IT REQUIREMENTS

DISASTER RECOVERY AND CONTINUITY OF OPERATIONS

The Contractor shall develop and maintain plans for Disaster Recovery (DR) and Continuity of Operations (COOP) to handle special and emergency circumstances which could jeopardize Contractor’s support for the NFIP as described in this document. As per the Deliverables section, the Disaster Recovery/COOP Plan is due 30 calendar days from contract award and will be reviewed and approved by the COR two weeks from receipt. It is to be updated annually.

ANNUAL TESTING: The Contractor shall develop, review, test, and update the Disaster Recovery, Security, and Continuity of Operations Plan annually. The Contractor shall demonstrate continuity of operations by performing transportability tests and disaster recovery tests and reporting the test results to the Government. The Contractor’s Plan is required to:

Enable the downed system to be available in three calendar days or less

Allow the entire system to operate from the disaster recovery site for an extended period of several months

Demonstrate with disaster recovery tests that the disaster site can be occupied within a 24 hour notice

Establish and operate the system in not more than three calendar days from notice by the Government

Ensure the security controls required by the Facility Security Plan shall not be compromised during either the occupation or return from the disaster recovery facility

SYSTEM SECURITY

The Contractor shall adhere to the policy and guidance contained in DHS 4300A. The Contractor shall work with FEMA and third party contractors to certify and accredit any and all systems designated by FEMA the NFIP Legacy IT Systems as described in DHS 4300A.

SENSITIVE INFORMATION: The Contractor shall protect all DHS sensitive information to which the Contractor is granted physical or electronic access by adhering to the specific IT security requirements described within this document.

GOVERNMENT REVIEWS: The Government will conduct periodic reviews to ensure that the security requirements contained in this contract are being implemented and enforced. The Contractor shall afford DHS, including the Office of Inspector General and other Government oversight organizations, access to the Contractor and sub-contractor’s facilities, installations, operations, documentations, databases, and personnel used in the performance of this contract. Access shall be provided to the extent necessary for the Government to carry out a program of inspection, investigation, and audit to safeguard against threats and hazards to the integrity, availability, and confidentiality of DHS data or the function of computer systems operated on behalf of DHS and to preserve evidence of computer crime.

AUTHORIZED PERSONNEL: The Contractor shall ensure that access to Contractor buildings, rooms, work areas, spaces, and structures that house DHS sensitive information or IT systems through which DHS sensitive information can be accessed, is limited to authorized personnel. The Contractor shall ensure that controls are implemented to deter, detect, monitor, restrict, and regulate access to controlled areas at all times.

OPERATING PROCEDURES: The Contractor shall develop operating procedures to ensure that no dual responsibility roles are assigned that might compromise or circumvent the intent of FEMA’s information systems security program. The Contractor shall maintain the procedures for currency and incorporate them into an overall System Security Plan.

RISK MANAGEMENT PLAN: The Contractor shall keep an up-to-date Risk Management Plan including, at a minimum an annual test of the backup and recovery processes and procedures. Hardware failures, application software failures, and communication failures shall be fully corrected within the allowed downtime as stated in this section of the PWS.

CERTIFICATION AND ACCREDITATION: The Contractor’s systems facilities must meet all standards required by OMB Circular A-130 and DHS 4300A and the Computer Security Act of 1987. The Contractor shall develop a facility Security Plan and pursue a full Certification and Accreditation to ensure protection and control of the sensitive, unclassified information maintained in the system.

DAILY BACK-UP: The Contractor will perform backups of all files created or changed on a daily basis. All data and systems files over three calendar days old shall be stored at an off-site location. All systems shall be fully documented and backed up each time they are changed and each week at a minimum. A complete system backup shall be conducted each weekend. Off-site storage shall meet the requirements for the long-term secure data storage of magnetic and optical media. The storage facility shall have the capability of delivering the backed-up system to a pre-selected backup or alternate processing site within a 24 hour notice.

OFF-SITE STORAGE LOCATION: Off-site storage shall meet business continuity objectives as described in DHS 4300A for the long-term secure data storage of magnetic and optical media. The storage facility shall have the capability of delivering the backed-up system to a pre-selected backup or alternate processing site within a twenty four (24) hour notice. Restricted access to the back-up site shall be fully detailed in the Security Plan and be part of the Security Review. DHS FEMA Certification and Accreditation activities shall verify that the Contractor has met storage requirements.

INCIDENT REPORT: The Contractor shall record and keep on file the complete history of all incidents reported and actions taken to handle the incident. All security incidents shall be reported to FEMA within twenty four (24) hours.

BACK-UP AND RECOVERY PLANS: The Contractor shall test the backup and recovery plans at a minimum, annually. Hardware failures, application software, and communication failures shall be fully documented and corrected within the allowed downtime as stated in this document.

AVAILABILITY OBJECTIVES: The Contractor shall maintain and operate application software residing on the NFIP Systems and Support LAN/WAN, on-site and at all remote or back-up locations, as applicable, to the following levels for any given month.

Shall be at least 98.57% prime time (8:00 AM EST– 8:00 PM EST/EDST) availability

At least 98.0% non-prime time availability

Four or less interruptions, less than one hour in duration due to application software failure in any given month

One or less extended (greater than one hour in duration) interruption in any given month

No interruption greater than six hours in duration in any given month

Online response time averaging greater than five seconds, for any given hour, shall be considered equivalent to non-availability

To facilitate this responsibility, the Contractor shall initiate all actions required to assure LAN/WAN availability, reliability, and serviceability. Information Technology architecture must be consistent with FEMA Enterprise Architecture. In addition, any IT systems used to collect FEMA data in the performance of this contract shall meet DHS/FEMA Security requirements and be Certified and Accredited, as required, in coordination with the FEMA Office of the Chief Information Officer (OCIO) Security Branch, unless otherwise waived by the appropriate FEMA official.

FACILITIES OBJECTIVES: The Contractor shall develop a facility Security Plan and certify it to ensure protection and control of the sensitive, unclassified information maintained in the system. The facilities must meet all standards required by OMB Circular A-130 and the DHS 4300A.

TECHNOLOGY UPGRADES/REFRESHMENTS: The Contractor shall maintain Commercial-Off-the-Shelf (COTS) software and hardware at current releases. The desire of the Government is to operate the NFIP Systems and Support LAN/WAN as a state of the art operation, which may require enhancements in hardware, software, processes or a combination thereof. This requirement shall be done in conjunction with the COR and FEMA’s Office of the Chief Information Officer.

CONFIGURATION MANAGEMENT: The Contractor shall establish and maintain a configuration management and control system for LAN/WAN systems and published plans of the NFIP Systems and Support LAN/WAN, to include an operational overview and historical record of system utilization.

DOCUMENTATION AND TESTING: The Contractor shall document all system changes, the original configurations, the original overview and historical record of system utilization. The Contractor shall maintain an Operational Control Plan, a Security Plan, and system standards. The Contractor shall provide documentation to the Government upon request. No production programs shall be supported out of programmers’ libraries. Acceptance tests performed subsequent to facility certification and acceptance shall be subject to the same process.

MAINTENANCE: The Contractor shall maintain configuration management and all other documentation at the current level or better during the term of the contract. The Contractor shall perform configuration management of the NFIP Legacy IT System in full compliance with the most current version of DHS 4300A and maintain a current Risk Management Plan throughout the NIFP Legacy’s System life cycle. One of the main focal points that the Contractor shall address is the establishment and ongoing maintenance of proper Configuration Management (CM) work products. This includes but is not limited to configuration change identification, configuration control, configuration status accounting, and the support of configuration audits. The Government maintains its right to perform a CM Audit once every year during the contract period of performance. The Contractor shall receive audit criteria guidelines in advance of a CM audit. The audit shall assess the Contractor’s demonstrated performance with respect to the audit criteria provided.

6.0 CONTRACTOR PERSONNEL

Continuity of Support The Contractor shall ensure that the contractually required level of support for this requirement is maintained at all required times. The Contractor shall ensure that all contract support personnel are present for all hours of the workday. The Contractor shall provide a fully qualified replacement for any employee who will be absent for more hours during the workday. If for any reason the Contractor is unable to do so, the company must provide e-mail notification to the COR within the first two hours of the missing employees’ shifts.

Key Personnel The following is not a complete list of all responsibilities, duties, efforts or skills associated with these positions, but are intended to serve as an overview of the functions that the Contractor is expected to perform.

Project Manager The Contractor shall provide a Project Manager who shall be responsible for all Contractor work performed under this PWS. The Project Manager shall be a single point of contact for the Contracting Officer and the Contracting Officer’s Representative (COR). The name of the Project Manager and the name of any alternate who shall act for the Contractor in the absence of the Project Manager shall be provided to the Government as part of the Contractor’s proposal. The Project Manager is further designated as Key by the Government. During any absence of the Project Manager, only one alternate shall have full authority to act for the Contractor on all matters relating to work performed under this contract. Additionally, the Contractor shall not replace the Project Manager without prior acknowledgment from the Contracting Officer.

The Project Manager will be responsible for managing and implementing individual task requirements.

He organizes, directs, coordinates planning and implements all project support activities. He/she interacts with program officials regarding issues involving changes to the National Flood Insurance Program. This person must be able to monitor and analyze performance data and report results to the Government; coordinate training to keep staff current on the NFIP and customer service objectives. The Government reserves the right to approve the selection of the Contractor-assigned Project Manager prior to his/her placement in supporting the task.

The Project Manager shall be available to the COR via telephone between the hours of 8:00AM and 8:00PM EST, Monday through Friday and for the extended hours during flood events, and shall respond to a request for a discussion or resolution of technical problems within three (3) hours of notification.

Operations Manager.

This person will be responsible for overall daily operations and management of the contact center, including staffing, facility, training, service delivery, problem escalation and resolution and performance monitoring; provides technical assistance to the planning, design, installation, modification, and operation of telecommunications and information systems capabilities; ensures all functions and processes are implemented and operated properly.

SUPPORT STAFF

Human Resources Management.

This person will ensure the placement of qualified candidates into open positions by participating in employment-related activities such as recruiting screening, testing, evaluating, behavioral interviewing, and hiring for a wide variety of positions. He/she prepares employment-related reports; conducts new employee orientation sessions; experienced in employee relations, legal compliance and compensation matters.

Supervision.

This person will supervise and coordinate the daily workflow to ensure productivity and quality standard are met and customer service efforts are consistently achieved; assist the manager in the administration of the unit; provide leadership, guidance, training and work direction to assigned personnel to ensure goals and objectives are met; foster a work environment that respects individuals, promotes teamwork, and encourages innovation and creativity.

Quality Assurance.

This person performs telephone monitoring by listening to both live and recorded calls for accuracy of information and for training purposes. He/she must analyze operational performance against company and customer expectations and identify areas of competency and areas of needed improvement.

He/she will establish and maintain systems for capturing, analyzing and reporting quality measures;

interface with other operational and cross-functional areas to ensure consistency in reporting practices and to help determine quality needs; provide recommendations on continual process improvement.

Training.

This person will develop, evaluate, and deliver training programs for all levels of staff; evaluate the applicability and quality of training programs offered, including those available via FEMA websites using FEMA/NFIP materials as well as what may be available from outside Offerors. Training must be conducted on the Flood Insurance Manual changes which usually take place in May and October of each year. Training activities, as they occur, should be reported in the Weekly Status Reports and the Monthly Technical Progress Narrative.

Research Analyst/Inquiry Tracking.

This person will be responsible for tracking inquiries which dispute the information contained on the FIRA Property Loss History Report and must work closely with the Bureau & Statistical Agency who performs the research. The Research Analyst will close out inquiries and provides the numbers of pending inventory and closures in the Weekly Status Report and the Monthly Technical Progress Narrative.

Technical Support.

This person must be knowledgeable on telephony software and hardware and should be able to troubleshoot technical issues (phone, fax, internet, etc) and will liaison with the telephone vendor in some instances.

Information Systems Security Manager (ISSM).

This person will be responsible for ensuring that information systems used in supporting task requirements meet in accordance with FIPS Publication 200, Minimum Security Requirements of Federal Information Systems. The ISSM shall ensure that information systems used to support a specific task meet the minimum security requirements as defined in FIPS Publications 200 through the use of security controls in accordance with the NIST Special Publication 800-53, Recommended Security Controls for Federal Information Systems, As Amended. This includes preparing all required documentation for the compliance process, including security plan, risk assessments, contingency and contingency test plans, configuration management plan, system test and evaluation reports, security certification and accreditation package.

Employee Identification Contractor employees visiting Government facilities shall wear an identification badge that, at a minimum, displays the Contractor name, the employee’s photo, name, clearance-level and badge expiration date. Visiting Contractor employees shall comply with all Government escort rules and requirements. All Contractor employees shall identify themselves as Contractors when their status is not readily apparent and display all identification and visitor badges in plain view above the waist at all times.

Contractor employees working on-site at Government facilities shall wear a Government issued identification badge. All Contractor employees shall identify themselves as Contractor when their status is not readily apparent (in meetings, when answering Government telephones, in e-mail messages, etc.)

and display the Government issued badge in plain view above the waist at all times.

Employee Conduct Contractor’s employees shall comply with all applicable Government regulations, policies and procedures (e.g. fire, safety, sanitation, environmental protection, security, “off limits” areas, wearing of parts of DHS uniforms, and possession of weapons) when visiting or working at Government facilities.

The Contractor shall ensure Contractor employees present a professional appearance at all times and that their conduct shall not discredit the United States or the Department of Homeland Security. The Project Manager shall ensure Contractor employees understand and abide by Department of Homeland Security established rules, regulations and policies concerning safety and security.

Removing Employees for Misconduct or Security Reasons The Government may, at its sole discretion (via the Contracting Officer), direct the Contractor to remove any Contractor employee from DHS facilities for misconduct or security reasons. Removal does not relieve the Contractor of the responsibility to continue providing the services required under the contract. The Contracting Officer will provide the Contractor with a written explanation to support any request to remove an employee.

7.0 SECURITY

Contractor access to unclassified, but Security Sensitive Information may be required under this PWS.

Contractor employees shall safeguard this information against unauthorized disclosure or dissemination.

The Contractor shall perform appropriate personnel screening in accordance with their administrative hiring policies to determine whether the candidate is suitable for employment. This includes but is not limited to, collecting and reviewing of any or all of the following information for each perspective candidate to determine if the applicant is a potential candidate for employment:

Credit and/or credit history inquiry

Employment verification

Drug screening

Background check

All information collected and actions taken shall be done in accordance with applicable Federal, state and local laws and statutes.

8.0 PERIOD AND PLACE OF PERFORMANCE

The expected period of performance is a one (1) year base period with four (4) one (1) year optional periods of performances; the call center may be located anywhere in the continental United States (including Alaska).The COR will need to have the ability to remotely listen to live calls on a weekly basis.

9.0 TRAVEL

Contractor travel shall be required to support the Call Center requirement. All travel required by the Government outside the local commuting area(s) will be reimbursed to the Contractor in accordance with the Federal Travel Regulations. The Contractor shall be responsible for obtaining COR approval (electronic mail is acceptable) for all reimbursable travel in advance of each travel event.

10.0 DEFINITIONS

Flood Insurance Policy: The entire written contract between the insured and the insurer. Only one dwelling, specifically described by the prospective policyholder in the application, may be insured under a policy.

High Risk Areas, Special Flood Hazard Area or SFHA: is an area within a floodplain that has a 1 percent or greater change of a flood occurring in any given year. SFHA’s are delineated on flood maps issued by FEMA for individual communities. They are shown on the flood maps as zones labeled with letters A or V. All homeowners in these areas with loans from federally regulated or insured lenders should be required to buy flood insurance.

Mandatory Purchase of Flood Insurance: A provision of the Flood Disaster Protection Act of 1973, whereby individuals, businesses, and others buying, building, or improving property located or to be located in identified areas of special flood hazards within NFIP participating communities are required to purchase flood insurance as a prerequisite for receiving any type of direct or indirect Federal financial assistance (e.g., any loan, grant, guaranty, insurance, payment, subsidy, or disaster assistance) when the building or personal property is the subject of or security for such assistance.

Moderate-to-low risk areas, Non-Special Flood Hazard Area or Non-SFHA: are areas with moderate-to-low risk of flooding. While the risk of being flooded is reduced, it is not completely removed. These areas are outside the 1% annual flood-risk floodplain areas, so flood insurance is not Federally mandated, but is recommended for all property owners and renters. These areas are shown on flood maps as zones labeled with the letters B, C or X (or a shaded X).

100-Year Flood: A flood that has a 1-percent or greater chance of being equaled or exceeded in any given year. Any flood zone that begins with the letter A or V is subject to the 100-year flood. These high-risk zones are also known as Special Flood Hazard Areas (SFHA’s). Over the life of a 30- year loan, there is at least a 26-percent chance that a building in the SFHA will experience such a flood.

Policy in Force (PIF): PIF is a count of policies that are effective “as of” a particular date. For example, the Policies in Force as of September 30, 2010 were all policies that were in force on that day. That is, the policy effective date must be on or before September 30, 2010, and the policy expiration date must be on or after September 30, 2011.

Risk Insurance Division (RID): The branches within RID, are Claims, Underwriting, Business Analysis, Operations, and Industry and Public Relations.

Stakeholder: Has vested interest in NFIP programs but may not be contributing data. Stakeholders include partners and users, in addition to other entities. Current stakeholders include general public, State and local officials, lenders, insurance agents, realtors, homebuilders, environmental groups, engineers, surveyors, planners, flood insurance policy holders, WYO companies, other Federal Agencies, Congress, Office of Management and Budget, the media and others.

Write-Your-Own company, WYO: refers to insurance companies who sell and service flood insurance policies through the NFIP.

11.0 DELIVERABLES AND MILESTONE SCHEDULE

DESCRIPTION FREQUENCY DUE DATES

Project Management Plan Risk Management Plan Standard Operation Procedures

Once, updated annually Once, updated annually Once, updated annually including the Security Plan per

DHS 4300A

Thirty calendar days from contract award Thirty calendar days from contract award Thirty calendar days from contract award

Transition Plan Once Fifteen calendar days from contract award

Transition Progress Reports Weekly during 90 day transition

Wednesday, following the week on which work is conducted

Disaster Recovery Once, updated annually Thirty calendar days from contract award

Quality Control Plan Once, updated annually Thirty calendar days from contract award Customer Service Procedures Once, updated semi-annually Sixty calendar days from contract award Reports on telephone inquiries, subject matter, volumes, trends and status reports on progress

Weekly Wednesday

Executive Dashboard, provided by FEMA in MS Excel format

Monthly Fifteenth of every month

Monthly Technical Progress Narrative

Monthly Within 30 calendar days following the close of the previous month

Note: Deliverables will be delivered to the COR by the due date listed. The COR then has 20 calendar days to review the deliverable and request corrections from the Contractor before the document is accepted by the Government. Some of these deliverables could be shared with other FEMA stakeholders. Deliverables may be delivered in electronic format using Microsoft products.

12.0 GOVERNMENT FURNISHED RESOURCES

The Government will not be providing Government Furnished Equipment under this requirement; the Contractor is expected to provide all necessary equipment to meet the requirements of this contract.

13.0 CONTRACTING OFFICER REPRESENTATIVE (COR)

The COR for this contract will be:

(The name and contract information for the COR will be provided at the time of contract award)

14.0 PERFORMANCE MEASUREMENTS

Timeliness The Government will measure the Contractor’s ability to submit all deliverables on time as specified.

Implementation of Program Management Plans The Government will measure the Contractor’s ability to implement, maintain, and adhere to the accepted Program Management Plans.

Customer Service The Government will measure the Contractor’s ability to answer the incoming phone calls in a timely manner.

Incentives The Contracting Officer will report the contractor’s performance to the Contractor Performance Assessment Reporting System (CPARS) database.

14.1 Quality Assurance Surveillance Plan

ORGANIZATION, the QASP is organized in accordance with the five bullets below.

Column 1 – Performance Objective. Lists the performance objective that the Government will survey. The absence of any contract requirement from the QASP shall not detract from its enforceability to limit the rights or remedies of the Government under any other provisions of the contract, including the clauses entitled “Inspection of Services” and “Default.”

Column 2 – Required Service. Defines the standard of performance for each listed objective.

Column 3 – Performance Standard. Sets forth the maximum allowable deviation from standard performance for that service that may occur before the Government will invoke the incentive/disincentive.

Column 4 – Method of Surveillance. Sets forth the surveillance methods the Government will use to evaluate the Contractor’s performance for the listed tasks. This column also establishes the period of the planned surveillance.

Column 5 – Performance/Calculation. Sets forth the performance evaluation area percentage weighting that the listed contract requirement represents.

14.2 Government Quality Assurance

Contractor performance will be surveyed to determine if it meets the contract standards. A variety of surveillance methods may be used.

Random Sampling. FEMA may conduct random sampling when the COR or designated FEMA representative samples services to determine if the level of performance is acceptable based on a statistically random sample.

Periodic inspection of the process or output. FEMA shall conduct weekly reviews either on report or at the Contractor’s site; FEMA may conduct periodic inspection when the COR or designated FEMA representative chooses the location and time to conduct surveillance in other than a statistically random manner.

100% Inspection. This level of inspection shall be accomplished by monitoring and documentation.

Each month, the COR shall review the generated documentation, including monthly contractor performance reports.

Customer complaints. FEMA may use validated customer complaints as the basis for actions against the Contractor.

14.3 Performance Evaluation

Performance of a service will be evaluated to determine whether or not it meets the performance requirements of the contract. When the performance requirement is not met, the Contracting Officer will issue a Discrepancy Report (DR) to the Contractor. The Discrepancy Report is drafted by the COR, who forwards it to the Contracting Officer; this follows the program’s contract monitoring procedures.

The Contractor shall respond to the DR by completing the appropriate blocks of the form and returning it to the Contracting Officers within fifteen (15) calendar days of receipt. Upon evaluation of the Contractor’s response to a DR, the Contractor’s payment for the month in which the performance in question occurred will be calculated as stated in Column 5. In the case of DRs issued as a result of other methods of surveillance, the Contracting Officer shall take appropriate measures according to the clause entitled “Inspection of Services.”

During disasters contractor’s performance requirement may be rated on a case by case basis.

14.4 Quality Assurance Surveillance Plan

SELECTED SERVICE PERFORMANCE

PERFORMANCE

AREA

STANDARD PERFORMANCE

REQUIREMENT

METHOD OF

SURVEILLANCE

INCENTIVE OR

DISINCENTIVE

SSPA1- PWS and Attachment II Deliverables

100% of deliverables are submitted within the time frames stated in the contract.

No more than 2% of deliverables may be later than the specified time.

Periodic surveillance:

- Submission dates- Management reports

- Status review meetings with

FEMA

Period: Monthly per contract Section F.

Reduction of up to 5% of the invoice in which the deficiency occurred

SSPA2 –

Implementation of Program Management Plans

a. All of the enumerated plans are implemented, maintained and adhered to, with all delivery schedules met.

b. Delivered items are complete, accurate and of high professional quality.

No more than 2% of scheduled tasks may exceed the agreed timetable established by the COR.

Periodic surveillance:

- Submission dates

- Management reports

- Status review meetings with

FEMA

Period: Monthly per contract Section F.

Reduction of up to 5% of the invoice in which the deficiency occurred

SSPA3 –Customer Service

a. No more than 10 calls out of each 100 calls presented to the PBX/ACD will receive a busy signal at the PBX/ACD.

b. 98% of calls sent to the queue shall be answered within 60 seconds.

A. The total number of calls received less the total number of abandons timed at 10 seconds or greater; divided by the total number of calls

b. No more than 2% of callers shall remain in queue after 60 seconds.

A-b. Call management tracking reports and verification by

FEMA.

Period: Monthly

Reduction of up to 5% of the invoice in which the deficiency occurred

SECTION D

PACKING AND MARKING

D.1 PRESERVATION, PACKING AND PACKAGING--COMMERICAL

Preservation, packing, and packaging for shipment of all items ordered hereunder shall be in accordance with commercial practice and adequate to ensure both acceptance by common carrier and safe transportation at the most economical rate(s).

SECTION E

INSPECTION AND ACCEPTANCE

E.1 52.252-2 CLAUSES INCORPORATED BY REFERENCE (FEB 1998)

This contract incorporates the following clauses by reference, with the same force and effect as if they were given if full text. Upon request, the Contracting Officer will make a copy of the full text available.

Also, the full text of a clause may be accessed electronically at this address: http://www.arnet.gov/far.

Federal Acquisition Regulation (48 CFR, APR 1984) Clauses

Clause No. Clause Title Date

52.246-04 Inspection of Services- Fixed Price AUG 1996

E.2 QUALITY CONTROL RESPONSIBILITES

E.2.1 General

The quality control of services provided under this contract shall be based on: (i) work performance (ii) timeliness; (iii) customer service; and (iv) implementation of program management plan.

E.2.2 Contractor Quality Control Responsibility

The Contractor shall implement and adhere to the quality control plan provided as part of its Technical

Proposal. The quality control plan shall be written by the Contractor’s Quality Control Manager and approved by his/her immediate supervisor.

The Contractor is soley responsible for quality control of services that it provides. The Contractor’s quality control program, which is embodied in the quality control plan, shall include, but not limited to, the following. A monitoring and inspection system covering all the services listed in the Performance

Requirements Summary. It must specify the elements of work performance to be monitored and inspected, either on a scheduled or unscheduled basis; the methods to be used; frequency of monitoring and inspection; the format and content of records and reports to be generates; and the title(s) of the individual(s) who will perform the monitoring and inspections. It shall include, but not limited to:

the method of identifying and preventing deficiencies in the quality of services performed before the level of performance can become unsatisfactory;

the administrative procedures to be followed for reporting to the Contracting Officer

Representative (COR); and for responding to operational problems or complaints concerning work…