TSA_SOO_7-25-14.docx

Procurement Sensitive

Transitional Sheltering Assistance (TSA) Program Statement of Objectives Updated 7/25/14

1. Description

The FEMA Transitional Sheltering Assistance (TSA) program provides short-term lodging assistance to eligible individuals and households of Presidential Declared disasters or emergencies. TSA eligibility for individual survivors may be extended up to six months, or as identified by the Assistant Administrator of FEMA’s Individual Assistance Recovery Directorate. The authority for this program is under Section 403, 42 U.S.C. 5170b and Section 502, 42 U.S.C. 5192, Category B, Emergency Protective Measures of the Robert T. Stafford Disaster relief and Emergency Assistance Act, as amended. Additional authority is under CFR 44, 206 Subpart D Federal Assistance to Individuals and Households 206.117 Housing Assistance. The transitional sheltering strategy is intended to be implemented within twenty four hours of the TSA program activation. Prior to implementation, FEMA will identify the TSA designated geographic area for any Presidential Declared disaster or emergency.

1. Objectives

FEMA is seeking a lodging management contractor to quickly identify accommodations for individuals and households displaced by disasters or emergencies. Accommodations shall address a full range of safe and secure lodging for individuals, families, and pets in a wide variety of locations. FEMA is seeking to have this information displayed in a public facing website with multiple access points available by user role. All solutions and services shall meet DHS Enterprise and FEMA policies, standards, and procedures.

Primary functional requirements for a Contractor responding to a TSA Activation include:

· The contractor shall demonstrate comprehensive outreach effort to at least 90% of lodging facilities in the identified geographic area within seven (7) days of TSA Activation.

· The contractor is able to support 25,000 room transactions within three (3) days and 100,000 room transactions within fourteen (14) days for CONUS supported disasters.

· For OCONUS TSA activations the contractor will establish a FEMA approved specific service level for each of the OCONUS States and US Territories.

· The contractor is able to maintain support of peak volumes of room transactions of up to 100,000 rooms per night for an average of 90 days.

1.1. Eligible Survivors Database

The contractor shall maintain a database of eligible survivor information to support the National Emergency Management Information System (NEMIS) interface. This component shall be accessible by FEMA and include protected TSA data and eligibility information. Data requirements are populated into the disaster survivors’ records in the NEMIS system. This process requires immediate updating capability. Information will also be replicated into two separate website components; one for participating lodging properties and another for the general public. The contractor shall maintain password controlled access for FEMA usage to manage the TSA Program, to report on the TSA program and to evaluate program progress.

The specific components and functions will be identified after the time of award; however, examples of required components and functions are as follows:

· FEMA users shall have the capability to edit individual records.

· The system shall allow a registration to be manually added to the system upon special approval.

· A configurable data table

· Ability to track multiple start and end dates (i.e. program dates vs. individual eligibility dates)

· Ability to securely update individual personally identifiable information (PII)

· Authorization Status

· Ability to limit a survivor’s eligibility to a specific lodging property

· Ability to authorize food allowance or additional funds for kitchenette room should catastrophic disaster related circumstances exist.

· ability to authorize a pet deposit

· Ability to adjust number of eligible rooms per individual household

1.2. Direct Pay Process

The contractor shall implement a direct pay process to lodging properties or individuals upon approval from FEMA. Direct pay will use the current maximum lodging per diem rate for the lodging locality as identified by the U.S. General Services Administration (GSA). The contractor shall establish data connectivity with the NEMIS system to share data with FEMA.

Direct pay to applicants is referred to as TSA Reimbursement (TSAR) and is only used in special circumstances. TSAR requires specific components and functions that will be identified after the time of award.

1.3. Lodging Recruitment & Retention

The contractor shall implement a process to recruit new CONUS and OCONUS lodging properties and verify continued participation of existing lodging properties. Recruitment shall be ongoing with anticipated increase in efforts during heightened disaster activity. The contractor shall provide a plan for reporting recruitment and retention efforts to be evaluated and approved by FEMA.

Participating lodging properties must certify their facility is licensed, registered, and in compliance with current industry standards. The contractor shall develop a method to verify and/or validate the following:

· The physical presence and self-certification of the lodging property

· The lodging properties capability to access and share information through electronic communication

· Suitable amenities to ensure safe, sanitary, and functional lodging.

· The lodging properties ability to establish secure invoicing and payment arrangements within 30 days of guest check out.

1.4. Lodging Property Notification and Support Center

The contractor shall establish and maintain an Emergency Lodging Support Center available to lodging providers within 24 hours of FEMA’s TSA activation. Support Center staff shall be available by a toll free number, internet access and email support on a 24/7 basis or as determined by program implementation need.

Supportive services shall include:

· A notification system to alert participating and non-participating lodging of TSA activation within a geographic range. The system shall incorporate a variety of communication methods (email, fax, internet, website, etc.).

· Information regarding how to register and participate in the TSA Program.

· Customer service support regarding disaster survivors

· The ability for trained Support Center Staff to answer 90% of all inbound communication within 15 minutes.

1.5. Public Facing Website

The contractor shall provide a public facing website to identify available TSA lodging participants for use by the general public.

Component and function needs are as follows:

Functional Needs

· Lodging property vacancy status updates in increments of fifteen minutes to an hour. Real time replication is preferred.

· Capability to support 3,750 concurrent users

· The website shall include instructions, the FEMA Helpline number, and a link to access TSA Eligibility information on www.disasterassistance.gov.

· Easily accessible search functions

· An administrative means to limit search capability to specific geographical areas per disaster

Capabilities

· Lodging properties pinpointed on a mapping application

· Driving directions to desired lodging property

· Search capabilities by:

· City

· State

· Zip Code

· Hotel Name

· Radius Search by 10-25-50-100 mile radius options

· Filters for amenities, such as:

· Pets allowed

· ADA accommodations

· Return search results must include, at minimum:

· Lodging property name

· Lodging property phone number

· Lodging property City, State, Street Address and Zip Code

· Status; Accepting/Not Accepting Guests

· Link to hotel website address

2. Data Sharing & Reporting

A Data Sharing process to interface between the lodging contractor and FEMA systems will be implemented after award. The TSA Contractor system shall use a Secure File Transfer Protocol (SFTP) to import and export disaster applicant and lodging data. The contractor is responsible for development and deployment of a .com SFTP service. Another system may be considered if it provides a better value to the Government.

This process shall include Reporting capabilities on a scheduled and ad hoc basis. Standard reporting will be identified after award. Reports may include:

· Daily Tracking of Checked Out and Checked In

· Checked in by hotel county

· Counts of applicant eligible or ineligible for extension

· Count of registrations ever checked in and amount spent total and per disaster by county

· TSA Reimbursement reports

· Hotel Availability Report

3. Compliance

The contractor shall identify SFTP ability, and will comply with all applicable Federal, Department of Homeland Security, and FEMA information Systems and related laws, regulations, policies, and procedures including: Capital Planning and Investment controls; Enterprise Architecture; Cyber Security; and Project Management and any other reporting requirements requested by FEMA.

Upon award and the successful awardee’s personnel executing the applicable non-disclosure agreements he Government will make available DHS Enterprise Architecture policies, standards, and procedures that are exempt from public release under the Freedom of Information Act (5 U.S.C. § 552).

The contractor will develop and operate a system of records covered by the Privacy Act, to ensure information is secured and treated accordingly, as referenced in Clause 52.224-1, Privacy Act Notification, and 52.224-2, Privacy Act.

3.1. Confidentiality of Information

The Contractor will be given access to sensitive or proprietary business, technical, or financial information belonging to the Government or other companies. The Contractor shall treat information as confidential. This information will not be used for any other purpose by the Contractor and the Contractor will not disclose information to third parties unless specifically authorized in writing by the Contracting Officer. This requirement shall not apply to information that:

· At the time of receipt by the Contractor, is in the public domain

· Is published by others after receipt by the Contractor or otherwise becomes part of the public domain through no fault of the Contractor.

· The Contractor can demonstrate was already in its possession at the time of receipt and was not acquired directly or indirectly from the Government or other companies.

· The Contractor can demonstrate was received from a third party that did not require the Contractor to hold it in confidence.

· The Contractor shall obtain from each employee permitted access a written non –disclosure agreement, in a form satisfactory to the Contracting Officer, that he/she will not discuss, divulge or disclose any such information or data to any person or entity except those persons within the Contractor’s organization or the Government directly concerned with the performance of the Task Order.

4. Payment Management

An account will be established by FEMA in the SmartLink Payment Management System in accordance with Financial Management Services, a Division of Payment Management of Health & Human Services. The Contractor will be able to withdraw funds according to prescribed SmartLink procedures and as implemented by FEMA.

The Contractor shall submit a weekly Invoice Report to the Contracting Officer’s Representative (COR). This report will outline the funds withdrawn weekly from the Health and Human Services (HHS) SmartLink account.

The Invoice Report shall contain, at a minimum, the following fields in a Microsoft Excel format:

· Invoice date

· Invoice number

· Number of room nights invoiced by disaster

· Invoice total by disaster

· Room taxes and lodging fees by disaster

· Average cost per room by disaster

· Total room nights invoiced

· Total Smartlink draw amount (The Smartlink amount shall be added to the import record. This will provide the ability to identify per diem amount, hotel charge to survivor, and the amount FEMA reimburses.)

The Survivor Record report shall contain, at a minimum, the following fields in a Microsoft Excel format:

· Invoice date

· Hotel name

· Hotel city

· Hotel state

· Disaster number

· Survivor registration number

· Survivor first name

· Survivor middle name or initial

· Survivor last name

· Date pay from

· Date pay through

· Paid amount

· Nights for records calculation

· Survivor’s qualification end date

The Contractor shall submit administrative fee invoices to FEMA on a monthly billing cycle. The invoice shall include the total amount and costs of services provided in addition to the cumulative administrative fee costs to date for the reporting performance period.

The Contractor shall establish a non-interest bearing account at a bank of its choosing. This account will allow the Contractor to draw down funds from the HHS SmartLink account to cover disbursements. Smartlink Funds shall not be comingled with company funds. Under no circumstances shall the Contractor draw against the HHS SmartLink account for the purpose of paying itself, any affiliate, subcontractor or agent, except as provided herein. Funds expended through the HHS SmartLink account will be subject authorization review.

5. Quality Management Plan

The Contractor shall establish, document, implement and maintain a quality control and assurance system. The Contractor shall provide a written quality control plan for approval by the Contract Officer Representative within 6 months of task order award that includes:

· Identifying the processes needed for the quality management system; its’ components, and application.

· The sequence and interaction of these processes

· The criteria and methods needed to ensure that both the operation and control of the verification process is effective.

· Ensures the availability of resources and information necessary to support the operation and monitoring of the verification process.

· Describes a quality-monitoring plan that will provide FEMA evidence that a continual quality verification program is in place.

· Reports the effectiveness of the quality management system through the use of the quality policy, quality objectives, analysis of data, corrective actions, preventive actions and management review.

6. Place of Performance

The primary work location will be the Contractor’s place of business, inclusive of emergency/disaster locations where Contractor’s physical presence/representation may be required (e.g. emergency situations where electronic communication channels are disrupted).

7. Government-furnished Property

There is no requirement to provide Government Furnished Property and is not applicable to this contract.

8. Period of Performance

The contract base period of performance will be for an initial period of about 12 months and three weeks from the contract effective date. There are also four one-year option periods of performance which are subject to being unilaterally exercised by the Government. If exercised, each will also extend the contract for an additional twelve month period, for a possible total term of approximately five (5) years.

· Option Period 1: Day after base period conclusion plus 12 months

· Option Period 2: Day after option period 1 conclusion plus 12 months

· Option Period 3: Day after option period 2 conclusion plus 12 months

· Option Period 4: Day after option period 3 conclusion plus 12 months

9. Acronyms

image1.jpeg