PWS (RFI DRAFT) SOCOM META Dec 5 2019.docx

DRAFT

General Services Administration Federal Acquisition Services Assisted Acquisition Services Division Southeast Sunbelt Region

Task ID: ID04200022 Requirements IDIQ Contract:

Date: December 4, 2019

GSA Contract Specialist:

Dorothy “Hae” Monroe Phone: (720) 468-8023 Email: dorothy.monroe@gsa.gov GSA Senior Contracting Officer:

Mary “Beth” Clark Phone: (478) 365-1167 Email: mary.clark@gsa.gov

Client Organization:

USSOCOM MISO

MacDill AFB, FL 33621-5323 Primary Client Representative:

Captain Whitney O’Connell Phone: (813) 826-1969 Email: whitney.e.o'connell.mil@socom.mil

Project Name:

MISO Evaluation and Transregional Analysis (META) Period of Performance:

Base Year: 07/13/2020 – 07/12/2021 Option Year 1: 07/13/2021 – 07/12/2022 Option Year 2: 07/13/2022 – 07/12/2023 Option Year 3: 07/13/2023 – 07/12/2024 Option Year 4: 07/13/2024 – 07/12/2025 Option to Extend Services: 07/13/2025 – 01/12/2026

Contract

Funding

PART I – THE SCHEDULE

A. SOLICITATION/CONTRACT FORM

A.1 SOLICITATION/CONTRACT FORM

Reference SF1449 through GSA business systems portal, AASBS (https://portal.fas.gsa.gov).

END OF SECTION A

B. SERVICES AND PRICES

B.1 SCHEDULE OF SUPPLIES/SERVICES TO BE PROVIDED

The contractor shall provide their total proposed amounts in Blocks 23 and 24 of the SF1449 cover page through the GSA business systems portal, AASBS (https://portal.fas.gsa.gov) for all Task Items/Contract Line Item Numbers (CLINs). Separate CLINs are provided for a one year base period of performance, four each one year optional period of performance, and a six month extension period in accordance with FAR 52.217-8.

This will be a Requirements contract. The designated Government activity for this requirement is USSOCOM J39, which has coordinating responsibility for Military Information Support Operations (MISO). Orders may only be placed through the designated activity, USSOCOM J39 MISO, and placed by GSA FAS.

The Contract Task Item/CLIN Structure is as follows:

Base Period: 0001 (TBD) Option Year 1: 0001 (TBD) Option Year 2: 0001 (TBD) Option Year 3: 0001 (TBD) Option Year 4: 0001 (TBD) Extension Period: 0001 (TBD)

END OF SECTION B

C. DESCRIPTION/SPECIFICATION/STATEMENT OF WORK

C.1 BACKGROUND

1.1. USSOCOM J39 has coordinating responsibility for Military Information Support Operations (MISO). The USSOCOM J39 Branch has the mission to plan, coordinate, integrate, and execute Military Information Support Operations (MISO) strategies to promote the goals and objectives of the Government of the United States and serve at the Joint Proponent Office for MISO.

C.2 SCOPE OF EFFORT

The contractor shall provide for the collection, formatting, analyzing, storage and presentation of data to support USSOCOM META mission requirements. USSOCOM requires MISO units be able to task out assessment activities in support of MISO series required within their area of responsibility (AOR). The data collected from such assessment tasking(s) shall be shared with USSOCOM and subordinate units as necessary. In order to show effects of a MISO product or overarching operation, measured changes in the attitudes, beliefs, and/or behavior of the Target Audience shall be tied to some task executed by or coordinated through the MISO unit.

The contractor shall provide MISO tasks and an interface that supports in identifying the vulnerabilities of a target population, evaluating and assessing influence operations, and using outcome or predictive analyses to dependably inform USSOCOM future operations. The contractor shall support in measuring the performance and effects influence operations have had on achieving MISO objectives. The contractor shall provide the necessary local language proficiency and access to capture the data required to inform measures of performance (MOP) and measures of effectiveness (MOE) for MISO capability enabling MISO operators to task out data collection, and also to rapidly and reliably receive, share, and visualize data.

C.3 PERFORMANCE REQUIREMENTS

The contractor shall address all performance issues and customer complaints to ensure the requirements defined in the PWS are met successfully 100% of the time. The contractor shall provide episodic support for known and emerging requirements to support USSOCOM META operations to include collection, storage, formatting, analyzing and presentation of information. The contractors emerging requirement support shall assist the USSOCOM J39 in its MISO requirements. Contractor shall be capable of providing requested support starting no more than 14-days from notification of the KO.

3.1 SPECIFIC REQUIREMENTS:

3.1.1. Assessment.

3.1.2. Access for Data Collection. The contractor shall conduct various types of assessments across the globe to assess both the performance of MISO efforts as well as the effects of information operations on various target audiences (TA). In order to reliably track MOP, evidence of MISO product dissemination to specific target audiences across various platforms (e.g., television, radio, billboards, newspapers, magazines, hand bills, cell phones, internet, or any other relevant or emerging platform used for MISO) must be captured. Freedom of movement is required in sometimes very restricted, denied, or non-permissive environments to validate those measures. The contractor shall collect data from hidden or hard-to-access populations within the countries of operation. For example, some MISO units may require data from populations in countries where a U.S. footprint is restricted, or may need to survey populations with ties to terrorist activities.

3.1.3. Data Collection Methods. The contractor shall provide a broad array of both quantitative and qualitative research methods be utilized to support data collection, analysis, and evaluation. Potential quantitative methods needed are sample surveys (to include in person, online, phone, text, email, or any emerging surveying mechanism that could feasibly be used for these efforts), hierarchical, longitudinal statistical modeling, social network analysis, and demography. Necessary qualitative methods may include case studies, observations, interviews, focus groups, and textual analysis. These data collection methods must be able to be conducted either in person, telephonically, or online, depending upon the requirements of the requesting MISO unit. Organizations conducting MISO require trend analysis in order to determine if operations in execution have had an impact on the attitudes, beliefs, and/or behaviors of their TA. The contractor shall employ multiple iterations of the same survey or assessment in order to provide reliable data to successfully inform future operations. The contractor shall provide data collection of publically available information (PAI) via online scraping and the ingestion of PAI data to conduct qualitative and quantitative analyses.

3.1.4. Reliability and Validity of Data. The contractor shall provide for the employment of empirically sound methodology for all assessments, per industry standards, in order to ensure the highest levels of reliability and validity of the data. While some of the locations and populations that must be accessed and assessed may hinder empirically sound methodology from being implemented, it is essential the confidence levels for any correlational or statistical analysis are provided, and any issues encountered during data collection impacting the validity or reliability of the data are clearly notated for transparency.

3.1.5. Standardization. The contractor shall ensure any research questions being asked in one AOR that can be tied to the same or similar objectives in another AOR be asked in a similar manner (similar verbiage, sentence structure, and answer options), within the context of local language and education level of the TA, to allow for transregional analysis. The contractor shall ensure standardization of data coding to support transregional analysis.

3.1.6. Language. The contractor shall ensure all survey, focus group, and interview questions provided be translated into the local language of the region in which it shall be conducted (minimum language capability includes: Arabic [MSA, Maghrebi, Levantine, Egyptian, Gulf, Yemini], Chinese, Dari, Farsi, French, Haitian, Hausa, Kazakh, Korean, Kurdish, Kyrgyz, Pashtu, Russian, Swahili, Somali, Spanish, Tajik, Turkman, Ukrainian, Uzbek). Translation shall be done by a native speaker. Once the data is collected and compiled, it must be translated back into English for consumption by the requesting MISO unit(s). All data analysis and evaluation products created shall be created in English. The contractor shall have the ability to translate analysis and evaluation products into host nation language, when needed.

3.1.7. Speed of Data Collection and Reporting Results. The contractor’s assessment shall include target audience analysis, baseline measures, pre-test measures, post-test measures, trend analysis, sentiment analysis, and more. The speed at which those assessments must be conducted and analyzed will vary depending upon the different requirements in each AOR. The contractor shall provide near-real-time feedback to the teams conducting MISO, when required, in order to support the most time sensitive operations.

3.1.8. Attribution. The contractor’s data collection shall be non-attributable to the United States, when needed, in order to protect those operations from becoming inadvertently attributed.

3.1.9. Integration. The contractor’s data collected in support of operations being executed in-country shall be integrated with intelligence and PAI in order to produce a robust and accurate assessment picture suited to inform operational decision making. To support this requirement, access to intelligence and PAI data is required, as well as a means to ingest the associated information for analyses.

3.1.10. Intelligence Integration. The contractor shall integrate assessment data with intelligence data to facilitate information operations intelligence integration. The ability to combine quantitative and qualitative assessment data with intelligence data is essential to facilitate in-depth analyses of the operating environment and support MISO decision-making.

3.1.11. Flexible Execution. The contractor shall have the ability to rapidly shift assessment capability to new countries as the need arises. Flexibility is essential to facilitate assessment of both repetitive operations and ad hoc requirements.

3.1.12. Quality Control. The contractor shall ensure quality checks both for the people conducting assessments and also on the data they submit. Techniques such as GPS tracking, geolocation, VPN verification, silent recordings, key stroke analysis, timestamps, and any other relevant techniques, shall be employed in order to verify the reliability of personnel and the validity of products being delivered. Quality control measures to be employed will be identified in the contract, and any quality control issues encountered in the field must be reported quarterly.

3.2. DATA ANALYSIS:

3.2.1. MOP and MOE. The contractor shall reliably measure MISO efforts (to include, but not limited to: the number of products disseminated, verification of dissemination locations, level of penetration, reach of target audience, verification of psychological acts), and the contractor shall correlate MOP with measured changes in attitudes, beliefs, or behaviors of the TA. The contractor shall integrate MOP that is documented/collected by the requesting unit itself with any MOE collected by the contractor.

3.2.2. Statistical Analysis of Data. The contractor’s statistical analysis shall support broad target audience analysis, baseline data collection in support of a specific MISO effort, pre- and post-test data to assess product effectiveness, and/or multiple iterations of sentiment analysis in order to assess changing attitudes and behaviors of a population over time and, ultimately, provide MOP and MOE to the MISO units. The contractor’s analyzed data shall be cleaned and weighted, when appropriate, in order to present the most accurate results to the MISO units interpreting it. The contractor’s platform shall be used to employ the network of contributors and visualize their locations in order to support planning considerations for mission, enemy, terrain and weather, troops, time available, and civil considerations (METT-TC). Contractor data analysts shall be cleared up to the SECRET level to produce reports.

3.2.3. Data Visualization. The contractor’s results of the statistical analyses conducted shall be conveyed in an interpretable, easy-to-consume, executive format. The contractor’s user interface shall be friendly and maintained. The interface shall be accessible by MISO units from anywhere around the globe; it shall enable units to search and sort data, and to easily produce interpretable visualizations of data. MISO units must be able to access results from the most recent data collection iteration, and also be able to access results from trend data (if multiple iterations of data were collected in order to evaluate MOP and MOE). The contractor’s visualization products (i.e., charts, graphs, or any other products used to visualize data) shall be easy to create and export within the interface.

3.2.4. Data Aggregation. The contractor shall provide the ability to aggregate data collected in support of various MISO teams across the globe in order to provide one consolidated, overarching picture of the effects being created in the operational environment. Multilevel, longitudinal modeling shall be used to assess changes at various levels (i.e., individual, target audience, country, region, trans-regional area) over time. The contractor’s aggregated data shall be easily organized, interpreted and visualized according to problem set, program, overarching MISO Objectives, or by lines of effort (LOE).

3.2.6. Data Storage. The contractor shall provide and maintain a cloud-based storage solution for data collected. The cloud shall feed into a user-friendly interface, and shall be made available to everyone in the MISO community who requires access. MISO users must be able to easily retrieve data analysis for any measures on which data has been collected, when needed. Multi-level security solutions must be available in order to appropriately store data and analytic products.

3.2.7. Raw Data. The contractor’s raw data collected shall be provided to USSOCOM. The raw data shall be provided in .csv, .json, and .xml formats. The raw data shall be easily exportable from a “cloud” storage configuration. Any weights used for the data shall be clearly relayed.

3.2.8. Data Rights. The Government has unlimited rights to all documents/material produced under this contract. All documents and materials, to include the source codes of any software, produced under this contract shall be Government owned and are the property of the Government with all rights and privileges of ownership/copyright belonging exclusively to the Government. These documents and materials may not be used or sold by the contractor without written permission from the Contracting Officer. All materials supplied to the Government shall be the sole property of the Government and may not be used for any other purpose. This right does not abrogate any other Government rights.

C.4 DELIVERABLES

4.1. REPORTS:

4.1.1. Per Data Collection. The contractor’s completed reports shall be provided to the requesting MISO unit(s) within 15 days of data collection completion unless otherwise stated in the task order. For near-real-time data analysis requirements, the contractor’s iterative analysis shall be provided as soon as two days after the collection of a specified number of data is completed.

USSOCOM requires reports created after each data collection to include, at a minimum:

4.1.1.1. Standard Report Content. USSOCOM requires reports provided to the requesting MISO unit(s) upon completion of the task order assessment to include:

4.1.1.2. Problem Formulation. The program and MOs under which data was collected shall be listed, and data collection location(s) shall be listed. There shall be a clear statement of the research question(s) addressed by the assessment, along with the objective(s) or measureable outcome variables or goals based on the requesting MISO unit’s guidance and intent for the data analysis.

4.1.1.3. Methods. An unambiguous description of study design(s) shall be given, as well as the sample size, sampling technique, and confidence level. A description of data collection techniques shall also be included.

4.1.1.4. Analysis. A description of the demographic characteristics of the data sample(s) shall be provided, and any groups over- or underrepresented shall be identified. An appropriate analysis of the data as it relates to the measured objective shall be provided, to include both univariate and multivariate statistics, when able, and a detailed analysis of any statistically significant results. Correlation between MISO products/series and changing attitudes, beliefs, or behaviors of the TA shall be highlighted, as well as areas where MISO series were conducted, yet no effects were seen.

4.1.1.5. Conclusion/Discussion. This shall include a generalization of findings, with a closing note on any stand-out results. Limitations of conclusions based on sampling, design and measurement shall be reported, as well as recommendations for future MISO efforts. Any quality control issues encountered that quarter must be reported.

4.1.2. Quarterly Report. The contractor’s completed reports shall be provided to USSOCOM no later than 15 days after the end of the quarter on the fiscal year calendar.

USSOCOM requires quarterly reports to include, at a minimum:

4.1.2.1. Requesting Units. The number of MISO units supported that quarter, including the number of countries in which work was performed.

4.1.2.2. Problem Formulation. All of the programs and MISO Objectives (MOs) under which data was collected shall be listed; data shall be outlined by country in which assessments were conducted, as well as by problem set. There shall be a clear statement of the research question(s) addressed that quarter, and those statements shall contain objective or measureable outcome variables or goals based on the MISO units’ guidance and intent for the data analysis.

4.12.3. Methods. An unambiguous description of study design(s) shall be given, as well as the sample size, sampling technique, confidence level. A description of data collection techniques shall also be included.

4.1.2.4. Analysis. A description of the demographic characteristics of the samples shall be provided, and any groups over- or underrepresented shall be identified. An appropriate analysis of the data as it relates to the problem set shall be provided, to include both univariate and multivariate statistics, when able, and a detailed analysis of any statistically significant results. Correlation between MISO products/series and changing attitudes, beliefs, or behaviors of the TA shall be highlighted, as well as any areas where MISO series were conducted, yet no effects were seen.

4.1.2.5. Conclusion/Discussion. The quarterly report shall include a generalization of findings, with a closing note on any stand-out results. Limitations of conclusions based on sampling, design, and measurement shall be reported, as well as recommendations for future MISO efforts. Any quality control issues encountered that quarter shall be reported.

4.2. TRAINING:

The contractor shall provide training to users that clarifies data collection requests, data collection processes, and data analysis. Hands-on training shall be provided to ensure users can effectively navigate the data visualization interface.

4.3 SERVICE DELIVERY SUMMARY:

Performance assessments will be provided to the Contracting Officer (KO) by the Contracting Officer Representative (COR) in accordance with the Quality Assurance Surveillance Plan. Meeting or not meeting the thresholds identified in Attachment 1- SDS will be the basis of that performance evaluation.

C.5 WORKLOAD ESTIMATE

A Workload Estimate is attached to this PWS. This information is provided to aid offerors in developing their proposals in response to this PWS. This information represents the Government’s estimated workload based on historical information and future needs. It is not intended to be binding on either party or to be the only possible solution to the requirement.

END OF SECTION C

D. PACKAGING & MARKING

D.1 LISTING OF CLAUSES INCORPORATED BY REFERENCE (FAR 52.252-2) (FEB 1998)

This contract incorporates one or more clauses by reference, with the same force and effect as if they were given in full text. Upon request, the Contracting Officer will make their full text available. Also the full text of a clause may be accessed electronically at the addresses below:

I. FEDERAL ACQUISITION REGULATION (48 CFR CHAPTER 1)

CLAUSE NO. DATE TITLE

None included

II. DFAR SUPPLEMENT (48 CFR CHAPTER 2)

None Included

III. GSAM FAR SUPPLEMENT (48 CFR CHAPTER 18)

None Included

END OF SECTION D

E. INSPECTION & ACCEPTANCE

E.1. INSPECTION AND ACCEPTANCE

Inspection and acceptance will occur in accordance with FAR 52-212-4 Contract Terms and Conditions-Commercial Items, along with FAR 52.246-4 and 52.246-6. In the absence of other agreements negotiated with respect to time provided for Government review, deliverables will be inspected and the contractor notified of the findings within seven calendar days of normally scheduled review. If the deliverables are not acceptable, the COR will notify the contractor immediately. Acceptance of invoices shall constitute acceptance of performance.

Performance by the contractor to correct defects found by the Government as a result of quality assurance surveillance and/or by the contractor as a result of quality control shall be at the contractor’s own expense without additional reimbursement by the Government. Unless otherwise negotiated, the contractor shall correct or replace all non-conforming services or deliverables not later than seven calendar days after notification of non-conformance.

E.2 QUALITY CONTROL PROGRAM/QUALITY CONTROL PLAN

Management of the quality control program is the responsibility of the contractor. The contractor is responsible for the delivery of quality services/supplies to the Government. The contractor shall develop, implement, and maintain an effective Quality Control Program which includes a written Quality Control Plan (QCP). The QCP shall implement standardized procedure/methodology for monitoring and documenting contract performance to ensure all contract requirements are met. The contractors’ QCP must contain a systematic approach to monitor operations to ensure acceptable services/supplies are provided to the Government. The QCP, as a minimum, shall address continuous process improvement; procedures for scheduling, conducting, and documenting inspections; discrepancy identification and correction; corrective action procedures to include procedures for addressing Government discovered non-conformances; procedures for root cause analysis to identify the root cause and root cause corrective action to prevent re-occurrence of discrepancies; procedures for trend analysis; procedures for collecting and addressing customer feedback/complaints. The contractor shall provide to the Government their comprehensive QCP within thirty days after contract award. If the QCP requires updates/revisions over the course of contract performance they shall be provided within five business days after updates/revisions are deemed necessary to the Contracting Officer’s and COR’s approval. The plan may be in contractor provided format ensuring information contained therein completely covers the requirements of the deliverable.

The Government will have five business days to review the deliverable for content. If the deliverable is unacceptable, the Government will return it to the contractor within two business days and the contractor shall provide a revised QCP within two business days that is acceptable to the Government. Unless otherwise advised by the Contracting Officer, all deliverables shall be uploaded to AASBS (https://portal.fas.gsa.gov/) via a Post Award Collaboration.

E.3 GOVERNMENT SURVEILLANCE

The Government shall monitor the contractor’s performance under this contract using the quality assurance criteria specified in the Services Summary, herein, and the Quality Assurance Surveillance Plan (QASP).

The contractor shall cooperate with inspectors and auditors and provide any requested information relating to the operations covered by the contract. The contractor shall allow inspectors and auditors to periodically access work areas and provide access to any files required in relation to this contract. The contractor shall correct discrepancies and/or violations noted during safety/security/fire/performance inspections and prepare a written response providing information on actions taken to correct discrepancies and/or violations. The contractor shall provide this response to the COR within the time frame specified by the inspecting agency.

When an observation indicates defective performance, the COR will require the contractor’s representative at the site to initial the observation documentation. The contractor’s representative initialing the observation documentation does not constitute concurrence with the observation, only acknowledgment.

The contractor shall notify the COR, within one business day, of complaints in writing received by the contractor on services/supplies covered by or received under this contract. These complaints could include, but are not limited to, those received from customers receiving deliveries, commercial shippers, and discrepancies in Shipment Reports (Standard Form 361). The contractor is responsible for researching and submitting proposed answers to all deficiencies to the COR within five calendar days of the compliant notification. All complaints shall be resolved to COR’s satisfaction within seven calendar days of compliant notification.

The COR will document all defects using a “Task Discrepancy Report (TDR)”. The COR will verbally notify GSA of the defect and will submit a copy of the TDR as an Action Memo in AASBS to the GSA CO. The COR will ensure the TDR is completed in its entirety and coordinated through the CO. The contractor will also be furnished a copy of the TDR. The contractor shall furnish their response to the TDR. The contractor’s response will address the accuracy and validity of the defect, planned corrective action, and actions to prevent recurrence. The TDR information will be included when assessing the contractor’s overall performance (i.e., past performance assessments, exercise of options, etc.).

Government surveillance of tasks may occur at any time during the performance period.

E.3.1 QUALITY ASSURANCE SURVEILLANCE PLAN

A Quality Assurance Surveillance Plan (QASP) is developed to evaluate contractor actions while implementing this Performance Work Statement (PWS). It is designed to provide an effective surveillance method of monitoring contractor performance for each listed objective on the Services Summary. The QASP provides a systematic method to evaluate the services the contractor is required to furnish on a quarterly basis.

E.3.2 SERVICES SUMMARY

The contractor shall provide all required personnel to successfully perform the work detailed herein. The contractor shall address all performance issues and customer complaints to ensure the requirements defined in the PWS are met successfully 100% of the time.

Contractor met requirements in the PWS and received no more than two written customer complaints/notification of non-conforming services during a single one-year performance period AND complaints/non-conforming services were successfully corrected by the contractor within seven calendar days of notification.

Quarterly Inspections

Quarterly Inspections

E.4 PAST PERFORMANCE INFORMATION

The Government will provide and record Past Performance Information for acquisitions over $250,000 utilizing the Contractor Performance Assessment Reporting System (CPARS). The CPARS process allows contractors to view and comment on the Government’s evaluation of the contractor’s performance before it is finalized. Once the contractor’s past performance evaluation is finalized in CPARS, it will be transmitted into the Past Performance Information Retrieval System (PPIRS).

Contractors are required to register in CPARS, so they may review and comment on past performance reports submitted through CPARS. Go to the following website to register in CPARS: https://www.cpars.gov/.

END OF SECTION E

F. DELIVERIES OR PERFORMANCE

F.1 LISTING OF CLAUSES INCORPORATED BY REFERENCE (FAR 52.252-2) (FEB 1998)

This contract incorporates one or more clauses by reference, with the same force and effect as if they were given in full text. Upon request, the Contracting Officer will make their full text available. Also the full text of a clause may be accessed electronically at the address below:

I. FEDERAL ACQUISITION REGULATION (48 CFR CHAPTER 1)

CLAUSE NO. DATE TITLE

F.2 PERIOD OF PERFORMANCE

This contract shall be effective as of contract award. One one-year base period and four one-year option periods are included in addition to a six month extension period in accordance with FAR 52.217-8, Option to Extend Services. See cover page of this document for actual Periods of Performance dates.

F.3 PLACE OF PERFORMANCE

Work will be performed at various locations. They include but are not limited to, Army and other service installations in CONUS, OCONUS, off-installation operational sites, and deployed locations with US forces.

END OF SECTION F

G. CONTRACT ADMINISTRATION DATA

G.1 CONTRACTING OFFICER RESPONSIBILITIES

The Contracting Officer (CO) is the sole and exclusive Government official with actual authority to take actions that bind the Government under this contract.

The right to issue contract modifications, change terms and conditions, and terminate the contract is reserved solely for the Contracting Officer.

G.2 CONTRACTING OFFICER’S REPRESENTATIVE RESPONSIBILITIES

The Contracting Officer’s Representative (COR) is responsible for monitoring the contractor’s progress in fulfilling the technical requirements in the contract. The COR ensures that all required documentation and data are submitted in accordance with the PWS requirements. Should the contractor fail to fulfill the contractual requirements, the COR must inform the contractor of such failure. The COR will inform the Contracting Officer of any technical or contractual problems or delays. The COR maintains administration records, approves invoices, and performs final inspection and acceptance of work performed under this contract.

The COR has no actual, apparent or implied authority to bind the Government. The COR may not grant the contractor permission to deviate from the requirements stated in the contract, nor direct the contractor to perform any work outside the scope of the contract. Changes in the contract requirements, price, or terms and conditions will only be made by the CO via properly executed modifications to the contract. The Contracting Officer will appoint a COR and issue a COR Designation Letter stating the authority of the COR. The contractor will receive a copy of the COR designation Letter.

The services to be performed by the contractor during the period of this contract shall at all times and in all places be subject to review by the Contracting Officer or authorized representative(s).

G.3. CONTRACT ADMINISTRATION

The contractor shall establish processes and assign appropriate resources to effectively administer the contract. The contractor shall respond to Government requests for contractual actions within two business day. The contractor shall designate and maintain a single point of contact between the Government and contractor personnel assigned to support the contract.

G.4 INVOICE REQUIREMENTS

The invoice shall include charges authorized by the COR and Contracting Officer which are within scope of this contract (e.g., travel, materials) and reflect the details specified below.

G.4.1 PAYMENT INFORMATION

Invoices shall be submitted to GSA ASSIST (AASBS) and the Central Invoice System (CIS) web-based Order Processing System (https://portal.fas.gsa.gov/). The COR and the GSA Customer Account Manager or Contract Specialist must approve each invoice in CIS prior to payment. Failure to enter an invoice into the GSA AASBS web-based system may result in a rejection.

An invoice for completion of each deliverable shall be electronically delivered to the COR via the GSA electronic contract management system (AASBS) by the twentieth calendar day of the month following delivery for client and GSA acceptance. A copy of the invoice shall be attached to the associated deliverable “Acceptance Report” posted in GSA AASBS located on the web at https://portal.fas.gsa.gov/web/guest. The invoice shall be submitted on official company letterhead.

For reimbursable expenses, the invoiced charges shall not exceed the limit specified in the contract. No charges shall be paid by the Government, which are not specifically identified in the task and approved in advance by the Government. Copies of receipts, travel vouchers, etc., completed in accordance with Government Joint Travel Regulations and FAR 31.205-46 shall be attached to the invoice to support the charges. Original receipts shall be maintained by the contractor and made available to Government auditors upon request.

The contractor shall submit Requests for Payments in accordance with the format contained in General Services Administration Acquisition Manual (GSAM) 552.232-25, PROMPT PAYMENT (NOV 2009), to be considered proper for payment.

The contractor shall provide the following payment information for GSA use. It must be an exact match with the information under the contract number in the AAS Business Systems Portal, AASBS Contract Registration (not the contractor’s company or individual representative’s registration) as well as with the information under the contractor’s Data Universal Numbering System (DUNS) number in the System for Award Management (SAM), https://www.sam.gov/SAM/. Mismatched information will result in rejected payments.

The contractor shall provide the following information on each invoice submitted:

a. Invoice Number – must not include any special characters; AASBS and the invoice must match

b. ACT Number from GSA Form 300, Block 4

c. GSA Task Order Number – must match AASBS

d. Contract Number from GSA Form 300, Block 3

e. Point of Contact and Phone Number

f. Remittance Address

g. Delivery date or Period of Performance for the billing period

h. Charges, identified by deliverable or line item(s), with a narrative description of the service performed. Labor, reimbursable costs, and other charges (e.g., G&A) must be broken out.

i. Prompt Payment Discount, if offered

j. Total Invoice Amount – must match the acceptance information posted in AASBS; cannot exceed the current task order ceiling

k. Total cumulative task order amount and burn rate

G.4.3 INVOICING PROCESSING GUIDELINES

To ensure invoices are valid and processed timely, the contractor shall follow the guidelines listed herein when submitting invoices and include the required details per the terms and conditions of the contract.

a. Invoice Numbers – Invoice numbers can be up to 14 characters, alpha numeric text only, and no special characters or spaces. AASBS will automatically append to the end of each invoice number the Act#, which is not included in the 14 character limitation. Invoice numbers must be unique, no duplicates allowed.

b. Invoices Crossing Option Periods – Contractors may combine charges for multiple task items over two separate option periods on a monthly invoice for services completed and/or materials delivered or task items with mismatched performance periods completed during the monthly billing period invoiced.

c. Supplemental Invoices – Services must be billed to the month they are incurred. If trailing costs are invoiced, the contractor shall submit a supplemental invoice. If using the same invoice number previously used for the month, the contractor shall add an S following the original invoice number. If more than one supplemental invoice, then the contractor shall add a numeric indicator such as S1, S2, etc.

d. Resubmission of an Invoice – If an invoice has been rejected and the contractor is resubmitting, if using the same invoice number previously used for the month, the contractor shall add an R following the original invoice number. If more than one resubmission is required, then add a numeric indicator such as R1, R2, etc. Resubmissions of invoices shall always include all applicable supporting documentation regardless of whether it was attached to previously rejected invoices.

e. The contractor shall ensure submitted invoices and supporting documentation are submitted in accordance with contract terms and conditions. Invoiced costs posted in AASBS invoices must match the task item and costs on the attached invoice and be within the funded limits.

f. The contractor shall ensure the invoice prices/rates, labor hours, and labor categories conform to the terms and conditions of the contract.

g. The contractor shall ensure Labor Hours for each billed contract line item do not exceed the contract ceiling limit. (If applicable)

h. The contractor shall ensure reimbursable costs are approved, funded, valid, and in the case of time and materials, labor-hour, or cost contracts, costs associated with such other direct costs are allowable and have been determined to be reasonable and directly associated with contract and billed to the correct task item and period they were approved in. For reimbursable line items invoiced, the contractor shall have received prior approval and supporting documentation shall be supplied to support the costs and dates and invoiced amounts do not exceed the line items and total amounts authorized.

i. The contractor shall ensure travel costs are supported having supporting records of Government approval, are approved, funded, and valid by the contract, and billed to the correct task item and period they were approved in.

j. The contractor shall ensure the period of performance invoiced is within the period of performance of the contract and invoiced task items.

k. The contractor shall ensure all subcontractor rates are valid and have been properly reviewed and substantiated by the prime contractor.

G.4.4 FINAL INVOICE/CONTRACT CLOSEOUT

The invoice for final payment must be so identified and submitted within 60 days from task order completion. No further charges are to be billed. The contractor may request an extension of 60 days from the GSA CO to submit the final invoice. Mark with the word FINAL (even if it is a zero amount). Reimbursable travel costs shall be billed at a predetermined rate and are not subject to final rate approval. After the final invoice has been paid, the contractor shall furnish a completed and signed Release of Claims (GSA Form 1142, or equivalent) to the CO. This Release of Claims is due within fifteen calendar days of final payment.

G.5 MEETINGS

The contractor shall organize, attend and/or host, and/or facilitate program meetings as directed by the Government.

The contractor shall provide meeting agendas/presentation material as requested by the COR within two business days of the meeting date. Subsequently as requested by the COR, the contractor shall provide meeting minutes/action items within five business days after meeting.

G.5.1 KICK OFF MEETING

A kickoff meeting provides an opportunity for the Government to provide details of the contract and for the contractor to demonstrate an understanding of the work to be performed and completed under this PWS. Within ten working days of the contract award, the contractor shall attend a kick off meeting in order to review the intent and details of the contract. The meeting will include an orientation and overview of the contact scope and terms and conditions. The location will be a mutually agreed upon after award and may be facilitated by the Contracting Officer. The meeting may be accomplished through telecom or other alternative means.

G.5.2 PERIODIC PROGRESS MEETINGS

The Contracting Officer, COR, and other Government personnel, as appropriate, may meet periodically with the contractor to review the contractor’s performance or progress of outstanding task orders. These meetings shall be at no additional cost to the Government.

END OF SECTION G

H. SPECIAL CONTRACT REQUIREMENTS

H.1 TRAVEL REQUIREMENTS

Travel is required to various CONUS and OCONUS non-hazardous locations. The Contractor shall travel as initiated by written tasking. The contractor shall ensure that travel expenses are incurred in accordance with the Limitations set forth in FAR 31.205-46. Personnel may be deployed to OCONUS locations; therefore, the government COR must approve all travel in advance.

The Government cannot establish the locations and the duration of travel at the time of contract award. OCONUS and CONUS travel will be required to perform under this contract. Prior to contract award, the Government will establish a total not-to-exceed travel budget per performance year. The contractor shall ensure that the requested travel costs will not exceed what has been authorized in the contract.

The contractor incurred actual expenses resulting from Government directed travel are cost reimbursable but are limited by the Government Joint Travel Regulations (JTR) and FAR 31.205-46. Profit shall not be applied to travel costs. The contractor‘s travel indirect rate may be applied in accordance with the contractor‘s disclosed accounting practices. The travel indirect rate over the annual term of the contract is the fixed rate specified in the offeror’s proposal and subsequent contract award. If no travel indirect rate is allowable in accordance with the contractor‘s disclosed accounting practices, no travel indirect rate shall be applied to or reimbursed on these costs. If no travel indirect rate is specified in the offeror’s proposal and subsequent contract award, no travel indirect rate shall be applied to or reimbursed on these costs.

Travel shall be fully detailed on each quotation submitted by the contractor for each TO. The quotation shall include, but not be limited to, the following information in relation to travel: number of personnel traveling; lodging; per diem; transportation; etc. There may be cases when it is necessary to stay at a location other than where the work is performed, where an over per diem situation may arises, this should be denoted on the quotation. Issuance of the task order will constitute approval of travel. Any revisions to the travel estimate between the time of TO award and actual travel should be approved by the COR and Contracting Officer, five business days prior to the travel occurring.

A Travel Expense Summary shall be submitted with the monthly invoice for any travel invoiced, along with receipts for travel expenses. If a traveler obtains lodging through an online booking agent, reimbursement is authorized only when the traveler provides a documented itemized receipt for room costs from the hotel showing the following charges: daily hotel room rates; daily hotel taxes; and daily miscellaneous fees.

The contractor‘s overhead rate (indirect rate) may be applied in accordance with the contractor‘s disclosed accounting practices. The overhead rate over the annual term of the contract is the fixed rate specified in the offeror’s proposal and subsequent contract award. If no overhead rate is allowable in accordance with the contractor‘s disclosed accounting practices, no overhead rate shall be applied to or reimbursed on these costs. If no overhead rate is specified in the offeror’s proposal and subsequent contract award, no overhead rate shall be applied to or reimbursed on these costs.

H.2 OTHER DIRECT COSTS

The contractor may be required to procure supplies, rental equipment, etc. in order to satisfy performance of this contractor. These costs will be associated with the Other Direct Cost CLIN, which is Cost Reimbursable with no fee. Prior to contract award, the Government will establish a total not-to-exceed Other Direct Costs budget per performance year. The contractor shall ensure that the requested Other Direct Costs will not exceed what has been authorized in the contract.

Other Direct Costs shall be fully detailed on each quotation submitted by the contractor for each TO. Any revisions to the Other Direct Costs, after issuance of the TO, should be approved by the COR and Contracting Officer, five business days prior to the expense of the Other Direct Cost.

The contractor‘s overhead rate (indirect rate) may be applied in accordance with the contractor‘s disclosed accounting practices. The overhead rate over the annual term of the contract is the fixed rate specified in the offeror’s proposal and subsequent contract award. If no overhead rate is allowable in accordance with the contractor‘s disclosed accounting practices, no overhead rate shall be applied to or reimbursed on these costs. If no overhead rate is specified in the offeror’s proposal and subsequent contract award, no overhead rate shall be applied to or reimbursed on these costs.

H.3 CONTRACTOR MANPOWER REPORTING

The contractor shall report ALL contractor labor hours (including subcontractor labor hours) required for performance of services provided under this contract for the DEPARTMENT OF ARMY via a secure data collection site. The contractor is required to completely fill in all required data fields using the following web address: http://www.ecmra.mil/, and then click on “Department of the Army CMRA” or the icon of the DoD organization that is receiving or bene-fitting from the contracted services.

Reporting inputs will be for the labor executed during the period of performance during each Government Fiscal Year (FY), which runs October 1 through September 30. While inputs may be reported during the FY, all data shall be reported no later than October 31 of each calendar year, beginning with 2017. Contractors may direct questions to the Help Desk by clicking on “Send an email” which is located under the Help Resources ribbon on the right side of the login page of the applicable Service/Component’s CMR website.

H.4 GOVERNMENT-FURNISHED EQUIPMENT/PROPERTY/SPACE

H.4.1 CONTRACTOR RESPONSIBILITY

The contractor shall be responsible for safeguarding all Government property provided for contractor use. The contractor shall be responsible for Government property in their possession in accordance with the FAR and applicable supplements and shall be in compliance with all applicable guidance and clauses listed in the contract.

H.4.2 RETURN/RETENTION OF GOVERNMENT PROPERTY

All property provided by the Government remains the property of the Government and shall be returned to the Government upon completion of the contract unless the Contracting Officer directs the contractor to retain the property for continued use under a successor contract/order. Retention of the property by the contractor will require modification of both losing and gaining contracts. All Government property shall be returned to the Government in the condition provided unless approved in advance by the CO.

H.4.3 GOVERNMENT SPACE

The government anticipates no Government Furnished Space will be necessary for this task.

H.5 SECURITY REQUIREMENTS

7.1 Security will be in accordance with the attached DD254. Contractor team individual(s) supporting this task will be cleared at the SECRET level at the start of the task, if required. Contractors will not require additional accesses in performance of this effort.