IR Workshop Courses - Performance Work Statement_Draft 2.7.25.docx

Appendix A NGB-IR Annual Workshop

PERFORMANCE WORK STATEMENT (PWS)

FOR

National Guard Bureau – Internal Review (NGB-IR) Annual Workshop Training Courses

1.0 General:

1.1 Scope: The contractor shall provide all personnel, materials, equipment, supervision, and quality control necessary, except as specified in Paragraph 3.0 as Government Furnished, in providing the NGB-IR Annual Workshop Training Courses, as defined in this PWS.

1.2 Background: The NGB-IR office is an objective and independent audit activity serving the Chief, National Guard Bureau (Chief, NGB). NGB-IR provides a full array of audit services for the NGB, Army National Guard (ARNG), and Air National Guard (ANG). NGB-IR is the office of primary responsibility in providing policy, oversight, and training to the States, Territories, and the District of Columbia’s (States henceforth) Internal Review (IR) offices. Each year, historically, (but subject to change) at the end of May or early June, NGB-IR hosts an annual workshop for the States IR offices at a predetermined location. The purpose of the annual workshop is to discuss topics/areas pertaining to the audit environment in the Federal Government (e.g. Department of Defense (DoD), Department of Army (DA), Department of Air Force (DAF) and the National Guard (NG)) and to provide training opportunities for all NG auditors.

Specialized training courses at the annual workshop provides NG auditors the opportunity to increase their competencies and meet continuing professional education (CPE) requirements specified in the Comptroller General of the United States’ Generally Accepted Government Auditing Standards (GAGAS). To allow for continued growth and new opportunities for the NG IR audit community, NGB-IR schedules and rotates different courses on a year-by-year basis. Courses NGB-IR intends on providing the NG IR audit community at the annual workshops under this contract are the following:

Courses

Specific course details such as description, topics, course length, and maximum class size can be reviewed under Appendix A (see page 16).

1.3 Period of Performance (PoP): The contract will be for one (1) base year and four (4) option years, for a total of five (5) years. The contract will cover eight (8) weeks each year to allow the contractor to meet the annual workshop requirements which includes developing, designing, and/or modifying an existing course, submitting course materials, instructing the course, and transmitting the required certifications.

· Base Year - 27 April 2025 to 21 June 2025

· Option Year 1 - To Be Determined (TBD)

· Option Year 2 - TBD

· Option Year 3 - TBD

· Option Year 4 - TBD

1.4 General Information:

1.4.1 Quality Control (QC): The contractor shall develop and maintain an effective QC Plan (QCP) to ensure services are performed in accordance with this PWS. The contractor shall develop and implement procedures to identify, prevent, and ensure nonrecurrence of defective services. The contractor’s QCP is the means by which it assures itself that its work complies with the requirements of the contract. As a minimum, the contractor shall develop QC procedures that address the areas identified in Technical Exhibit 1, Performance Requirements Summary (PRS). A final QCP shall be submitted to the Contracting Officer Representative (COR) NLT 10 days (days are always referred to as calendar unless otherwise noted; see FAR 33.101) after contract award. After acceptance of the QCP, the contractor shall obtain the Contracting Officer’s (KO’s) acceptance in writing of any proposed changes to its QCP.

1.4.2 Quality Assurance (QA): The Government will evaluate the contractor’s performance under this contract in accordance with the Quality Assurance Surveillance Plan (QASP). This plan is primarily focused on what the Government will do to ensure that the contractor has performed in accordance with the performance standards. It defines how the performance standards will be applied, the frequency of surveillance, and acceptable quality level(s) or defect rate(s).

1.4.3 Recognized Holidays: Please refer to the Department of State Acquisition Regulation (DOSAR 652.237-72 Observance of Legal Holidays and Administrative Leave) for recognized United States (US) holidays each year. However, Federal Holidays may also include any other day designated by Federal law, Executive Order, or Presidential Proclamation. Contractor will likewise recognize these days as holidays unless the Program is deemed “Mission Essential.” If the program is deemed “Mission Essential,” the Government and Contractor shall work to ensure minimum manning levels and/or tasks continue. If the Program is determined to be “Mission Essential” or the status of the program changes to “Mission Essential” during performance, the Contractor shall submit a short, but formal plan to the Government describing how they intend to maintain contract performance on Federal Holidays and other recognized holidays, in additional to last minute closures due to inclement weather, etc. Mission essential functions (MEF) are described in DoD Instruction 3020.42.

1.4.4 Place and Performance of Services: The contractor shall provide in-person instruction between the hours of 07:45 to 17:15 on Tuesday through Friday for the predetermined week and location for each annual workshop (see below).

3225 158th Ave SE Bellevue, WA 98008

The contractor shall at all times maintain an adequate work force for the uninterrupted performance of all tasks defined within this PWS. When hiring personnel, the contractor shall keep in mind that the stability and continuity of the work force are essential.

1.4.4.1 Telework: (Reserved) The Government may permit telework by contractor employees when determined to be in the best interest of the Government in meeting work requirements. In furtherance of Continuity of Operations Planning (COOP), a telework program may be enacted to ensure that the Government's mission-critical operations stay operational during times of national emergency or incidents of national significance. Telework shall be at no additional cost to the Government. Telework is not permitted for the instruction of the courses provided at the annual workshop. In-person instruction is a requirement.

1.4.4.2 Unscheduled gate closures by the Security Police may occur at any time causing all personnel entering or exiting a closed installation to experience a delay. This cannot be predicted or prevented. Contractors are not compensated for unexpected closures or delays. Vehicles operated by contractor personnel are subject to search pursuant to applicable regulations. Any moving violation of any applicable motor vehicle regulation may result in the termination of the contractor employee’s installation driving privileges.

1.4.4.3 The contractor’s employees shall become familiar with and obey the regulations of the installation; including fire, traffic, safety and security regulations while on the installation. Contractor employees should only enter restricted areas when required to do so and only upon prior approval. All contractor employees shall carry proper identification with them at all times and shall be subject to such checks as may be deemed necessary. The contractor shall ensure compliance with all regulations and orders of the installation which may affect performance. The Government reserves the right to direct the removal of an employee for misconduct, security reasons, or any overt evidence of communicable disease. Removal of contractor employees for reasons stated above does not relieve the Contractor from responsibility for total performance of this contract.

1.4.5 Security Requirements. The contractor shall comply with all applicable installation/facility access and local security policies and procedures, which may be obtained from the COR. The contractor and all associated subcontractor employees shall provide all information required for background checks to meet installation access requirements to be accomplished by installation Provost Marshal Office, Director of Emergency Services or Security Office. The contractor shall ensure compliance with all personal identity verification requirements as directed by Department of Defense (DoD), Headquarters Department of Army (HQDA) and/or local policy. Should the Force Protection Condition (FPCON) change, the Government may require changes in contractor security matters or processes.

1.4.5.1 For contractors that do not require a CAC, but require access to a DoD facility or installation: Contractor and all associated sub-contractors employees shall comply with adjudication standards and procedures using the National Crime Information Center Interstate Identification (NCIC-III) and Terrorist Screening Database (TSDB) (Army Directive 2014-05/AR 190-13), and applicable installation, facility and area commander installation/facility access, and local security policies and procedures (provided by a government representative).

1.4.5.2 Communications Security/Information Technology (COMSEC/IT) Security. All communications with DoD organizations are subject to COMSEC review. All telephone communications networks are continually subject to intercept by unfriendly intelligence organizations. DoD has authorized the military departments to conduct COMSEC monitoring and recording of telephone calls originating from, or terminating at, DoD organizations. Therefore, the contractor is advised that any time contractor personnel place or receive a call they are subject to COMSEC procedures. The contractor shall ensure wide and frequent dissemination of the above information to all employees dealing with DoD information. The contractor shall abide by all Government regulations concerning the authorized use of the Government's computer network, including the restriction against using the network to recruit Government personnel or advertise job openings.

1.4.6 Physical Security. The contractor shall safeguard all Government property provided for contractor use. At the close of each day at the annual workshop, Government equipment and materials shall be secured with the Government Technical Point of Contact (GTPOC) and/or Designated NGB-IR Representative.

1.4.7 Post Award Conference/Periodic Progress Meetings: The contractor agrees to attend any post award conference convened by the KO in accordance with FAR Subpart 42.5. The KO, COR and other Government personnel, as appropriate, may meet periodically with the contractor to review the contactor’s performance. At these meetings, the KO will apprise the contractor of how the Government views the contractor’s performance and the contractor shall apprise the Government of problems, if any, being experienced. The contractor shall resolve outstanding issues raised by the Government. Contractor attendance at these meetings shall be at no additional cost to the Government.

1.4.8 Contract Manager (CM): The contractor shall designate a CM who shall ensure performance under this contract. The name of this person, and an alternate who shall act for the contractor when the CM is absent, shall be designated in writing to the KO. The CM or alternate shall have full authority to act for the contractor on all contract matters relating to daily operation of this contract. The CM shall work through the KO to resolve issues, receive technical instructions, and ensure adequate performance of services. The CM shall ensure that contractor employees do not perform any services outside the scope of the contract without an official modification issued by the KO. The CM shall ensure contractor employees understand that services performed outside the scope of the contract are performed wholly at the expense of the contractor.

1.4.9. (Reserved) Combating Trafficking in Persons: The United States Government has adopted a zero-tolerance policy regarding trafficking in persons. Contractors and contractor employees shall not engage in severe forms of trafficking in persons during the period of performance of the contract; procure commercial sex acts during the period of performance of the contract; or use forced labor in the performance of the contract. The Contractor shall notify its employees of the United States Government’s zero tolerance policy, the actions that will be taken against employees for violations of this policy. The contractor shall take appropriate action, up to and including termination, against employees or subcontractors that violate the US Government policy as described at FAR 22.17.

1.4.10 Contractor Travel: Travel is required under this contract. The contractor shall travel to the predetermined annual workshop location for the in-person instruction. The contractor will be authorized travel expenses consistent with the substantive provisions of the Joint Travel Regulation (JTR) and the limitation of funds specified in this contract. All travel requires COR recommendation for approval and/or authorization by the KO prior to travel arrangements being made.

Before undertaking travel in performance of this contract, the contractor shall notify and have their travel approved by the COR. The contractor shall prepare and submit a Travel Authorization Request for Government review and approval no later than (NLT) ten (10) days prior to travel. The Travel Authorization Request, at a minimum, shall include the number of persons traveling, traveler’s name and destination, duration of stay, purpose, and estimated cost.

The contractor is responsible for the shipment of any required training aids/materials/equipment needed for the courses instructed at the annual workshop.

1.4.11 Data Rights: The Government has unlimited rights to all documents/materials 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 KO. 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.

1.4.12 Organizational Conflicts of Interest (OCI): The contractor and subcontractor personnel performing services under this contract may receive, have access to or participate in the development of proprietary or source selection information (e.g., cost or pricing information, budget information or analyses, specifications or work statements, etc.) or perform evaluation services which may create a current or subsequent OCIs, as defined in FAR Subpart 9.5. The contractor shall notify the KO immediately whenever it becomes aware that such access or participation may result in any actual or potential OCI and shall promptly submit a plan to the KO to avoid or mitigate any such OCI. The contractor’s mitigation plan will be determined to be acceptable solely at the discretion of the KO. In the event the KO unilaterally determines that any such OCI cannot be satisfactorily avoided or mitigated, the KO may impose other remedies as he or she deems necessary, including prohibiting the contractor from participation in subsequent contracted requirements which may be affected by the OCI.

2.0 Definitions and Acronyms:

2.1 Definitions:

2.1.1 Contractor: A supplier or vendor awarded a contract to provide specific supplies or service to the government. The term used in this contract refers to the prime.

2.1.2 Contracting Officer (KO): A person with authority to enter into, administer, and or terminate contracts, and make related determinations and findings on behalf of the government. Note: The only individual who can legally bind the government.

2.1.3 Contracting Officer Representative (COR): An employee of the U.S. Government designated by the KO to monitor contractor performance. Such appointment will be in writing and will state the scope of authority and limitations. This individual has authority to provide technical direction to the Contractor as long as that direction is within the scope of the contract, does not constitute a change, and has no funding implications. This individual does NOT have authority to change the terms and conditions of the contract.

2.1.4 Defective Service: A service output that does not meet the standard of performance associated with the PWS.

2.1.5 Deliverable: Anything that can be physically delivered and includes nonmanufactured things such as meeting minutes or reports.

2.1.6 Key Personnel: Contractor personnel that are evaluated in a source selection process and that may be required to be used in the performance of a contract by the PWS. When key personnel are used as an evaluation factor in best value procurement, an offer can be rejected if it does not have a firm commitment from the persons that are listed in the proposal.

2.1.7 Physical Security: Actions that prevent the loss or damage of Government property.

2.1.8 Quality Assurance: The government procedures to verify that services being performed by the Contractor are performed according to acceptable standards.

2.1.9 Quality Assurance Surveillance Plan (QASP): An organized written document specifying the surveillance methodology to be used for surveillance of contractor performance.

2.1.10 Quality Control: All necessary measures taken by the Contractor to ensure that the quality of an end product or service shall meet contract requirements.

2.1.11 Subcontractor: One that enters into a contract with a prime contractor. The Government does not have privity of contract with the subcontractor.

2.1.12 Support: The contractor’s current support and maintenance services program for the audit management software.

2.1.13 User Documentation: Any course materials, syllabi, exercises, samples, graphs, illustrations, examples, etc. User documentation can be hard-copy or electronic.

2.2 Acronyms:

3.0 Government Furnished Property, Material, Equipment and Services (GFP/M/E/S): The Government will provide the property, material, equipment, and/or services listed below solely for the purpose of performance under this contract:

· Projector;

· Electric and internet capability for the instructor and students;

· A table and chair for the instructor;

· Tables and chairs for the students;

· Attendance Sheets; and

· Students will bring their own laptop and applicable computer equipment (e.g. power cord, mouse, etc.) to each session.

4.0 Contractor Furnished Property, Materials, and Equipment (CFP/M/E):

4.1 General: Except for those items specifically stated to be Government-Furnished in Paragraph 3.0, the contractor shall furnish everything required to perform these services as indicated in Paragraph 1.1. Specifically required CFP/M/E for the in-person instruction for each contracted course and session include:

· All applicable course materials (e.g. syllabi, exercises, data-sets, samples, graphs, illustrations, examples, etc.)

· An instructor laptop that has a High-Definition Multimedia Interface (HDMI) port and is capable of connecting to and displaying on a Government furnished projector;

· A HDMI to Video Graphics Array (VGA) connector adapter that is capable of connecting to and displaying on a Government furnished projector; and

· All applicable computer equipment (e.g. power cord, mouse, etc.) for the instructor’s laptop.

5.0 Requirements: The contractor shall:

5.1 Course Design:

5.1.1 Design, develop, and/or modify an existing course to meet the course description, course topics, course length, and maximum class size required by NGB-IR for that year’s annual workshop (see 5.3 Instruction). The course description, course topics, course length, and maximum class size for the required courses are detailed in Appendix A (see page 16).

5.1.2 Electronically submit the drafted course to the GTPOC and/or Designated NGB-IR Representative for comments and edits three weeks (21 days) before the scheduled session. Adjust the course to account for any comments or edits provided by the GTPOC and/or Designated NGB-IR Representative.

5.1.3 Finalize the course and submit it electronically to the GTPOC and/or Designated NGB-IR Representative for final approval two weeks (14 days) before the scheduled session.

5.2 Course Materials:

5.2.1 Provide course materials (hard-copy or electronic) including data-sets, samples, charts, graphs, illustrations, examples, etc. for each student. Contractor is responsible for the shipment and delivery of any hard-copy materials. Contractor shall submit any electronic materials five (5) days before the scheduled session to the GTPOC and/or Designated NGB-IR Representative. The GTPOC and/or Designated NGB-IR Representative will provide the student roster for the course ten (10) days before the scheduled session.

5.3 Instruction:

5.3.1 Instruct the course, in-person, at the annual workshop. Classroom location will be provided by the GTPOC and/or Designated NGB-IR Representative 30 (30) days before the scheduled session. Classrooms will be accessible the day before each scheduled session. Classroom size will be limited to the maximum amount of students detailed for each course in Appendix A (see page 15).

5.3.1.1 Instruct the following courses, in-person, for the fiscal year (FY) 2025 annual workshop at the Embassy Suites by Hilton, 3225 158th Ave SE, Bellevue, WA 98008:

5.3.1.2 Option Year 1 (2026) - TBD

5.3.1.3 Option Year 2 (2027) - TBD

5.3.1.4 Option Year 3 (2028) - TBD

5.3.1.5 Option Year 4 (2029) - TBD

5.4 Attendance:

5.4.1 Track attendance each day by having each student sign the Government furnished attendance sheets. This shall be completed at the beginning of each day and when the students return from lunch. Attendance sheets shall be given to the on-site GTPOC and/or Designated NGB-IR Representative at the end of each day. There will be a minimum of one break prior to lunch and a minimum of one break after lunch. Students will be provided a minimum one-hour break for lunch. Lunch will not be provided by the Government. The contractor is responsible in getting their own lunch.

5.5 Certificates:

5.5.1 Issue National Association of State Boards of Accountancy (NASBA) qualifying certificates to each student who fully attended (see 5.3.1 Attendance) the instructed course. NASBA qualifying certificates shall specify the minimum:

· Student’s name, as provided on the attendance sheet (see 5.3.1 Attendance);

· Course completed;

· Training type (e.g. Group Live);

· Dates the course took place (e.g. 3-4 June 2025);

· CPE credits hours earned (e.g. a two-day session earns 16 CPE credit hours);

· Field of study (Auditing (Governmental)); and

· Authorizing individual and organization.

5.5.2 Electronically send each student’s NASBA qualifying certificate to the GTPOC and/or Designated NGB-IR Representative by the following dates:

5.5: Contractor Manpower Reporting Application (CMRA):

5.5.1 The contractor shall report ALL contractor labor hours (including subcontractor labor hours) required for performance of services provided under this contract for the National Guard Bureau via a secure data collection site.

5.5.2 The contractor shall completely fill in all required data fields using the following web address: www.sam.gov. Reporting inputs shall 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 any time during the FY, all data shall be reported no later than October 31 of each calendar year, beginning with 2020. Contractors may direct questions to the help desk at www.sam.gov.

6.0 Applicable Publications: Publications applicable to this PWS are listed below:

Federal Acquisition Regulation

Defense Federal Acquisition Regulation Supplement

Army Directive 2014-05 Policy and Implementation Procedures for Common Access Card Credentialing and Installation Access for Uncleared Contractors

AR 190-13

The Army Physical Security Program

DoDD 5400.11 Department of Defense Privacy Program

/dir.html#

6.1 Applicable Forms: Forms applicable to the PWS are listed below:

DD 441

Department of Defense Security Agreement

DD 250

Material Inspection and Receiving Report

TECHNICAL EXHIBIT 1

Performance Requirements Summary (PRS)

This PRS includes performance objectives the Government will use to determine contractor performance and will compare contractor performance to the Acceptable Quality Level (AQL).

5.1 Course Design

5.2 Course Materials

5.3 Instruction

5.4 Attendance

5.5 Certificates

TECHNICAL EXHIBIT 2

Deliverables Schedule

PWS

Reference / Deliverable Title

of Copies

5.1.2 Course Design

5.1.3 Course Design

5.2.1 Course Materials Hard-copy materials are due at the beginning of each session.

OR

Electronic materials are due five (5) before the scheduled session.

OR

Electronic materials will be in Microsoft Word, Microsoft Excel, or Adobe PDF.

Hard-copy materials will be delivered in-person to each student attending the course.

OR

Electronic materials will be sent to the GTPOC and/or Designated NGB-IR Representative.

5.4.1 Attendance Sheets

5.5.2 Certificates

W9133L20F4015

NGB-IR Annual Workshop

NGB-IR Annual Workshop

TRAINING COURSE REQUIREMENT LIST

(Hours) Maximum Class Size

· Recognizing fraud indicators (red flags) in contracts, grants, and government purchase card (GPC) audits

· Strategies in quantifying suspected fraud, waste, abuse, and noncompliances

· Process in reporting suspected fraud, waste, and abuse and it’s impact to on-going audits

· Understanding how AI can enhance data-driven decision making in audits

· Evaluating AI products for reliability and quality

· Understanding of an internal control

· Techniques in assessing an internal control

· Internal control deficiencies

· Reporting on internal controls

· Delivering feedback

· Navigating difficult conversations

· Writing clear and concise audits reports and presentations, both verbal and visual

· Feedback (positive and negative)

· Handling difficult situations and conversations

· Establishing and monitoring goals

· Writing in a neutral and professional tone and style

· Effective writing tools and techniques

· Basic to Intermediate Microsoft Power Business Intelligence (PowerBI) functions such as Extract Transform Load (ETL) framework, power query, and visualizations

· Solving complex problems

· Identifying opportunities

· Qualities and habits of critical thinkers