J34 Retail Integration PWS.docx

DLA J34 RETAIL INTEGRATION SUPPORT

PERFORMANCE WORK STATEMENT

I. INTRODUCTION

A. BACKGROUND

Historically, the Department of Defense (DoD) has used a multi-echelon approach to managing supply chain inventory. The military services (MILSVCs) have been responsible for retail inventory in support of the operating units; the Defense Logistics Agency (DLA) has managed wholesale supplies, delivering them to the military service–managed retail inventories.

Following the multi-year effort to complete the implementation of DLA-provided retail supply, storage, and distribution (SS&D) at MILSVC industrial sites (three Air Force Air Logistics Complexes, three Navy Fleet Logistics Centers, and two Marine Corps Production Plants) as directed in the base realignment and closure (BRAC) 2005, additional support is required to achieve process improvements and optimization at these sites. Over the next two years, DLA and the MILSVCs will jointly assess and implement improvements at the existing industrial sites, allowing DLA to manage complete supply chains spanning from the supplier to the production lines, creating a single inventory that can be managed in a more integrated and effective manner.

DLA will leverage tools and procedures such as inventory models for stock positioning, additive manufacturing implementation, and lead time estimation models to implement potential improvements/efficiencies to the integrated wholesale/retail supply chains.

DLA will use multiple inventory models to manage stock positioning in support of both wholesale and retail operations to optimize and integrate into a single inventory. DLA utilizes the warehouse management system to manage physical inventory, receipt, storage, and distribution, and utilizes several methodologies to determine optimal stock positioning including economic movement quantity (EMQ), peak next gen (PNG), inventory optimization (IO), and consumption pull system (CPS). These methodologies combine to identify wholesale material for forward positioning in DLA distribution centers that are both in and outside the continental United States (OCONUS).

Since 2022, DLA has been actively involved in creating and executing their Additive Manufacturing Implementation Plan (AMIP) with the primary goal to ultimately deliver “on-demand” readiness to MILSVCs operating in a contested logistics environment, creating a more agile wholesale/retail supply chain. This effort spans several lines of effort across the entire agency and requires contractor support to continue this implementation over the next few years.

Over-estimation of both acquisition lead times (ALT) and procurement lead times (PLT) can lead to inefficient inventory levels throughout the wholesale/retail supply chain by over purchasing material leading to holding excess inventory. In an austere financial environment, the capital tied up in this excess inventory negatively impacts DLA’s ability to support customers leading to a reduction in MILSVC readiness. A current DLA research and development project used artificial intelligence and machine learning (AI/ML) to create a model to revise the ALT/PLT amounts to properly reflect the actual ALT/PLT of a selected sampling of stock numbers. This stock number group is anticipated to increase, and this model has been approved to be transitioned to the DLA information technology (IT) system to help determine inventory levels. To sustain this model while it is operational, DLA requires specialized contractor support.

B. OBJECTIVES

The contractor will provide the necessary non-personal services and qualified personnel to provide the government with a set of recommendations that will enable DLA J34 to obtain the right technical expertise and analytical project management support needed for the process improvement and optimization phase of this effort. These recommendations align to the government’s specified requirements as defined below.

1. DLA requires programmatic support for assessing DLA’s retail support initiatives and evaluating, improving, and providing recommendations for optimizing current programs, specifically regarding management of wholesale and retail inventories supporting the industrial base and warfighters.

2. DLA requires technical stock positioning expertise with an understanding of the techniques used in government systems and processes such as the Warehouse Management System (WMS), Inventory Management & Stock Positioning (IMSP), EMQ, and IO to assist with the integration of supply chains, distribution, and the MILSVCs inventory management requirements.

3. DLA requires programmatic support to quickly address short-fused strategic supply chain initiatives that help facilitate the use of inventive approaches to help the agency address the evolving and challenging global environment.

4. DLA requires programmatic support for assessing and implementing DLA’s AMIP to include meeting facilitation, meeting minutes, assisting in project planning, preparing briefs, and other administrative work products.

5. DLA requires technical expertise to provide sustainment of a lead time estimation model utilizing AI/ML that is transitioning from a DLA research and development effort to full employment across the agency.

C. SCOPE

The contractor will provide the necessary management, services, personnel, and documentation required to accomplish the tasks described within this performance work statement (PWS).

The scope of this work includes conducting and delivering qualitative and quantitative analysis products and services and providing strategic recommendation products to the government to improve operations and effectiveness throughout the wholesale/retail supply chain. The task areas in this PWS require the contractor to provide subject matter experts with in-depth knowledge of logistics, stock positioning, and data science, specifically related to all aspects of the management of wholesale and retail inventory supporting industrial and operational requirements. The contractor will collaborate with stakeholders from the MILSVCs, OSD, and United States Transportation Command (USTRANSCOM) via meetings and working groups to review both quantitative data and qualitative information to understand the drivers of variability and the effect it has on the end-to-end supply chain. DLA anticipates impacted areas of the end-to-end supply chain to include inventory levels, repair times, storage and distribution support, inventory lead-times, and number of procurement actions.

The contractor’s logistics analyses will then employ the capabilities of various inventory management programs (WMS, IMSP, EMQ, etc.) to aid in the continued development of integrated solutions for inventory management that are managerially and technically sound and adequately resourced to provide desired levels of readiness to support the warfighter. The contracted support work requires the performance of fact-based analyses and evaluations of the DoD supply chain service industrial depots and retail sites, assessment of the effect of changes to readiness, identification of potential benefits and improvements, development of targeted solutions, and application of best business practices to the DoD supply chain to improve performance, efficiency, and responsiveness. This should be accomplished through an integrated approach for managing logistics processes and information including planning, sourcing, producing, maintaining, monitoring, and delivering products to meet service needs.

II. PERFORMANCE REQUIREMENTS

This procurement will be a [KO to complete] under NAICS 541614 with a size standard of $20M.

FAR Clause 52.219-14, Limitations on Subcontracting will be included in the resulting contract. This clause states that the contractor will not pay more than 50% of the amount paid by the government for contract performance to subcontractors that are not similarly situated entities. Contractors will be required to track and report on subcontracting as part of the monthly status report. Additionally, contractors will be required to provide quarterly updates directly to the contracting officer (KO).

Unless otherwise specified, all references to days are considered business days. The contractor will perform actions as necessary to accomplish the objectives stated above as well as the following tasks and deliverables.

A. PROGRAM MANAGEMENT SUPPORT

The contractor is responsible for ensuring accuracy, timeliness, and completion of identified tasks. All deliverables will be provided in accordance with the distribution defined in Section II.L. The contractor will identify a named program manager who will provide management, direction, administration, and quality assurance. Key tasks include:

· Develop and maintain a contractor resource allocation and management plan (A001) for all team members.

· Develop and provide a weekly meeting cadence (A002) that promotes effective and efficient program execution and timely, data-driven decision making.

· Build and execute a project plan (A003) describing the strategic approach to successfully executing the project that defines the project's objectives, scope, timeline, resources, and responsibilities to move activities and initiatives forward.

The contractor will manage schedules; track the status of tasks, activities, and initiatives; and integrate this schedule with the resource allocation and management plan to effectively manage capacity. Key tasks include:

· Establish a continuous operational and process improvement framework (A004).

· Establish and maintain a project risk and issue management plan (A005) to include risk planning, identification, monitoring, and analysis as well as mitigation planning and execution.

B. INVENTORY POSITIONING AND MANAGEMENT

The contractor will provide technical expertise and analytic support of DLA wholesale/retail inventory management and distribution systems. The contractor will support inventory management policies and procedures. Key tasks include:

· Support the execution of daily inventory management programs in the DLA inventory systems, support monthly inventory database runs, perform inventory systems maintenance as required, and provide support for other daily inventory database transactions.

· Conduct monthly inventory analysis, assess opportunities for improving inventory management, provide recommendations in a monthly inventory analysis report (B001), and support the implement inventory positioning decisions.

· Provide inventory positioning requirements advisory and assistance support as required to all DLA distribution locations, supply chains, and DLA Headquarters.

· Utilize existing forecasting models at OSD, DLA, and military service level to improve inventory planning collaboration in the current fiscally challenging environment focusing on improving DLA support at service industrial sites. Produce an annual inventory collaboration findings and recommendations report (B002).

The contractor will provide technical expertise and analytical support of DLA order management policies and procedures in support of wholesale/retail supply chains. Key tasks include:

· Conduct daily monitoring of retail sales orders, emergency retail buy (ERB) local procurement and retail organic manufacturing, and retail requisition alerts and identify actions in a retail alert log (B003).

· Assist in the preparation of supporting program documentation including policy and procedures, briefings, and correspondence as required.

The contractor will provide subject matter expertise and analytical support for both consumable and reparable secondary items to evaluate and enhance support for wholesale/retail inventory located in the continental United States (CONUS) and OCONUS distribution depots. Key tasks include:

· Work with DLA to continuously improve and revise inventory management strategies that determine the appropriate items to place at each depot ensuring support of MILSVC operations. Develop an inventory management improvement process and report (B004) that guides this effort and illustrates outcomes.

· Monitor the effectiveness of the inventory, conduct data analysis on inventory positions, and recommend changes to locations to improve support to the warfighters and maintenance activities.

The contractor will identify trends and provide recommendations to improve inventory processes at the sites. The contractor will support scheduling, preparation of agendas, meeting minutes (B005), distribution of meeting summaries, and track action items.

C. RETAIL/STRATEGIC MANAGEMENT BRANCH PROGRAM SUPPORT

The contractor will provide specialized subject matter expertise in DoD industrial retail processes for both consumable and reparable secondary items. The contractor will provide program management expertise supporting process improvements and optimization of DLA retail support at defense industrial sites and diverse strategic initiatives that directly impact DLA J3 and DLA J34. Key tasks include:

· Collaborate with the depot maintenance, component repair operations, repair prioritization, and readiness-based sparing activities to provide improvement recommendations as required.

· Conduct assessments of current industrial inventory processes and industry best practices and provide recommendations to further optimize the wholesale/retail supply chain. Incorporate findings and recommendations into an overarching DLA retail optimization strategy (C001).

· Assist DLA and the MILSVCs in the development of implementation plans (C002) for any future MILSVC sites that could transition to DLA-provided retail, coordinate the approach with the organizations affected by the changes, and support the implementation.

· Assist in the development of metrics to assess the effectiveness of the industrial retail program as part of the overall retail optimization strategy.

· Identify trends and provide recommendations to improve inventory processes at the sites. Provide results in a retail inventory collaboration findings and recommendations report (C003).

The contractor must provide the appropriate specialized subject matter expertise to support DLA strategic initiatives. Specific initiatives include programmatic and analytical support to the DLA J34 on strategic management issues such as the DLA strategic plan, supply chain strategies, WMS implementation, and warehouse utilization. Key tasks include:

· Track and report on implementation plans, conduct periodic data analysis, coordinate status across the DLA enterprise affected by the changes, and support the implementation as required. Assist in developing metrics to track implementation.

· Support scheduling, preparation of agendas, meeting minutes (C004), distribution of meeting summaries, and track action items.

D. SUPPLY CHAIN STUDIES/SHORT-TERM PROJECT CELL

The contractor will provide the appropriate subject matter expertise to support short-notice studies of emerging issues affecting DLA J34’s work supporting the DLA supply chains and other key J3 and J34 initiatives including transitioning DLA research and development projects to sustainment and F-35 Logistics IT transition support. Key tasks include:

· Conduct data analysis and AI and ML use cases (D001) as required and assist with developing business case analyses to assess options based on the project scope and intent. For quote purposes, assume three AI and ML use cases per year.

· Work with DLA to develop implementation plans (D002), coordinate the approach with the organizations affected by the changes, and support the implementation. For quote purposes, assume three implementation plans per year.

· Prepare supporting program documentation including policy and procedures, briefings, and correspondence.

· Support scheduling, preparation of agendas, meeting minutes (D003), distribution of meeting summaries, and track action items.

· Provide organic analytic modeling capability/data warehousing to display and correlate DoD weapon system availability, cost, inventory, readiness, and transactional data with DLA inventory management to provide agile capability to support short-fused taskers involving current and future DLA strategic management/retail support.

E. ADDITIVE MANUFACTURING PROCESS INTEGRATION SUPPORT

The contractor will provide the appropriate subject matter expertise to support the Additive Manufacturing (AM) Process Integration Program Office. Key tasks include:

· Support the facilitation of monthly AM integrated project team (IPT) meetings related to process gap solutions. The contractor will develop gap solution plans of action and milestones (POAMs) (E001) and integrate them into an overarching POAM and update the business capability management (BCM) enterprise tool for tracking progress. The contractor will update BCM with progress on POAMs as required.

· Support government coordination with the Federal Cataloging Committee and OSD for research and development and acquisition and sustainment on policy recommendations.

· Identify steps for identification of AM candidates among top aged backorders and coordinate the identification process across the DLA enterprise. Provide this list on a quarterly basis in the top aged backorders AM candidate list (E002).

· Maintain a dashboard for real-time status of technical/quality and procurement action AM use cases. Support the AM IPT in developing additional use cases (E003) as required.

· Provide industry perspective and guidance and recommend DLA actions to implement improvements. Collaborate with DLA J7 and provide research/input on business case analysis for digital direct vendor network.

F. LEAD TIME ESTIMATION MODEL SUSTAINMENT SUPPORT

The contractor will provide the appropriate subject matter expertise to support the transition of the sustainment of the lead time estimation (LTE) model from a DLA research and development project to a fully operational model that is continuously updated as it evolves. Key tasks include:

· Refine and update the LTE model to improve DLA’s business outcomes.

· Assist DLA with a working group to investigate sub-populations of items that may benefit from deviation from the LTE model.

· Retrain the lead time machine learning models quarterly as a minimum with monthly re-training as required.

· Develop a training plan (F001) and provide training on machine learning models to DLA material planners. For quote purposes, assume three training courses per year.

· Perform analyses and implement any necessary modifications to the LT machine learning models based on phenomenon specific to individual supply chains and/or item groupings. Annotate modifications in the LT machine learning model annual report (F002).

G. TRANSITION PLAN

If there is a change in contractor or if the operation reverts to DLA, the contractor will provide phase in/out orientation as detailed below.

During the phase-in orientation period, the incumbent contractor will continue to be fully responsible for performance requirements and cooperate to the extent required to permit an orderly changeover to the successor. Weekly status reporting will be required of each contractor. The contractors will be required to keep the government (contracting officer’s representative (COR) and KO) informed of any problems or issues and their current status.

The contractor is required to submit a transition plan (G001) within 10 days of performance start. This plan should include the following:

1. Process to phase-in key and non-key personnel.

2. Methodology/plan on how the contractor’s team will be able to seamlessly take over all existing procedures and operating processes.

3. Methodology/plan for efficient and effective knowledge transfer from the outgoing contractor.

4. Schedule for completion of all transition activities.

If there is a change in contractor or if the operation reverts to DoD, the contractor will provide phase-out orientation. Phase-out orientation (G002) will begin as soon as possible after the changeover is directed. During the phase-out orientation period, the incumbent contractor will be fully responsible for performance requirements and cooperate to the extent required to permit an orderly changeover to the successor. Weekly status reporting will be required of each contractor. The contractors will be required to keep the government (COR and KO) informed of any problems or issues and their current status.

Should the contract be terminated for any reason, within five days after notification of termination the incumbent will submit for approval to the COR and KO a transition plan outlining how knowledge transfer from the incumbent to government and/or contract personnel will take place. This plan must, at a minimum, include details on:

1. Describe how knowledge transfer of all procedures and operating processes will be communicated to the personnel taking over those duties.

2. Describe all documentation that will be turned over and document where it is maintained.

3. Schedule for completion of all transition activities.

4. Describe how contractor personnel will complete out-processing.

H. REGULAR RECURRING MEETINGS

Regular recurring meetings will be held. The COR will determine the specific date, time, place, agenda, and meeting forum for regular recurring planning meetings. These will occur at least bi-weekly, unless specified as more frequently by the COR. The contractor’s program lead must attend all recurring meetings.

The contractor must schedule a kick-off meeting (H001) within 10 days of the performance start date.

I. DELAY NOTICE MEMORANDUMS (DNMs) Should the contractor become aware of any major/minor issues during the execution of the contract, a delay notice memorandum (DNM) will be submitted to document the impact to tasks or deliverables. DNMs will be submitted to the COR. The COR will provide written approval of the DNM to the KO, who will provide the official written approval to the contractor. Any DNMs resulting in changes to contract terms will require the issuance of a modification.

Use of DNMs is one method to foster communication, which is a critical success factor to this effort. The DNMs are intended to provide DLA with immediate feedback regarding matters that may pose a potential risk to the contractor’s ability to complete the work as planned (either scope of coverage or timeline), to identify new impediments, or to otherwise communicate critical matters to DLA management that have not been specifically defined as a contract deliverable. The DNMs should provide enough information regarding the background, scope of the issue, condition, and cause and effect to enable decisions to be made regarding alternate or additional procedures.

Format and content for the DNMs will be developed by the contractor and approved by the government.

J. DEFICIENCY REPORTS

The government plans to provide feedback to the contractor on deficiencies using deficiency reports (DRs), which will be categorized into two areas: minor contract non-conformance and major contract non-conformance.

Deliverables or performance that fail to meet or comply with contractual requirements will be identified as non-conformances with this determination being made by the KO. The COR will provide a summary of the issue referencing the specific task area/PWS requirement that the contractor did not meet as well as the objective evidence that supports the COR’s conclusion no later than two business days after the non-conformance discovery to the KO. If the KO determines a non-conformance has occurred, a DR will be issued.

Minor non-conformance: A minor non-conformance is a non-conformance, which by itself may not adversely impact mission, safety of personnel and/or equipment, performance (quality), schedule (delivery), or cost. A minor non-conformance normally does not increase risk to the government. Minor non-conformance issues may start to become worrisome to the government and could result in a major non-conformance if not resolved in a timely manner. Examples include unauthorized travel, multiple minor spelling or grammar errors in reports, an untimely report, etc.

Major non-conformance: A major non-conformance is a non-conformance that adversely impacts (or has the reasonable potential to impact) mission, safety of personnel and/or equipment, performance (quality), schedule (delivery), or cost. A major non-conformance also increases risk to the government. An example of increasing risk would be a significant number of recurring non-conformances, which indicates inadequate preventive measures or corrective actions, thus lowering the government’s confidence that quality services will be provided on time. Examples include inaccurate or insufficient information in reports, numerous spelling or grammar issues in reports, multiple untimely reports, etc.

The COR must document contractor performance as well as the scope and purpose of any inspections. Documentation of all inspections and acceptances will be maintained by the COR and uploaded into the Surveillance Performance Module (SPM) of the Procurement Integrated Enterprise Environment (PIEE). The COR will also assess and rate contractor performance as it relates to contract requirements in accordance with the quality assurance surveillance plan (QASP) (see section J. QASP). Performance assessment may include emails from the COR, non-conformance notifications, DRs, and annual contract performance assessment reports (CPARs). Each builds on the other and provides a thoroughly documented history of contractor performance.

The COR may perform inspection/surveillance at any time during contract performance in accordance with FAR Clause 52.212-4. The results of any inspection/surveillance must be provided to the KO and uploaded into SPM. The COR will retain all contract and inspection documentation through contract close-out.

K. DELIVERABLES

The contractor is required to create and maintain all documentation, records, and schedules described within this PWS, which become the property of the government to include any/all draft documentation.

All deliverables will be inspected for conformance to contract requirements. At the discretion of the government, inspection may include validation of information or testing of the deliverables.

The government requires a period not to exceed 10 business days after receipt of deliverable item(s) for inspection, acceptance, or rejection.

The government will use the following criteria as the basis for accepting deliverables:

· Compliance with the requirements set forth in this PWS.

· See Section II.R. Contractor Travel for details of what the government will accept for reimbursement of travel costs.

· Reports and document deliverables will be accepted when all discrepancies, errors, or other deficiencies identified in writing by the government have been corrected to the government’s satisfaction.

· The contractor will submit all deliverables electronically to the COR and KO. Electronic copies must also be posted to any identified repository if requested by the COR. The electronic copies must be compatible with Microsoft Office or other applications as appropriate and mutually agreed to by the parties. All documents must be editable by the government.

· For new items or for those where the government has not provided a format, the contractor will propose a best commercial practice and submit for government approval.

· All government comments on deliverables must be adjudicated within review timelines.

For all deliverables, the government review will be within 10 business days and resubmission by the contractor within 10 business days after receiving comments. Timelines are based on the receipt of the email. Any email received before noon EST is considered day one of the review period. For example, a deliverable submitted on Monday, January 27, 2020 before noon must have comments received by 5pm EST Friday, February 7, 2020. Emails received after noon EST will have review period starting the following day. Using the same example, a deliverable submitted on Monday, January 27, 2020 afternoon EST will have comments required by COB Monday, February 10, 2020. System delays/lag time are not within control of the contractor or government personnel. Deliverables/comments will not be considered late if the emails are timestamped within the appropriate timeframes regardless of when they are actually received on the recipient’s system. For example, if a deliverable is shown to have been sent by 5pm EST on the due date; however, it does not show up in the government’s system until that evening or the next day, the deliverable is considered to be on time.

If government acceptance is not provided in writing within 10 business days, the deliverable is considered ‘accepted’. The government can request additional time for review/comment for initial deliverables only; however, the additional time cannot exceed 10 business days (20 business days total from receipt of the initial deliverable), and the request must be submitted/agreed to in writing prior to the expiration of the initial 10-day review period. The government will have five business days to review deliverable resubmissions. If the government does not provide written acceptance of the resubmittal within five business days, the deliverable is considered ‘accepted’. There will only be one resubmission per deliverable unless agreed upon between the government and the contractor using the following escalation procedures.

Any disagreements between the government and the contractor regarding deliverable acceptance should be escalated to the KO as soon as possible (preferably within the comment/resubmission period). If the COR or contractor has reason to believe a deliverable will not be accepted, or will require multiple resubmissions, the KO should be notified immediately. Issues with deliverables that cannot be resolved between the contractor, COR, and KO will require a meeting that includes the COR’s supervisor. The KO will provide final disposition of the deliverable based on the outcome of the meeting.

L. DELIVERY SCHEDULE

All “days” identified in this PWS are business days unless otherwise specified. If deliverables are inadvertently scheduled for a weekend/holiday, then the due date becomes the next business day. The end-of-day for deliverables is 5pm eastern time.

M. QUALITY ASSURANCE SURVEILLANCE PLAN (QASP)

In fulfillment of this effort, the contractor will provide the deliverables identified in this PWS. All deliverables must be submitted to the COR and KO. The government QASP will be used as the basis for reviewing each deliverable.

Final inspection and acceptance of all work performed, reports, and other deliverables will be performed at the place of delivery by the COR. The format for the individual deliverables will be determined through negotiation between the COR and the contractor or as specified in the PWS. Products that reflect the contractor’s analysis and opinion (e.g., studies, analyses, etc.) may be in contractor format, except where the government has provided a preferred format. Electronic documents will be provided in the appropriate Microsoft Office format (e.g., Word or PowerPoint). If appropriate, the government may ask that they be provided in compressed or PDF format.

The QASP may be updated from time to time as necessary. In accordance with the QASP, the government will assign a monthly performance rating to the contractor per the table below. Based on the performance rating, the government reserves the right to reduce invoice payments.

NOTE: The application of these performance ratings or failure of the government to apply these performance ratings does not waive any of the government’s rights to damages under this contract.

Disincentives will be applied for ratings of “Marginal” and “Unsatisfactory” as follows:

Satisfactory = 100% payment

Marginal = -20% disincentive

Unsatisfactory = Payment will be withheld pending resolution of TODR(s) and/or cure notice(s). When payment is made, a -30% disincentive will apply. Termination for cause may result.

Note: Contractors will be required to rework deliverables that do not meet contract requirements. The performance standards/ratings will be used in evaluating performance and for determining the amount of the payment owed to the contractor upon satisfactory resolution of any DR(s) and/or cure notice(s) issued. These ratings will only apply to the FFP CLINs on the contract.

N. MONTHLY STATUS REPORTS

Monthly status reports (N001) are required. The contractor will document the efforts performed in the completion of each task in a detailed monthly status report due to the COR on the 5th of each month detailing the previous month’s performance. A copy of the report must also be submitted to the KO. The written monthly status report must include, at a minimum:

1. Progress for the period: detailed progress report of activities and accomplishments during the reporting period, variance analysis, and summary of work accomplished during the reporting period.

2. Resource status: detailed report of any staffing issues/turnover.

3. Government-furnished equipment: detailed list of any/all equipment provided (including CACs) to include assigned personnel and serial numbers.

4. Strategy revisions: recommended changes to include any lessons learned (may include a description of prior month’s progress in summary and by task).

5. Review of problems encountered: identification of any problems, issues, or delays and recommendation of resolution, and any corrective action that was taken to correct identified problems that may affect the completion of planned projects, schedule, or funding.

6. Identification of risks and mitigation plan.

7. Identify future travel requirements.

8. Activities planned for the next reporting period as well as the status of any deliverables including planned delivery dates and actual delivery dates.

9. If necessary, a weekly review between contractor representatives and the COR, CS, and KO may be held to discuss program status and potential problems that may adversely impact program cost or schedule.

O. QUALITY CONTROL PLAN (QCP)

The contractor must submit a quality control plan (QCP) (O001) that must outline the processes that the contractor will implement to ensure that the staffing and procedures for self-inspecting the quality, timeliness, responsiveness, and other performance requirements in the PWS are met. The QCP must address what processes will be implemented to ensure that non-conforming deliverables are corrected in a timely manner and the procedures in place to ensure non-recurrence. Additionally, the QCP should document how quality control will become an integral part of the everyday efforts of the contractor and how senior management will be proactive in ensuring quality of performance and deliverables throughout the engagement. The QCP must be submitted within 10 days after the award.

The development and maintenance of the QCP is a specific contractor deliverable. The QCP must be approved by the COR prior to execution. The QCP will contain the tasks that are anticipated to be performed by the contractor during the performance period. It will also outline the scope, methodology, critical success factors, timelines with checkpoints, resource requirements, and any other factors required to ensure the success of the contract. The main purpose of the QCP is to communicate expectations between DLA and the contractor. As such, the QCP will be modified as the work progresses to adjust tasks, timelines, or other elements as circumstances warrant. The QCP must include a detailed timeline that includes a series of agreed upon “checkpoints” that will be used to monitor progress and trigger go/no-go decisions. All changes to the QCP will be agreed upon by the COR and the contractor at task initiation or at any of the designated task checkpoints based upon DLA business rules.

The format and content for the QCP will be developed jointly by the government and contractor.

The contractor must develop, implement, and maintain a comprehensive inspection system that ensures compliance with all requirements of the contract. As part of the inspection system, the contractor must develop and implement procedures to identify, correct, and ensure non-recurrence of unacceptable services/deliverables.

The contractor is required to control the quality of services and offer to the government for acceptance only services that conform to contract requirements.

The contractor must develop and submit a QCP within 10 business days after the contract award. The contractor will make appropriate modifications within five business days of the COR’s notification and provide a revised QCP within five business days.

The contractor’s QCP must include details specific to the contract requirements that outline how the deliverables will be met in accordance with the contract requirements.

At a minimum, the contractor’s QCP must contain the following items:

1. Objectives in Services Summary

a. Review process for each contract deliverable to ensure government acceptance and validation.

b. Non-conformances

2. A description of how records will be kept. Records must document all inspections and any corrective or preventive actions taken.

3. A description of how oversight will be conducted to ensure work meets or exceeds PWS requirements.

The contractor will update the plan as changes occur and changes must be submitted for review by the COR on an as needed basis.

The contractor will maintain records of inspection that are available to the government throughout the contract performance period and for the period after contract completion until the final settlement of any claims under this contract.

P. MANAGEMENT REPORTS

A management report (P001) is required at the end of the contract within five business days of the performance end date. Management reports are intended to be a permanent record of all work performed to accomplish the contract objectives and must directly correlate back to the PWS objectives, the final approved QCP, and compliance with socioeconomic participation goals (if applicable).

The format and content for the management reports will be developed by the contractor and agreed upon by the COR. The management reports must include the following subject areas:

· Executive summary limited to three pages

· Background

· Objectives and scope

· Applicable criteria

· Approach and methodology

· Results/findings

· Materiality and prioritization suggestion

· Recommendations and implementation plan

· Other related observations include recommendations for continuing or follow up efforts related to the contract and recommendations for new focus areas.

· Additional information can be included as proposed by the contractor.

· Compliance with socioeconomic goals.

· Early alerts of problems or concerns the contractor is encountering.

Q. WEEKLY STATUS REPORTS

The contractor must provide the government with weekly reports detailing the contractor’s activities in support of the tasks outlined in the PWS. The report cannot be consolidated with other reports and must be provided NLT 5pm on Tuesday after each weekly period.

R. CONTRACTOR TRAVEL

The contractor may be required to travel in support of this contract as authorized by the government. Travel will be reimbursed in accordance with the Federal Travel Regulations (FTR) and based on actuals only. The contractor is not authorized to include any other costs such as G&A, profit, or fee on top of travel costs. The contractor must provide a detailed travel plan to the COR for approval no less than five business days prior to travel. If the government requests travel that does not allow for the five days, the COR can approve a waiver on a case-by-case basis. The travel plan must include the name, location, purpose, dates of travel, and a breakdown of anticipated travel expenses (hotel, rental car, airfare, etc.). The contractor must utilize the most efficient travel method applicable considering all modes of travel. All travel arrangements must be coordinated in advance with the COR. The contractor must utilize the best available commercial lodging rate for the traveling personnel and must utilize the meal and incidental rates based on the area wherein work is performed. The contractor must submit travel receipts as part of the invoice submission for reimbursement. Long-term travel, defined as any travel exceeding a cumulative 90 days for an individual, is not anticipated.

Travel expenses without corresponding receipts or documentation will result in a DR. Any travel performed without government pre-approval will not be reimbursed and will result in a DR. See DR section for escalations.

Local Travel. Reimbursement for travel within the designated local area boundaries (50 miles) of the place of performance is not authorized.

The contractor will provide a trip report to the COR (R001) detailing all analysis of activities accomplished during travel within three business days following the completion of the travel. The report must include a summary of the completed work, work location, other support provided, and any significant contacts with government personnel.

S. CONTRACTOR PERSONNEL REQUIREMENTS

This contract is a non-personal services contract as defined in FAR 37.101. The contractor and the contractor’s employees: (1) will perform the services specified herein as independent contractors, not as employees of the government; (2) will be responsible for their own management and administration of work required and bear sole responsibility for complying with any and all technical, schedule, or financial requirements or constraints in performance of this contract; (3) will be free from supervision or control by any government employee with respect to the manner or method of performance of the services specified; but (4) must, pursuant to the government’s right and obligation to inspect, accept, or reject the work, comply with such general direction of the KO or COR to ensure accomplishment of the contract requirements.

The contractor must provide skilled, experienced, professional, and/or technical personnel for successful accomplishment of the work to be performed under this contract. All personnel performing under this contract must be US citizens and cannot have citizenship of any other countries (e.g., dual or tri citizenship).

The government is providing an estimate of labor categories and hours to include examples of the education, experience, and specialized certifications required. The specialized experiences listed are the minimum requirements for this contract. The estimated range of hours for the personnel and required support is expected to be approximately 17,390 hours for the base year period of performance.

Note: The hours listed for the labor categories are only approximations; it is the contractor’s responsibility to determine the appropriate labor mix to ensure successful performance.

Contractor personnel must present a neat appearance and be easily recognized as contractor employees by wearing their identification badge/CAC at all times while on government premises. When contractor personnel attend meetings, answer phones, and work in other situations where their status is not obvious to third parties, they must identify themselves as contractors to avoid creating the impression that they are government employees. Further, signature blocks of contractors should identify that they are contractors and when contractors send out emails on behalf of government personnel during this engagement then those emails must be marked “Sent on behalf of name of government personnel”. Additionally, all email communications sent by contractors to government personnel must copy the COR and KO unless otherwise directed by the KO.

Contractor personnel may be required to take online training courses such as anti-terrorism…