OFCCP Mentorship Program - Draft PWS.docx

GENERAL INFORMATION

Description of Services/Introduction:

This request for contract is for a virtual mentorship program and facilitation services. The Contractor shall provide all personnel, equipment, tools, software, materials, supervision, other items, and non-personal services necessary to perform mentorship program development and facilitation services for the Office of Federal Contract Compliance Programs (OFCCP) as defined in this Performance Work Statement (PWS). Except as specified in Part 3 as Government furnished equipment.

Background:

The OFCCP protects workers, promotes diversity, and enforces the law. OFCCP holds those who do business with the federal government (contractors and subcontractors) responsible for complying with the legal requirement to take affirmative action and not discriminate based on race, color, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, religion, national origin, disability, or status as a protected veteran. In addition, contractors and subcontractors are prohibited from discharging or otherwise discriminating against applicants or employees who inquire about, discuss, or disclose their compensation or that of others, subject to certain limitations.

Objectives:

The objective of this requirement is to obtain the services of a vendor with full-service mentoring software and mentoring educational services to develop and facilitate a mentorship program, the components of which, can be tailored to address OFCCP’s unique needs.

Scope:

The following tasks define the scope of work. The Contractor shall provide sufficient personnel in number, training, qualifications, technical expertise and both professional and administrative skills to perform the work described herein. The Contractor shall provide all program management, technical management, and administrative support to perform all work identified in the PWS. The Contractor shall provide all labor, software, and tools necessary to perform requirements identified in this PWS.

Period of Performance:

A contract for one 12-month base period and four additional option periods is required.

Base Period: November 30, 2022 – November 29, 2023 Option Period one: November 30, 2023 – November 29, 2024 Option Period Two: November 30, 2024 – November 29, 2025 Option Period Three: November 30, 2025 – November 29, 2026 Option Period Four: November 30, 2026 – November 29, 2027

The Government reserves the right to extend the term of this contract at the prices set forth in Section B in accordance with the terms and conditions contained in clause 52.217-9 entitled, “Option to Extend the Term of the Contract”.

General Information The Contractor shall not perform any additional or increased tasks and/or incur additional cost without approval from the Contracting Officer Representative and prior written consent of the Contracting Officer. All written consent will be provided through contract modification. Any additional work or cost incurred without prior written approval by the Contracting Officer may be at the Contractor’s own risk and will result in an adverse past performance rating.

Quality Control:

The contractor shall develop and maintain an effective quality control program to ensure services are performed in accordance with this PWS. The contractor shall develop and implement procedures to identify, prevent, and ensure non-recurrence of defective services. The contractor’s quality control program is how he assures himself that his work complies with the requirement of the contract. As a minimum, the contractor shall develop quality control procedures that address the areas identified in Technical Exhibit 1, “Performance Requirements Summary”. After acceptance of the quality control plan, the contractor shall receive the contracting officer’s acceptance in writing of any proposed change to his QC system. The QC Plan shall be delivered 30 days after contract award.

Quality Assurance:

The government shall evaluate the contractor’s performance under this contract in accordance with the Quality Assurance Surveillance Plan. This plan is primarily focused on what the Government must 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 the minimum acceptable defect rate(s).

Government Remedies:

The contracting officer shall follow FAR 52.212-4, “Contract Terms and Conditions-Commercial Items” or 52.246-4, “Inspection of Services-Fixed Price” for contractor’s failure to perform satisfactorily services or failure to correct non-conforming services.

Recognized Holidays:

Juneteenth Day Hours of Operation/Place of Performance:

The contractor is responsible for virtual meetings with OFCCP staff, when requested, between the hours of 8:00am to 5:00pm Eastern Time, Monday through Friday, except Federal holidays or when the Government facility is closed due to local or national emergencies, administrative closings, or similar Government directed facility closings.

The Contractor shall ensure that the mentoring software and platform are available to OFCCP users seven days a week, 24 hours a day. The Contractor shall always maintain an adequate work force for the uninterrupted performance of all tasks defined within this statement of work when the Government facility is not closed for the above reasons. When hiring personnel, the Contractor shall keep in mind that the stability and continuity of the work force are essential. Teleworking is authorized under this contract.

Type of Contract:

The government anticipates award of a firm, fixed price contract.

Security Requirements:

Contractor-owned/provisioned systems: The Contractor agrees to ensure that all Contractor-owned/provisioned systems used to store or process data under this order comply with all applicable Federal information security directives, acts, laws, regulations, standards, and guidelines.

The Contractor shall ensure implementation of the respective security controls catalogued in the current version of NIST Special Publication 800-171, “Protecting Controlled Unclassified Information in Nonfederal Systems and Organizations”.

The Contractor shall ensure the security settings for systems and applications selected for integration into any systems used to store or process DOL data are configured as prescribed by the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) at http://checklists.nist.gov or, if not available from NIST, by those recommended by the manufacturers of the commercial off-the-shelf (COTS) products.

Per NIST 800-171, the DOL reserves the right to request the system security plan and any associated plans of action for any planned implementations or mitigations.

In instances where the Contractor finds that a security control does not apply, the Contractor may request an exception. Any exceptions must be approved in writing by the DOL.

DOL reserves the right to review and approve or disapprove all the security safeguards instituted to comply with the requirements of this contract.

DOL also reserves the right on behalf of itself and the Government to conduct security compliance reviews as deemed appropriate to ensure compliance with all security policies and directives, including unannounced security inspections of the Contractor's facilities and approved worksites.

Reviews may involve inspection of the facilities, technical capabilities, documentation, records, databases, operations, and procedures provided for the performance of any work under this contract.

The Contractor shall support security inspections conducted by Government auditors or other Government representatives, as designated by the COR. DOL data physically and/or electronically maintained at the Contractor’s worksites will be sufficiently segregated from any other data the Contractor maintains to facilitate DOL security inspections. No other obligations on the part of the Contractor may restrict DOL access to Contractor facilities where DOL information is maintained. The Contractor may not put forth legal qualifications for, or in any way restrict, DOL access to these systems or facilities for the purpose of determining compliance with contract requirements.

Based on such security inspections, the COR may require specific measures in cases where the Contractor is found to be non-compliant with contract requirements. The Contractor shall implement such measures as soon as possible without additional cost to the Government and support additional reviews as necessary to confirm actions taken to correct defects and deficiencies.

The Contractor must continuously monitor their systems that store or process DOL data for any indication of a breach of data confidentiality, integrity, or availability. The Contractor must notify the COR and the DOL Computer Security Incident Response Team (DOLCSIRC@dol.gov) within one hour of any actual or suspected breach of DOL data. The Contractor will support DOL personnel and any of their designees (e.g., FBI, DHS) in the investigation of the breach.

Contractor use of a Cloud Service Provider (CSP) to service DOL sensitive information must be through an authorized FedRAMP vendor and the vendor’s FedRAMP package must be reviewed and approved by DOL prior to use. DOL information must have defined access controls and be encrypted at rest and in transit using FIPS-validated cryptography to prevent unauthorized access.

Personnel Identity Verification (PIV): All Contractor employees selected to work under this contract at DOL controlled facilities with an appointment over six months must be issued a Personnel Identity Verification (PIV) card in accordance with Homeland Security Presidential Directive 12 (HSPD-12), Policy for a Common Identification Standard for Federal Employees and Contractors.

Upon submission of required PIV documents, Contractor employees will be granted temporary access. If the required forms are not submitted, no access will be granted and no claim against the Government will occur.

The Government shall exercise full and complete control over granting, withholding, or cancelling clearances for contract employees. The Government may grant temporary clearances to employees of the Contractor; however, the granting of a temporary clearance shall not be considered an assurance that full clearance shall in no way prevent, preclude, or bar the withdrawal or termination of any such clearances by the department.

Account Issuance: If any contract employees must be issued DOL Local Area Network (LAN) IDs, then each such employee must agree to abide by DOL network “Rules of Behavior” prior to receiving an ID. In addition, staff who are issued LAN IDs will need to follow DOL separation procedures. These procedures will be provided to the Contractor through the COR. The Contractor will assume responsibility that these procedures are followed.

Cybersecurity and Privacy Training: (Per Contracting Officer Notice 2018-31) Where required and applicable, contractor employees, including employees of subcontractors at any tier, shall complete any DOL designated and hosted training, that the Contracting Officer's Representative (COR) identifies as mandatory. Training shall be completed in a timeframe specified by the COR. Time spent on training shall be counted as regular hours worked.

Accessibility/Section 508 Compliance: 508 Usability Standards: In 1998, Congress amended the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 to require Federal agencies to make their Information and Communication Technology (ICT) accessible to people with disabilities. The law (29 U.S.C. § 794 (d)) applies to all Federal agencies when they develop, procure, maintain, or use electronic and information technology (“Section 508”).

Under Section 508, agencies must give disabled employees and members of the public access to information that is comparable to the access available to others. For information about the Section 508 Information and Communications Technology (ICT) Accessibility Standards, the contractor may visit http://www.Section508.gov and https://labornet.dol.gov/itc/it/Section508/. Evaluation shall be done in accordance with the Department of Homeland Security’s (DHS) Trusted Tester Program (https://www.dhs.gov/trusted-tester).

Information and Communication Technology (ICT) includes, but is not limited to, computers, printers, software applications (including systems and their components), telecommunications products (such as telephones), information kiosks and transaction machines, Internet/Intranet sites, multimedia, electronic documents, and office equipment such as copiers and fax machines.

The Contractor is required to provide ICT that is accessible to people with disabilities, in full conformance with Section 508. The contractor shall ensure that its ICT – including all documentation (project artifacts, system documentation, deployment instructions, user guides, training materials, reports, etc.) – allow Federal employees and members of the public with disabilities access and use of information and data that is comparable to the access afforded Federal employees and members of the public who are not individuals with disabilities.

Physical Security.

The contractor shall be responsible for safeguarding all government property provided for contractor use. At the close of each work period, government facilities, equipment, and materials shall be secured.

Key Control.

The Contractor must provide the necessary personnel to accomplish each task listed in the statement of work. Qualifications for key personnel positions are identified below. In their response to this request, Contractors should propose appropriate time commitments for key staff. Other staff, their roles, experience, and time commitments should be identified as well. Please see important additional information on access to sensitive information and non-disclosure for key personnel.

The following key personnel required for this project extensive experience developing and executing results-oriented programs.

· Client Success Manager (CSM) – to manage the project and coordinate with OFCCP program staff.

Post Award Conference/Periodic Progress Meetings:

The Contractor agrees to attend any post award conference convened by the contracting activity or contract administration office in accordance with Federal Acquisition Regulation Subpart 42.5. The contracting officer, Contracting Officers Representative (COR), and other Government personnel, as appropriate, may meet periodically with the contractor to review the contractor's performance. At these meetings, the contracting officer will apprise the contractor of how the government views the contractor's performance and the contractor will apprise the Government of problems, if any, being experienced. Appropriate action shall be taken to resolve outstanding issues. These meetings shall be at no additional cost to the government.

Contracting Officer Representative (COR):

A COR will be delegated separately.

Contract Manager:

The contractor shall provide a contract manager who shall be responsible for the performance of the work. The name of this person and an alternate who shall act for the contractor when the manager is absent shall be designated in writing to the contracting officer. The contract manager or alternate shall have full authority to act for the contractor on all contract matters relating to daily operation of this contract.

Identification of Contractor Employees:

All contract personnel attending meetings, answering Government telephones, and working in other situations where their contractor status is not obvious to third parties are required to identify themselves as such to avoid creating an impression in the minds of members of the public that they are Government officials. They must also ensure that all documents or reports produced by contractors are suitably marked as contractor products or that contractor participation is appropriately disclosed.

DEFINITIONS & ACRONYMS

PWS. Performance Work Statement

Contracting Officer’s Representative (COR). A representative from the requiring activity assigned by the Contracting Officer to perform surveillance and to act as liaison to the contractor

Defective Service. A service output that does not meet the standard of performance associated with it in the Performance Work Statement.

DOL. Department of Labor

OFCCP. Office of Federal Contract Compliance Programs

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

Quality Control. Those actions taken by a contractor to control the performance of services so that they meet the requirements of the PWS.

Quality Assurance. Those actions taken by the government to assure services meet the requirements of the Performance Work Statement.

Performance Work Statement (PWS)

GOVERNMENT FURNISHED PROPERTY, EQUIPMENT, AND SERVICES

0. General:

Government provided facilities, equipment, materials, will not be provided.

0. Facilities:

Remote. The contractor will furnish necessary equipment to perform the effort(s) outlined in this PWS remotely, at a location other than a government-owned or contractor-owned facility. If deemed necessary, the Government may issue, at its discretion, supplemental equipment (e.g., computing equipment).

CONTRACTOR FURNISHED ITEMS AND SERVICES

4.1 General:

Except for those items specifically stated to be government furnished in Part 3, the contractor shall furnish everything required to perform this PWS.

4.2 Clearance:

The Contractor is not required to have any specific security clearance to work on this task order.

PART 5 SPECIFIC TASKS

5.1 Basic Services:

1. Mentorship Software

The Contractor will provide an online mentoring program software platform – Software as a Service (SaaS) and administer mentoring services. The contractor will:

· Customize applications and matching criteria.

· Provide program surveys via the platform, which has a survey tool built in that can be used to set up and send program feedback surveys.

· Provide customized branding – the contractor will create an OFCCP landing page and participant portal

· Provide automated communications to drip feed ‘nudges’.

· Provide a matching algorithm to optimize mentor/mentee matching which uses a unique bulk match algorithm – optimized across the whole matching pool at once.

· Integrate with Microsoft Teams and Zoom for messaging and video calls.

2. Program Administration

The Contractor will project manage the program and coordinate with OFCCP. From getting the platform ready, to opening applications, and delivering the final report. The contractor manages all interactions with potential and matched participants. Telephone messages will be responded to within 24 hours and platform emails will be answered by the next business day.

3. Program Engagement

The Contractor will plan and facilitate five program webinars per cohort:

a. Information Session – a 45–60-minute webinar attended by potential applicants. Program information is outlined and a Q&A session is provided. This improves the quality of the applications because attendees understand the program requirements and purpose, and therefore submit more thoughtful applications.

b. Program Launch – a 60-minute webinar to welcome all matched pairs and ensure their expectations are aligned, prepare first-timers to engage, and make sure that everyone is well-informed about where to find everything they need to succeed.

c. Progress Review – two 60–75-minute webinars, run separately for mentors and mentees. The mentee session gathers important program and pairing feedback, troubleshoots issues, encourages late starters, and provides motivation for the second half of the program. The mentor session is similar but adds some new, more nuanced perspectives on mentoring to continue the mentors’ path to mastery.

d. Program Close – one 60-minute webinar for all program participants, to celebrate success and gather final program feedback.

4. Program Evaluation

The Contractor will disseminate three evaluations to gather data. The Contractors will follow up with non-responders with platform reminders, SMS messages and phone calls. The Contractor will analyze the data and provide a comprehensive report that combines an analysis of the survey feedback and feedback provided during the webinars, with recommendations.

5. Training

The Contractor will provide training to OFCCP program managers, mentors and mentees. At a minimum, the Contractor will offer:

· Art of Mentoring Online Training for your mentors and mentees to include a training resource with 90 minutes of video demonstrations and downloads.

· An online Mentoring Program Manager Training to help OFCCP Program Manager learn how to design and manage a mentoring program.

· One-on-one training on how to use the platform to drive OFCCP’s program – 3 training sessions.

· Goal-setting workshops for mentors and mentees, hosted by experienced program consultants.

6. Program Resources

The Contractor will provide program resources to support OFCCP’s mentorship program. Resources will include articles, booklets, tips and guides, videos and tools) for mentors and mentees.

PART 6 APPLICABLE PUBLICATIONS

6.1 Publications Applicable to This PWS:

The publications must be coded as mandatory or advisory, the date of the publication, and what chapters or pages are applicable to the requirement? All publications listed are available via the Internet.

TECHNICAL EXHIBIT 1

Performance Requirements Summary The contractor service requirements are summarized into performance objectives that relate directly to mission essential items. The performance threshold briefly describes the minimum acceptable levels of service required for each requirement. These thresholds are critical to mission success.

Types of Surveillance:

100 Percent Inspection: Appropriate for tasks that occur infrequently. Inspect and evaluate performance each time task is performed Please Note: Any additional surveillance method used in the commercial market which is not listed here to surveil the required service may also be used.

Performance Objective

Surveillance Frequency

PRS # 1.

Mentorship Software (Ref. Section 5.1, #1)

PRS # 2

Program Administration (Ref. Section 5.1, #2) *Ensure that all documents are clear, accurate, well-written, grammatically correct, and sensitive to cultural context and target audience.

*Contractor will submit timely work products with minimal or no errors.

*Any rework required will be completed immediately with little or no need for additional rework.

PRS # 3

Program Engagement (Ref. Section 5.1, #3)

. *Ensure that all documents are clear, accurate, well-written, grammatically correct, and sensitive to cultural context and target audience.

*Contractor will submit timely work products with minimal or no errors.

*Any rework required will be completed immediately with little or no need for additional rework.

*Contractor provided timely, courteous customer service, and was responsive to all OFCCP requests.

PRS # 4

Program Evaluation (Ref. Section 5.1, #4)

*Ensure that all documents are clear, accurate, well-written, grammatically correct, and sensitive to cultural context and target audience.

*Contractor will submit timely work products with minimal or no errors.

*Any rework required will be completed immediately with little or no need for additional rework.

*Provide a detailed, clear and concise analysis of feedback and recommendation.

PRS # 5

Training (Ref. Section 5.1, #5)

*Ensure that all documents are clear, accurate, well-written, grammatically correct, and sensitive to cultural context and target audience.

*Contractor will submit timely work products with minimal or no errors.

*Any rework required will be completed immediately with little or no need for additional rework.

*Contractor provided timely, courteous customer service, and was responsive to all OFCCP requests.

PRS # 6

Program Resources (Ref. Section 5.1, #6)

*Ensure that all documents are clear, accurate, well-written, grammatically correct, and sensitive to cultural context and target audience.

*Contractor will submit timely work products with minimal or no errors.

*Any rework required will be completed immediately with little or no need for additional rework

TECHNICAL EXHIBIT 2

Task/Deliverables Schedule In addition to other deliverables that may be specified elsewhere in this order, the Contractor shall complete and deliver for acceptance by the COR and/or Contracting Officer, all task items in accordance with the stated delivery schedule, and other applicable terms of this order.

Title Delivery

Timeframes (Weeks) Indicative Timeline

Project Approval completed and returned, and payment received