P01_PWS Building Better.docx

I. BACKGROUND

The mission of the Department of Veterans Administration (VA) is to honor America’s Veterans by providing exceptional care that improves their health and well-being. VA will continue to be the benchmark of excellence and value in health care and benefits by providing exemplary services that are both patient-centered and evidence-based.

In accordance with the Caregivers and Veterans Omnibus Health Services Act of 2010, (Pub. L. No. 111-163), VA is responsible for the development and implementation of training and support programs for caregivers of Veterans. As part of this training initiative, VA has developed an evidence-based online workshop for caregivers of Veterans. In order to accommodate caregiver schedules, the online workshop is conducted via a feedback forum, or other format that allows caregivers the ability to login at any hour to view and submit their input. This online workshop allows caregivers to share their experiences, increase their skills in problem solving and develop skills and confidence in managing difficult behaviors, with a goal of increasing caregiver self-care, while guided by a workshop content developed by VA through this contract.

II. DEFINITIONS

· Contractor – The entity performing the contract

· CSP – VA Caregiver Support Program

· PM – Program Manager

· CO – Contracting Officer

· COR – Contracting Officer’s Representative

· ACOR – Alternate Contracting Officer’s Technical Representative

III. APPLICABLE DOCUMENTS

Documents referenced or germane to this performance work statement (PWS) are listed below. The Contractor shall be guided by the information contained in the documents in performance of this PWS.

1. 44 U.S.C. § 3541, “Federal Information Security Management Act (FISMA) of 2002”

2. FIPS Pub 201, “Personal Identity Verification of Federal Employees and Contractors,” March 2006

3. 10 U.S.C. § 2224, "Defense Information Assurance Program"

4. 5 U.S.C. § 552a, as amended, “The Privacy Act of 1974”

5. 42 U.S.C. § 2000d “Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964”

6. An Introductory Resource Guide for Implementing the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) Security Rule, March 2005

7. Sections 504 and 508 of the Rehabilitation Act (29 U.S.C. § 794d), as amended by the Workforce Investment Act of 1998 (Pub. L. No. 105-220)

8. Caregivers and Veterans Omnibus Health Services Act of 2010 (Pub. L. No. 111- 163)

IV. SCOPE OF WORK

The Contractor shall provide the resources necessary to accomplish the tasks as described in this PWS. The Contractor shall provide and deploy the Stanford University clinically designed, evidence based, Building Better Caregivers (BBC), web-based, 6–8-week, online workshop that allows caregivers to share their experiences and increase their skills in problem solving and managing difficult behaviors, with a goal of improving caregiver self-care. The Contractor shall provide, maintain, and update core workshop content which shall be used as the basis for the workshop. The core workshop content shall be maintained and updated in accordance with VA approval. The workshop will be conducted online and shall provide core workshop content and facilitators available in both English and Spanish. Each workshop will cover a series of topics and be conducted over a 6-to-8-week period that allows caregivers the ability to login at any hour. The Contractor shall regularly monitor the forums and follow protocols developed during the initial implementation. The Contractor will staff the workshops with trained facilitators that will provide input and feedback to caregivers who participate in the workshops. All personnel, workshop content, services, and workshops will be provided by the Contractor to CSP enrolled caregivers.

V. PERFORMANCE DETAILS

A. PERFORMANCE PERIOD

The period of performance for this contract will be a 12-month base period and four 12-month option periods that may be exercised at VHA’s discretion. The total duration of this contract shall not exceed five years.

The Contractor shall be available for collaboration with VA staff between the hours of 8:00 am – 5:00 pm Eastern Time, Monday-Friday, excluding Federal Holidays.

B. PLACE OF PERFORMANCE

Tasks associated with the updates and maintenance of these workshops shall be performed at the Contractor’s facilities or as otherwise agreed upon by both parties. Travel is not required in the performance of this contract.

VI. SPECIFIC TASKS AND DELIVERABLES

The Contractor shall perform the following tasks.

Task 1. Management Plan

The Contractor shall provide a Management Plan (MP). The MP shall be approved by the PM/COR and updated as needed. The MP shall take the form of both narrative and/or graphic format that explains how it will complete the tasks outlined in this PWS.

The MP shall include:

· Overall approach

· Approach for virtual learning

· Technical approach for data management and integrity

· Identify overall risks & plans to mitigate risks

· Timeline

· Tools

· Schedule

· Milestones

· Referral process

· Harm reduction protocol and response to Veterans/caregivers at risk in response to concerning communication from Veterans/caregivers

· Plan for data collection and reports – routine and special requests

Task 2. Reporting Requirements

The Contractor shall report monthly, bi-annual, and annually to the PM/COR. The progress reports shall include all work completed during the reporting period, a summary of data collected from all previous monthly reports, and work planned for the subsequent reporting period. The report shall also identify any complaints that arose and a description of how they were resolved. If complaints have not been completely resolved, the Contractor shall provide an explanation. The Contractor shall notify the PM/COR in writing, within 24 hours, if concerns arise that may adversely impact the performance of the Contract. The Contractor may need to provide up to 6 additional reports, as requested, by PM/COR.

Monthly Progress Report:

0. Caregiver Access to Workshop and Completion Report

0. Number of Participants Referred, Number Who Began the Workshop and Number Who Completed the Workshop monthly

0. Dates completed

0. VISN Summary and Program Data Report Monthly

0. Translation efforts/services

0. Alumni Community Data – Enrollment

Bi-Annual Report

0. Participant Satisfaction Survey Report

0. Top Themes and Issues raised by caregivers participating in Workshops and Alumni Community

0. The Contractor shall provide metrics for the evaluation of the effectiveness of the online workshop and Alumni Community. Upon any changes of existing metrics by the Government, data collection will begin. Evaluation metrics must be approved by the PM/COR prior to implementation of new metrics.

Annual Report/Presentations

The Contractor shall provide a report annually in written and presentation format to the Caregiver Support Leadership, and PM/COR containing the criteria below

0. Participant Satisfaction Survey Report

0. Completion rates

0. Demographics of caregiver participation

0. Summary of enrollment efforts

0. Trending data from prior years as applicable

0. Translation services

0. Presentations to VA Caregiver Support Staff via webinar formats to provide guidance and education on the workshop content up to three times a year at the request of the Program Manager.

Task 3. Registration

The Contractor must maintain the registration process, and register referred caregivers into the Building Better Caregiver workshop. The registration shall include:

0. Entering Caregiver Information (name, email address, etc.)

0. Verifying CARMA Numbers

0. Enrollment: Program of Comprehensive Assistance for Family Caregivers (PCAFC) or Program of General Caregiver Support Services (PGCSS)

0. VISN No.

0. Referral Associations/Source

Task 4. Workshop Participants

The Contractor shall ensure that workshops shall contain a minimum of fifteen caregivers but no more than 35 caregivers. Workshops will begin within two weeks after the minimum number of fifteen caregivers has been met. The length of each workshop shall be no less than 6 weeks and no more than 8 weeks. The workshop website will also consist of a short online tutorial or video for new participants discussing functions and features

The Contractor shall have staff monitoring online workshops daily, at least once during a 12-hour period, while a workshop is active. The Contractor will staff the workshop with professionally trained staff, including at least two facilitators who will provide input and feedback to caregivers who participate in the workshop and one supervisor who is a licensed provider. The licensed provider will supervise the facilitators and intervene directly in crisis circumstances or serious situations. Contractor staff should have substantial experience and expertise in serving the needs of CSP eligible caregivers of Veterans of all eras.

Task 5. Workshop Design, Update, and Maintenance

The Contractor shall design, build, host and maintain an online workshop following the guidance provided in VA 6102 Handbook which can be found at www.va.gov/vapubs and the VA Web Best Practices Guide found at VA Section 508 Office which will provide specific direction for the establishment, management, and maintenance of all VA websites as well as all external websites that represent the VA. The workshop website will also consist of a short online tutorial or video for new participants discussing functions and features.

The literacy level of the workshop material must meet VA’s requirement of a 7th grade education. Illustrations and photographs must be representative of the Veteran population and the CSP caregivers being served. The CSP will make subject matter experts available for consultation to the Contractor as needed.

Task 6. Workshop Content and Updates

The Contractor shall work in collaboration with the PM/COR to provide workshop content and updates for caregivers. The workshop content shall include, but is not limited to increasing caregiver understanding and skill in the following areas:

· Problem Solving

· Goal Setting

· Communicating with the Veteran and Health Care Provider

· Understanding and responding to:

· Frustration/Anger/Aggressiveness

· Memory and Attention Problems

· Sleep Difficulties

· Impulsivity or Difficulties with Self- Control

· Suicide Awareness and Prevention

Task 7. Referral Process

The Contractor must maintain the referral process that allows Caregiver Support Staff and other VA staff to refer caregivers, monitor the progress, and verify the completion status of caregivers participating in the workshop. The Contractor shall use the VA CSP confirmation tool to verify caregiver eligibility. Referrals will then be validated by the Contractor through the VA CSP tool.

The Contractor will review and update the processes to allow Caregiver self-referrals as directed by the CSP office.

The Contractor must maintain and update, as needed, the referral process that allows CSP staff to refer, monitor the progress, and verify the completion status of caregivers participating in the workshop.

Task 8. Follow-on Online Support Community

The Contractor will update, maintain, and staff an online support community for caregivers who have completed the Building Better Caregivers (BBC) 6-8-week workshops. The site is a portal that will include online peer discussion boards monitored by trained facilitators. Other functions include a library for resources, forums, calendar, blogs, group directory, wikis, and member profiles. The purpose of the community is to engage BBC workshop graduates in ongoing support from fellow participants and continued access to relevant workshop tools. As with the BBC workshops the online community will be monitored for safety and appropriate online behavior and will only be available for caregivers of veterans that have completed the workshops.

Task 8. Informational Flyer or Brochure

The Contractor shall design, update, and maintain an informational flyer or brochure on the workshops via Word format in English and Spanish. The Contractor shall provide the electronic word documents to the National Caregiver Support Program Office for approval and national distribution. The Contractor will also provide a final version of the flyer to VA CSP via Adobe PDF and Microsoft Word. It is expected that materials developed will be in compliance with VHA’s content and style guide VA.gov content style guide - VA.gov Design System.

Task 10. Spanish Translation Requirements

The Contractor will be required to translate (as needed) content and informational flyers and/or brochures from English to Spanish. Language translation shall be provided by certified language services.

· Online training

· Written materials (flyers, brochures, etc.)

· Live customer service

VII. QUALITY ASSURANCE SURVEILLANCE PLAN (QASP)

Performance Standards define required performance for specific tasks. The Government performs surveillance to determine if the contractor exceeds, meets or does not meet these standards. The Government may utilize a quality assurance surveillance plan (QASP), or other methods to compare contractor performance to the acceptable performance levels (APLs).

Methods of Surveillance:

Various methods exist to monitor performance. The COR shall use any or several of the surveillance methods listed below in the administration of this QASP.

1. 100% Inspection (evaluates all outcomes) - By the 15th of the following month, the COR shall review all of the contractor’s performance/generated documentation and document results accordingly. This assessment shall be placed in the COR’s QA file.

2. Random Sample - The COR shall review a random sampling of the contractor’s performance/generated documentation and document results accordingly. This assessment shall be placed in the COR’s QA file.

3. Validated Customer Complaints or Validated Below Average APL in a Specific Area - By the 15th of the following month, the COR shall review the contractor’s performance/generated documentation corresponding to a validated customer complaint or validated inability to perform in accordance with the APL in a specific area and document the results accordingly. This assessment shall be placed in the COR’s QA file.

Frequency of Measurement:

During performance, the COR will periodically analyze whether the negotiated frequency of surveillance is appropriate for the work being performed, and at a minimum, shall be once per month.

Acceptable Performance Levels (APLs)

Standards Acceptable Quality Levels Methods of Surveillance

Submit monthly, bi-annual, and annual reports (PWS Task 2)

Administer Harm Reduction plan in accordance with the approved MP.

Customer Service to include.

· Adverse Incidents

· Platform accessibility

· Security Breach(s)

· Privacy

Monthly billing report that indicates Name, CARMA ID of registrants, participants, and completed at least one (1) training

Reports submitted accurately depict current status

Contractor follows their approved Harm Reduction Plan.

Contractor alerts the PM/COR/CO of new complaints in writing within 24 hours and either resolve (or provides explanation) for all complaints

Reports accurately depict eligible participants receiving and completing the training

Acceptable - Contractor delivery of products and/or services successfully met all Contract requirement. Problems that are encountered are minor and are resolved in a satisfactory manner determined acceptable by VA.

File reviews, periodic inspections, and random, observations, customer complaints

File reviews, periodic inspections of monthly rosters and random observations

Observations, Customer complaints, and file reviews

File reviews, periodic inspections of monthly rosters and random observations

Acceptable: All Quality levels meet requirements. Risk of unsuccessful performance is low.

Marginal: Rating has one or more weaknesses which are not offset by Acceptable rating. Risk of unsuccessful performance is high.

Unacceptable: Quality level does not meet requirements. Corrective action plan needed.