P01 SOW - Neurologica BodyTom Service Contract.docx

VA Connecticut Healthcare System Neurologica BodyTom Elite Service Agreement

STATEMENT OF WORK

OBJECTIVE:

Contractor shall provide all labor, equipment, materials, apparatus, tools, transportation, supervision and disposal necessary to provide Preventive and Corrective Maintenance Services on the Neurologica BodyTom Elite portable CT. The services shall include emergency service, unlimited parts, preventive maintenance, factory authorized updates/modifications, technical support, and application support as outlined in the Scope of Work.

SCOPE:

The system to be covered and supported is at the following location:

VA Connecticut Healthcare System 950 Campbell Ave West Haven, CT 06516

Systems to be Covered:

The following is the system that will be supported by this procurement:

CONFORMANCE STANDARDS: Contractor shall provide service and ensure that the equipment functions in accordance with the equipment manufacturer’s technical performance specifications. Contractor shall conform to all regulations to include but not be limited to federal, state and local governing any chemicals, equipment or work which may be used or performed in the work under this contract.

OPERATIONAL UPTIME - REQUIREMENTS:

The BodyTom Elite shall be operable and available for use 98% of the normal operating hours of the equipment as detailed in HOURS OF COVERAGE. Downtime will be computed from notification of problem during normal work hours.

GUARANTEED RESPONSE TIME:

The Neurologica Field Service Engineers (FSE) will use commercially reasonable efforts to respond to Customer’s requests within 24 hours of notification to Neurologica Customer Service.

LIVE PHONE SUPPORT:

Service shall include phone support with Neurologica Technical Support Engineers between 6:00 a.m. - 8:00 p.m. (Eastern Time).

AFTER HOURS PHONE SUPPORT:

Service for after hour phone support shall include 24 Hours, 7 Days a week and 365 days a year for technical assistance when required.

SOFTWARE ENHANCEMENTS:

Periodic software enhancements shall be provided as part of the firm fixed price contract and shall be considered within scope.

PREVENTIVE MAINTENANCE:

Perform system maintenance inspections as necessary to maintain factory specifications.

PARTS EXCHANGE:

All parts required for the repair of the System (excludes instruments and accessories) are covered.

PART PROTECTION:

Preferred pricing on repairs or replacement due to accidental damage.

LABOR & TRAVEL EXPENSES:

All labor and travel conducted during normal business hours: Monday through Friday, 8:00am – 5:00pm relative to customer’s local time, (excludes Neurologica company holidays).

CERTIFIED TRAINED TECHNICIANS AND KEY PERSONNEL:

The scheduled maintenance and service calls shall be performed by Neurologica trained personnel in accordance with the agreement. Technicians shall include fully qualified Facility Service Engineers (FSE) and a fully qualified FSE who will serve as the backup and show proof of competency, as shown by training conducted on said system. "Fully Qualified" is based upon training and on experience in the field. For training, the FSE(s) has successfully completed a formalized training program, for the equipment identified in this statement of work. For field experience, the FSE(s) has a minimum of two years of experience (except for equipment newly on the market) with respect to scheduled and unscheduled preventive and remedial maintenance. Proof of training shall be provided upon demand and be immediately sent via fax, upon demand to the COR. All FSE’s and technicians shall be authorized by the Contractor to perform the maintenance services. All work shall be performed by "Fully Qualified" competent FSE's. The COR and/or designated representative specifically reserve the right to reject any of the Contractor's personnel and refuse them permission to work on the VAMC equipment.

It is anticipated that any hospital regulatory inspections (TJC, etc.) will have the vendor providing proof that they meet industry standards of quality, and traceable standards, as used to calibrate this device-system; at the time of the maintenance event.

HOURS OF COVERAGE:

A. Normal hours of coverage are Monday through Friday from 08:00 AM to 05:00 PM, excluding federal holidays. All service/repairs will be performed during normal hours of coverage unless requested or approved by the Contracting Officer’s Representative (COR).

B. Preventive maintenance will be performed in accordance with manufacturer's recommendations. Preventive maintenance will be performed during normal hours of coverage or as agreed to by user and the COR.

NOTE: - Hardware/software update/upgrade installations will be scheduled and performed outside normal hours of coverage at no additional charge to the Government (unless it would be detrimental to equipment up-time; to be determined by the COR or designated representatives. Government provides software/hardware upgrade/update. There shall be no additional charge for time spent at the site during or after the normal hours of coverage awaiting the arrival of additional FSE and/or delivery of parts.

D. Federal Holidays observed by the VAMC are:

New Years' Day, Martin Luther King Day, Presidents' Day, Memorial Day, Juneteenth, Independence Day, Labor Day, Columbus Day, Veterans' Day, Thanksgiving Day, and Christmas Day

Scheduled maintenance will be excluded from downtime. (Normal work hours are 08:00 AM to 05:00 PM, Monday thru Friday, excluding federal holidays). Operational Uptime will be computed during a month long time period. Repeated failure to meet this requirement can subject the contractor to DEFAULT action.

UNSCHEDULED MAINTENANCE (Emergency Repair Service):

A. Contractor shall maintain the equipment in accordance with the manufacturer's specifications. The Contractor shall provide repair service which may consist of calibration, cleaning, oiling, adjusting, replacing parts, and maintaining the equipment, including all intervening calls necessary between regular services and calibrations. All required parts shall be furnished.

B. The COR or government designated representatives are authorized to request and approve service calls from the Contractor.

C. Response Time: Contractor's FSE must respond with a phone call to the COR or designated representative within 1 hour after receipt of telephoned notification during normal hours of coverage. If the problem cannot be corrected by phone, the FSE will commence work (on-site physical response) within 2 hours after receipt of this second notification and will proceed progressively to completion without undue delay. For example, if hours of coverage are 08:00 AM to 05:00 PM, Mon. thru Fri., a 2 hour response means, if a call is placed at 8:45 AM., Monday August 10th; the FSE must start on-site service before 10:45 PM, Monday, August 10th.

SCHEDULED MAINTENANCE:

A. The Contractor shall perform Preventive Maintenance (PM) Service to ensure that equipment performs in accordance with Item 3, Conformance Standards. An outline of the PM procedures and schedule shall be provided to the COR or designated representative. The Contractor shall provide and utilize procedures and checklists with worksheet originals indicating work performed and actual values obtained (as applicable). This documentation shall be provided to COR or designated representative at the completion of the PM (preferably in electronic format). The contractor shall provide written description of Preventive Maintenance Inspections (PMI). This description shall include an itemized list of the procedures performed, including electrical safety. At minimum, the contractor will perform electrical safety testing in accordance with NFPA-00 standards. PM services shall include, but need not be limited to, the following:

accordance with Section 3, Conformance Standards or the manufacturer's specifications.

become worn.

is not limited to: X-ray tube mounting hardware, patient restraints and support devices, cables and mounting hardware, chains, belts, bearings and tracks, interlocks, clutches, motors, keyboards, and patient couches for mechanical integrity, safety, and performance.

8) Returning the equipment to the operating condition [defined in Section 3, Conformance Standards].

B. PM Services shall be performed in accordance with the Original Equipment Manufacture guidelines, and during the hours defined in the Hours of Coverage. All exceptions to the PM schedule shall be arranged and approved in advance with the COR or designated representative.

C. Service is to be requested and coordinated only through the designated COR, so as to be assured that it is covered within the scope of the contract (work day 8-5 typical), and so that records are available for inspection by accrediting organizations. Any services not coordinated by the COR will not be considered authorized and completed, and will be considered to fail to meet the terms of the contract.

D. Preventive Maintenance should occur in intervals in accordance to the OEMs recommendations.

PARTS:

The Contractor shall furnish and replace parts to meet uptime requirements. The Contractor has ready access to all Original Equipment Manufacturer (OEM) parts, including unique and/or high mortality replacement parts. All parts supplied shall be from the OEM. The contract shall include all parts. All parts shall be of current manufacture and have complete versatility with the presently installed equipment. All parts shall perform identically to the original equipment specifications.

PARTS AND SERVICES NOT COVERED OR EXCLUDED BY CONTRACT:

Authorization received by the COR for any work or parts outside the scope of this contract must be received prior to performance of work or payment will not be authorized. Parts that are not covered by this contract will be purchased by the VA Medical Center. The contractor under the terms of this contract shall accomplish the full installation and complete testing of these parts. Separate Purchase Order Numbers for components/parts not covered under this contract for preventive maintenance will be issued when detailed information with pricing to the COR is submitted.

SERVICE MANUALS/TOOLS/EQUIPMENT:

The VAMC shall not provide tools, (test) equipment, service manuals or service diagnostic software to the contractor. The contractor shall obtain, have on file, and make available to its Facility Service Engineer’s (FSE) all operational and technical documentation (such as; operational and service manuals, schematics, and parts list) which are necessary to meet the performance requirements of this contract. The location and listing of the service data manuals, by name and/or the manuals themselves shall be provided to the COR and CO upon request.

DOCUMENTATION/REPORTS:

The documentation shall include detailed descriptions of the scheduled and unscheduled maintenance (i.e., Emergency repairs) procedures performed, including replaced parts and prices (for outside normal working hour services) required to maintain the equipment in accordance with Section 3, Conformance Standards or the manufacturer's specifications. Such documentation shall meet the guidelines as set forth in the Conformance Standards section. The Engineering Service Report (ESR) will consist of a separate PM report for the item(s) covered under the "specific" contract. Grouping different equipment from different contracts on "one" ESR is prohibited. Service reports must be sent to the COR or the requesting entity upon completion of each service issue. In addition, each ESR must, at a minimum, document the following data legibly and in complete detail:

NOTE: - Any additional charges claimed must be approved by the COR or designated representative before service is completed!

REPORTING REQUIREMENTS:

The Contractor shall be required to report to the Clinical Engineering Department to log in. This check- in is mandatory. When the service is completed, the FSE shall document services rendered on a legible ESR(s). The FSE shall be required to log out with Biomedical Engineering and submit the ESR(s) to the COR or designated representative. ALL ESRs shall be submitted to the equipment user for an "acceptance signature" and to the COR or designated representative for an "authorization signature". If COR or designated representative is unavailable, a signed, authorized copy of the ESR will be left with the user.

ADDITIONAL CHARGES:

There shall be no additional charge for time spent at the site (during, or after the normal hours of coverage) awaiting the arrival of additional FSE and/or delivery of parts.

REPORTING REQUIRED SERVICES BEYOND THE CONTRACT SCOPE:

The Contractor shall immediately, but no later than 24 (twenty-four) consecutive hours after discovery, notify the COR and/or designated representative (in writing) of the existence or the development of any defects in, or repairs required, to the scheduled equipment which the Contractor considers he/she is not responsible for under the terms of the contract. The Contractor shall furnish to the COR or designated representative a written estimate of the cost to make necessary repairs.

CONDITION OF EQUIPMENT:

The Contractor shall accept responsibility for the equipment. Failure to inspect the equipment prior to contract award will not relieve the Contractor from performance of the requirements of this contract.

TEST EQUIPMENT:

Prior to commencement of work on this contract, the Contractor shall provide the VAMC with a copy of the current calibration certification of all test equipment which is to be used by the Contractor on VAMC's equipment. This certification shall also be provided on a periodic basis when requested by the VAMC. Test equipment calibration shall be traceable to the Original Equipment Manufacture’s standard.

IDENTIFICATION, PARKING, SMOKING, AND VA REGULATIONS:

The Contractor's FSE's shall wear visible identification at all times while on the premises of the VAMC. The Contractor shall park in the appropriate designated parking areas. Information on parking is available from the VA Police Section. The VAMC will not invalidate or make reimbursement for parking violations of the Contractor under any conditions. Smoking is prohibited on all VAMC property. Possession of weapons is prohibited. Enclosed containers, including tool kits, shall be subject to search. Violations of VA regulations may result in citation answerable in the United States (Federal) District Court, not a local district, state, or municipal court.

TRAINING:

The Contractor shall provide first call Clinical Engineering training for current qualified technicians at the VAMC, CT during regular service hours of Monday through Friday from 8:00am – 5:00 PM EST. This is not an ongoing training and will only be provided on an annual basis as required. All training for upgrades to equipment shall be considered within scope throughout the life of the contract.

TRANSPORTATION CHARGES:

All costs associated with transportation, from shipping point to the destination specified above, and all costs of removal after contract completion, shall be paid by the Contractor, and incorporated in the price proposal. The Contractor shall be responsible for all damage in transit including any transportation costs for replacement.

COMPLIANCE WITH OSHA BLOODBORNE PATHOGENS STANDARD:

The Contractor shall comply with the Federal/California OSHA Bloodborne Pathogens Standard. The Contractor shall:

a. Have methods by which all employees are educated as to risks associated with bloodborne pathogens.

b. Have policies and procedures which reduce the risk of employee exposure to bloodborne pathogens.

c. Have mechanisms for employee counseling and treatment following exposure to bloodborne pathogens.

d. Provide appropriate personal protective equipment/clothing such as gloves, gowns, masks, protective eyewear, mouthpieces for the employee during performance of the contract.

MISCELLANEOUS

Additional equipment may be added and/or removed throughout the life of this contract and shall be considered within scope.

VA INFORMATION AND INFORMATION SYSTEM SECURITY/PRIVACY LANGUAGE FOR INCLUSION INTO CONTRACTS, AS APPROPRIATE

GENERAL

Contractors, contractor personnel, subcontractors, and subcontractor personnel shall be subject to the same Federal laws, regulations, standards, and VA Directives and Handbooks as VA and VA personnel regarding information and information system security.

ACCESS TO VA INFORMATION AND VA INFORMATION SYSTEMS

a. A contractor/subcontractor shall request logical (technical) or physical access to VA information and VA information systems for their employees, subcontractors, and affiliates only to the extent necessary to perform the services specified in the contract, agreement, or task order.

b. All contractors, subcontractors, and third-party servicers and associates working with VA information are subject to the same investigative requirements as those of VA appointees or employees who have access to the same types of information. The level and process of background security investigations for contractors must be in accordance with VA Directive and Handbook 0710, Personnel Suitability and Security Program. The Office for Operations, Security, and Preparedness is responsible for these policies and procedures.

c. Contract personnel who require access to national security programs must have a valid security clearance. National Industrial Security Program (NISP) was established by Executive Order 12829 to ensure that cleared U.S. defense industry contract personnel safeguard the classified information in their possession while performing work on contracts, programs, bids, or research and development efforts. The Department of Veterans Affairs does not have a Memorandum of Agreement with Defense Security Service (DSS). Verification of a Security Clearance must be processed through the Special Security Officer located in the Planning and National Security Service within the Office of Operations, Security, and Preparedness.

d. Custom software development and outsourced operations must be located in the U.S. to the maximum extent practical. If such services are proposed to be performed abroad and are not disallowed by other VA policy or mandates, the contractor/subcontractor must state where all non-U.S. services are provided and detail a security plan, deemed to be acceptable by VA, specifically to address mitigation of the resulting problems of communication, control, data protection, and so forth. Location within the U.S. may be an evaluation factor.

e. The contractor or subcontractor must notify the Contracting Officer immediately when an employee working on a VA system or with access to VA information is reassigned or leaves the contractor or subcontractor’s employ. The Contracting Officer must also be notified immediately by the contractor or subcontractor prior to an unfriendly termination.

VA INFORMATION CUSTODIAL LANGUAGE

a. Information made available to the contractor or subcontractor by VA for the performance or administration of this contract or information developed by the contractor/subcontractor in performance or administration of the contract shall be used only for those purposes and shall not be used in any other way without the prior written agreement of the VA. This clause expressly limits the contractor/subcontractor's rights to use data as described in Rights in Data - General, FAR 52.227-14(d) (1).

b. VA information should not be co-mingled, if possible, with any other data on the contractors/subcontractor’s information systems or media storage systems in order to ensure VA requirements related to data protection and media sanitization can be met. If co-mingling must be allowed to meet the requirements of the business need, the contractor must ensure that VA’s information is returned to the VA or destroyed in accordance with VA’s sanitization requirements. VA reserves the right to conduct on-site inspections of contractor and subcontractor IT resources to ensure data security controls, separation of data and job duties, and destruction/media sanitization procedures are in compliance with VA directive requirements.

c. Prior to termination or completion of this contract, contractor/subcontractor must not destroy information received from VA, or gathered/created by the contractor in the course of performing this contract without prior written approval by the VA. Any data destruction done on behalf of VA by a contractor/subcontractor must be done in accordance with National Archives and Records Administration (NARA) requirements as outlined in VA Directive 6300, Records and Information Management and its Handbook 6300.1 Records Management Procedures, applicable VA Records Control Schedules, and VA Handbook 6500.1, Electronic Media Sanitization. Self-certification by the contractor that the data destruction requirements above have been met must be sent to the VA Contracting Officer within 30 days of termination of the contract.

d. The contractor/subcontractor must receive, gather, store, back up, maintain, use, disclose and dispose of VA information only in compliance with the terms of the contract and applicable Federal and VA information confidentiality and security laws, regulations and policies. If Federal or VA information confidentiality and security laws, regulations and policies become applicable to the VA information or information systems after execution of the contract, or if NIST issues or updates applicable FIPS or Special Publications (SP) after execution of this contract, the parties agree to negotiate in good faith to implement the information confidentiality and security laws, regulations and policies in this contract.

e. The contractor/subcontractor shall not make copies of VA information except as authorized and necessary to perform the terms of the agreement or to preserve electronic information stored on contractor/subcontractor electronic storage media for restoration in case any electronic equipment or data used by the contractor/subcontractor needs to be restored to an operating state. If copies are made for restoration purposes, after the restoration is complete, the copies must be appropriately destroyed.

f. If VA determines that the contractor has violated any of the information confidentiality, privacy, and security provisions of the contract, it shall be sufficient grounds for VA to withhold payment to the contractor or third party or terminate the contract for default or terminate for cause under Federal Acquisition Regulation (FAR) part 12.

g. If a VHA contract is terminated for cause, the associated BAA must also be terminated, and appropriate actions taken in accordance with VHA Handbook 1600.01, Business Associate Agreements. Absent an agreement to use or disclose protected health information, there is no business associate relationship.

h. The contractor/subcontractor must store, transport, or transmit VA sensitive information in an encrypted form, using VA-approved encryption tools that are, at a minimum, FIPS 140-2 validated.

i. The contractor/subcontractor’s firewall and Web services security controls, if applicable, shall meet or exceed VA’s minimum requirements. VA Configuration Guidelines are available upon request.

j. Except for uses and disclosures of VA information authorized by this contract for performance of the contract, the contractor/subcontractor may use and disclose VA information only in two other situations: (i) in response to a qualifying order of a court of competent jurisdiction, or (ii) with VA’s prior written approval. The contractor/subcontractor must refer all requests for, demands for production of, or inquiries about, VA information and information systems to the VA contracting officer for response.

k. Notwithstanding the provision above, the contractor/subcontractor shall not release VA records protected by Title 38 U.S.C. 5705, confidentiality of medical quality assurance records and/or Title 38 U.S.C. 7332, confidentiality of certain health records pertaining to drug addiction, sickle cell anemia, alcoholism or alcohol abuse, or infection with human immunodeficiency virus. If the contractor/subcontractor is in receipt of a court order or other requests for the above mentioned information, that contractor/subcontractor shall immediately refer such court orders or other requests to the VA contracting officer for response.

l. For service that involves the storage, generating, transmitting, or exchanging of VA sensitive information but does not require C&A or an MOU-ISA for system interconnection, the contractor/subcontractor must complete a Contractor Security Control Assessment (CSCA) on a yearly basis and provide it to the COTR.

INFORMATION SYSTEM HOSTING, OPERATION, MAINTENANCE, OR USE

a. VA prohibits the installation and use of personally-owned or contractor/subcontractor owned equipment or software on VA’s network. If non-VA owned equipment must be used to fulfill the requirements of a contract, it must be stated in the service agreement, SOW or contract. All of the security controls required for government furnished equipment (GFE) must be utilized in approved other equipment (OE) and must be funded by the owner of the equipment. All remote systems must be equipped with, and use, a VA-approved antivirus (AV) software and a personal (host-based or enclave based) firewall that is configured with a VA- approved configuration. Software must be kept current, including all critical updates and patches. Owners of approved OE are responsible for providing and maintaining the anti-viral software and the firewall on the non-VA owned OE.

b. All electronic storage media used on non-VA leased or non-VA owned IT equipment that is used to store, process, or access VA information must be handled in adherence with VA Handbook 6500.1, Electronic Media Sanitization upon: (i) completion or termination of the contract or (ii) disposal or return of the IT equipment by the contractor/subcontractor or any person acting on behalf of the contractor/subcontractor, whichever is earlier. Media (hard drives, optical disks, CDs, back-up tapes, etc.) used by the contractors/subcontractors that contain VA information must be returned to the VA for sanitization or destruction or the contractor/subcontractor must self-certify that the media has been disposed of per 6500.1 requirements. This must be completed within 30 days of termination of the contract.

c. Biomedical devices and other equipment or systems containing media (hard drives, optical disks, etc.) with VA sensitive information must not be returned to the vendor at the end of lease, for trade-in, or other purposes. The options are:

(1) Vendor must accept the system without the drive;

(2) VA’s initial medical device purchase includes a spare drive which must be installed in place of the original drive at time of turn-in; or

(3) VA must reimburse the company for media at a reasonable open market replacement cost at time of purchase.

(4) Due to the highly specialized and sometimes proprietary hardware and software associated with medical equipment/systems, if it is not possible for the VA to retain the hard drive, then;

(a) The equipment vendor must have an existing BAA if the device being traded in has sensitive information stored on it and hard drive(s) from the system are being returned physically intact; and

(b) Any fixed hard drive on the device must be non-destructively sanitized to the greatest extent possible without negatively impacting system operation. Selective clearing down to patient data folder level is recommended using VA approved and validated overwriting technologies/methods/tools. Applicable media sanitization specifications need to be pre- approved and described in the purchase order or contract.

(c) A statement needs to be signed by the Director (System Owner) that states that the drive could not be removed and that (a) and (b) controls above are in place and completed. The ISO needs to maintain the documentation.

SECURITY INCIDENT INVESTIGATION

a. The term “security incident” means an event that has, or could have, resulted in unauthorized access to, loss or damage to VA assets, or sensitive information, or an action that breaches VA security procedures. The contractor/subcontractor shall immediately notify the COTR and simultaneously, the designated ISO and Privacy Officer for the contract of any known or suspected security/privacy incidents, or any unauthorized disclosure of sensitive information, including that contained in system(s) to which the contractor/subcontractor has access.

b. To the extent known by the contractor/subcontractor, the contractor/subcontractor’s notice to VA shall identify the information involved, the circumstances surrounding the incident (including to whom, how, when, and where the VA information or assets were placed at risk or compromised), and any other information that the contractor/subcontractor considers relevant.

c. With respect to unsecured protected health information, the business associate is deemed to have discovered a data breach when the business associate knew or should have known of a breach of such information. Upon discovery, the business associate must notify the covered entity of the breach. Notifications need to be made in accordance with the executed business associate agreement.

d. In instances of theft or break-in or other criminal activity, the contractor/subcontractor must concurrently report the incident to the appropriate law enforcement entity (or entities) of jurisdiction, including the VA OIG and Security and Law Enforcement. The contractor, its employees, and its subcontractors and their employees shall cooperate with VA and any law enforcement authority responsible for the investigation and prosecution of any possible criminal law violation(s) associated with any incident. The contractor/subcontractor shall cooperate with VA in any civil litigation to recover VA information, obtain monetary or other compensation from a third party for damages arising from any incident, or obtain injunctive relief against any third party arising from, or related to, the incident.

LIQUIDATED DAMAGES FOR DATA BREACH

a. Consistent with the requirements of 38 U.S.C. §5725, a contract may require access to sensitive personal information. If so, the contractor is liable to VA for liquidated damages in the event of a data breach or privacy incident involving any SPI the contractor/subcontractor processes or maintains under this contract.

b. The contractor/subcontractor shall provide notice to VA of a “security incident” as set forth in the Security Incident Investigation section above. Upon such notification, VA must secure from a non-Department entity or the VA Office of Inspector General an independent risk analysis of the data breach to determine the level of risk associated with the data breach for the potential misuse of any sensitive personal information involved in the data breach. The term 'data breach' means the loss, theft, or other unauthorized access, or any access other than that incidental to the scope of employment, to data containing sensitive personal information, in electronic or printed form, that results in the potential compromise of the confidentiality or integrity of the data. Contractor shall fully cooperate with the entity performing the risk analysis. Failure to cooperate may be deemed a material breach and grounds for contract termination.

c. Each risk analysis shall address all relevant information concerning the data breach, including the following:

(1) Nature of the event (loss, theft, unauthorized access);

(2) Description of the event, including:

(a) date of occurrence;

(b) data elements involved, including any PII, such as full name, social security number, date of birth, home address, account number, disability code;

(3) Number of individuals affected or potentially affected;

(4) Names of individuals or groups affected or potentially affected;

(5) Ease of logical data access to the lost, stolen or improperly accessed data in light of the degree of protection for the data, e.g., unencrypted, plain text;

(6) Amount of time the data has been out of VA control;

(7) The likelihood that the sensitive personal information will or has been compromised (made accessible to and usable by unauthorized persons);

(8) Known misuses of data containing sensitive personal information, if any;

(9) Assessment of the potential harm to the affected individuals;

(10) Data breach analysis as outlined in 6500.2 Handbook, Management of Security and Privacy Incidents, as appropriate; and

(11) Whether credit protection services may assist record subjects in avoiding or mitigating the results of identity theft based on the sensitive personal information that may have been compromised.

d. Based on the determinations of the independent risk analysis, the contractor shall be responsible for paying to the VA liquidated damages in the amount of $37.50 per affected individual to cover the cost of providing credit protection services to affected individuals consisting of the following:

(1) Notification;

(2) One year of credit monitoring services consisting of automatic daily monitoring of at least 3 relevant credit bureau reports;

(3) Data breach analysis;

(4) Fraud resolution services, including writing dispute letters, initiating fraud alerts and credit freezes, to assist affected individuals to bring matters to resolution;

(5) One year of identity theft insurance with $20,000.00 coverage at $0 deductible; and

(6) Necessary legal expenses the subjects may incur to repair falsified or damaged credit records, histories, or financial affairs.

SECURITY CONTROLS COMPLIANCE TESTING

On a periodic basis, VA, including the Office of Inspector General, reserves the right to evaluate any or all of the security controls and privacy practices implemented by the contractor under the clauses contained within the contract. With 10 working-days’ notice, at the request of the government, the contractor must fully cooperate and assist in a government-sponsored security controls assessment at each location wherein VA information is processed or stored, or information systems are developed, operated, maintained, or used on behalf of VA, including those initiated by the Office of Inspector General. The government may conduct a security control assessment on shorter notice (to include unannounced assessments) as determined by VA in the event of a security incident or at any other time.

TRAINING

a. All contractor employees and subcontractor employees requiring access to VA information and VA information systems shall complete the following before being granted access to VA information and its systems:

1. Sign and acknowledge (either manually or electronically) understanding of and responsibilities for compliance with the Contractor Rules of Behavior, Appendix E relating to access to VA information and information systems;

2. Successfully complete the VA Cyber Security Awareness and Rules of Behavior training and annually complete required security training;

3. Successfully complete the appropriate VA privacy training and annually complete required privacy training; and

4. Successfully complete any additional cyber security or privacy training, as required for VA personnel with equivalent information system access [to be defined by the VA program official and provided to the contracting officer for inclusion in the solicitation document – e.g., any role-based information security training required in accordance with NIST Special Publication 800-16, Information Technology Security Training Requirements.]

b. The contractor shall provide to the contracting officer and/or the COTR a copy of the training certificates and certification of signing the Contractor Rules of Behavior for each applicable employee within 1 week of the initiation of the contract and annually thereafter, as required.

c. Failure to complete the mandatory annual training and sign the Rules of Behavior annually, within the timeframe required, is grounds for suspension or termination of all physical or electronic access privileges and removal from work on the contract until such time as the training and documents are complete.

Records Management Language:

The following standard items relate to records generated in executing the contract and should be included in a typical procurement contract:

a. Citations to pertinent laws, codes and regulations such as 44 U.S.C chapters 21, 29, 31 and 33; Freedom of Information Act (5 U.S.C. 552); Privacy Act (5 U.S.C. 552a); 36 CFR Part 1222 and Part 1228.

b. Contractor shall treat all deliverables under the contract as the property of the U.S. Government for which the Government Agency shall have unlimited rights to use, dispose of, or disclose such data contained therein as it determines to be in the public interest.

c. Contractor shall not create or maintain any records that are not specifically tied to or authorized by the contract using Government IT equipment and/or Government records.

d. Contractor shall not retain, use, sell, or disseminate copies of any deliverable that contains information covered by the Privacy Act of 1974 or that which is generally protected by the Freedom of Information Act.

e. Contractor shall not create or maintain any records containing any Government Agency records that are not specifically tied to or authorized by the contract.

f. The Government Agency owns the rights to all data/records produced as part of this contract.

g. The Government Agency owns the rights to all electronic information (electronic data, electronic information systems, electronic databases, etc.) and all supporting documentation created as part of this contract. Contractor must deliver sufficient technical documentation with all data deliverables to permit the agency to use the data.

h. Contractor agrees to comply with Federal and Agency records management policies, including those policies associated with the safeguarding of records covered by the Privacy Act of 1974. These policies include the preservation of all records created or received regardless of format [paper, electronic, etc.] or mode of transmission [e-mail, fax, etc.] or state of completion [draft, final, etc.].

i. No disposition of documents will be allowed without the prior written consent of the Contracting Officer. The Agency and its contractors are responsible for preventing the alienation or unauthorized destruction of records, including all forms of mutilation. Willful and unlawful destruction, damage or alienation of Federal records is subject to the fines and penalties imposed by 18 U.S.C. 2701. Records may not be removed from the legal custody of the Agency or destroyed without regard to the provisions of the agency records schedules.

j. Contractor is required to obtain the Contracting Officer's approval prior to engaging in any contractual relationship (sub-contractor) in support of this contract requiring the disclosure of information, documentary material and/or records generated under, or relating to, this contract. The Contractor (and any sub-contractor) is required to abide by Government and Agency guidance for protecting sensitive and proprietary information.