P02 RFI Draft PWS 02.docx

PERFORMANCE WORK STATEMENT (PWS)

DEPARTMENT OF VETERANS AFFAIRS

Office of Information & Technology (OIT) Development Security and Operations (DSO) Solution Delivery (SD) Telecommunications Provisioning Office (TPO)

Local Exchange Carrier (LEC) Services for Puerto Rico, and US Virgin Islands

Date: 01/10/2024

VA-24-00040874

1.0 BACKGROUND

The mission of the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA), Office of Information and Technology (OI&T), Development Security and Operations (DSO), solution Deliver (SD) Telecommunications Provisioning Office (TPO) is to partner with our business units to enable VA to become a Veteran centric service provider through the delivery of available, adaptable, secure, and cost-effective technology services. OI&T supports VA by enabling world-class service to Veterans and their families through effective communication and management of people, technology, business and financial processes.

OIT DSO SD TPO has the overall business and management responsibilities for all of the telecommunication communication services (voice and data). The TPO is currently responsible for the management of communications operational expenses for all Medical Centers and their attached smaller satellite offices as well as the VBA and National Cemeteries across the Enterprise.

OIT DSO SD TPO catchment area includes the 50 Continental United States as well as various OCONUS locations which includes Puerto Rico, St. Croix and St. Thomas of the US Virgin Islands as well as Guam and Saipan. The proposed contract will allow TPO to centralize the management of LEC services for the identified sites in this Performance Work Statement and accomplish its goal of reducing overall telecommunications expenses.

2.0 APPLICABLE DOCUMENTS

In the performance of the tasks associated with this Performance Work Statement, the Contractor shall comply with the following:

1. 5 U.S.C. § 552a, as amended, “The Privacy Act of 1974”

2. 42 U.S.C. § 2000d “Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964”

3. Office of Management and Budget (OMB ) Circular A-130, “Managing Federal Information as a Strategic Resource,” July 28, 2016

4. Sections 504 and 508 of the Rehabilitation Act (29 U.S.C. § 794d), as amended, January 18, 2017

5. VA Directive 6500, “VA Cybersecurity Program,” January 24, 2019

6. VA Handbook 6500, “Risk Management Framework for VA Information Systems – Tier 3: VA Information Security Program,” March 10, 2015

7. VA Handbook 6500.6, “Contract Security,” March 12, 2010

8. OI&T Process Asset Library (PAL), https://www.va.gov/process/. Reference Process Maps at https://www.va.gov/process/maps.asp and Artifact templates at https://www.va.gov/process/artifacts.asp

9. One-VA Technical Reference Model (TRM) (reference at https://www.va.gov/trm/TRMHomePage.aspx)

10. VA Directive and Handbook 6513, “Secure External Connections”, October 12, 2017

11. VA Directive 6300, Records and Information Management, September 21, 2018

12. VA Handbook, 6300.1, Records Management Procedures, March 24, 2010

13. NIST SP 800-53 Rev. 4, Security and Privacy Controls for Federal Information Systems and Organizations, January 22, 2015

14. OMB Memorandum, “Transition to IPv6”, September 28, 2010

15. OMB Memorandum M-06-18, Acquisition of Products and Services for Implementation of HSPD-12, June 30, 2006

16. OMB Memorandum, Guidance for Homeland Security Presidential Directive (HSPD) 12 Implementation, May 23, 2008

17. OMB Memorandum M-07-16, Safeguarding Against and Responding to the Breach of Personally Identifiable Information, May 22, 2007

18. Trusted Internet Connections (TIC) Reference Architecture Document, Version 2.2, Federal Interagency Technical Reference Architectures, Department of Homeland Security, June 19, 2017, https://www.dhs.gov/sites/default/files/publications/TIC_Ref_Arch_v2.2_2017.pdf

19. OMB Memorandum M-08-05, “Implementation of Trusted Internet Connections (TIC), November 20, 2007

3.0 SCOPE OF WORK

The Contractor shall install and provide LEC telecommunication data/voice services to identified OIT DSO SD TPO sites located in Puerto Rico as well as St. Croix and St. Thomas of the U.S. Virgin Islands. These sites include VA Medical Centers (VAMC), Veteran Outreach Centers, Community Based Outpatient Clinics (CBOCs), National Cemeteries, Veteran Benefits Offices, and other VA facilities in the Enterprise. The services required are POTS/Business Lines, PRI’s, T-1’s, DID’s, Metro Ethernet (wired/wireless) 10mbps-1000mbps, and the features include Call Forwarding, Call Waiting, Caller ID on PRI and POTS, call Blocking, voice mail, and Hunting/Rollover, etc. There can be additions, disconnections or moves and changes of telecommunications (voice/data) services during the course of any year and that number will vary depending on the new requirements for facilities. Specific site locations can be found in Attachment 0001. Attachment 0001 contains a list of current locations and circuit inventory in Puerto Rico and the US Virgin Islands but may not be all inclusive as facilities are constantly being added and deleted. No changes to services shall occur without the approval of the COR and Contracting Officer.

4.0 PERFORMANCE DETAILS

4.1 CONTRACT TYPE

This is a Firm-Fixed-Price contract.

4.2 PERFORMANCE PERIOD

All installation of circuits, to include testing, and acceptance shall be completed 30 days prior to base commencement billing period (Base). All existing numbers at all VA facilities shall be ported and remain the same as the current services. The period of performance for the contract shall be base year of 12 months with two (2) 12-month option periods, if exercised.

Option 3 9/1/2026 to 8/31/2027 Option 4 9/1/2027 to 8/31/2028

Installation, maintenance and/or disconnection of services shall commence between 8:00 am to 4:30 pm, Monday through Friday, excluding Federal Holidays. Work may be required outside of normal business hours due to system failures and other issues. Maintenance that requires intrusive testing will have to be completed after normal working hours unless the service is not currently functioning and coordinated with the VA Area Manager. If services will be affected, then Contractor must coordinate with the site POC and be performed after hours.

There are eleven (11) Federal holidays set by law (USC Title 5 Section 6103) that VA follows:

Under current definitions, five are set by date:

If any of the above falls on a Saturday, then Friday shall be observed as a holiday. Similarly, if one falls on a Sunday, then Monday shall be observed as a holiday.

The other six are set by a day of the week and month:

4.3 PLACE OF PERFORMANCE

The place of performance shall be the current locations in Puerto Rico and the US Virgin Islands. From time to time, locations may be required to move/close/transition to a new site. Any changes to location will be memorialized in a contractual action signed by a warranted Contracting Officer. Current site addresses are as listed below.

The Contractor shall provide the following Service Types and Features, in the total quantities identified:

Existing Locations:

4.4 TRAVEL

Travel is required to enable to installation of the circuits in various locations. No other travel is required.

4.5 INVOICES

Contractor shall utilize the VA OB-10 (Tungsten is the vendor) system or an approved Electronic Data Interchange (EDI) software system to electronically submit invoices for processing. Current purchase order number, site locations, invoice number and period of performance must be reflected on the invoices or they will be rejected for non-compliance. Invoices must be submitted monthly in arrears and shall not become more than 3 months behind on submissions. Submitted invoices must not contain any taxes (Federal/State/Local). Upon completion of the POP and the final invoices are paid Contractor must notify the COR and the Contracting Officer so the purchase order can be closed out.

Long-distance services should be pic/lpic to 0432 under the National Networx contract and frozen to only the specified long distance carrier. Identified billing, charges or invoicing errors due to vendor's pic/lpic errors shall be the sole responsibility of the vendor to correct. There shall also be a 3rd party billing block on the lines.

All disconnect or discontinuations of service requests will stop billing within 30 days of the VA original requested date to the Contractor regardless if the Contractor has discontinued the service.

All VA accounts must be identified in the Contractor network as a Federal Government account and will not be subject to disconnect for any reason other than the Government requests that it be disconnected.

5.0 SPECIFIC TASKS AND DELIVERABLES

The Contractor shall install and maintain the services as listed for the addresses below. Installation shall commence within 10 days after contract award and must conclude no later than 45 days after installation starts. Contractor shall match existing circuit configurations and demarcation handoffs (of copper or fiber, etc.) at the various locations. Site survey shall be done by Contractor to confirm findings with site POC’s and OIT site staff if determined to be necessary Circuits shall be labeled (tagged) and documentation rendered to the VA sites and COR’s after initial installation.

5.1REPORTING REQUIREMENTS

5.1.1 QUARTERLY CONTRACT STATUS REPORT

The Contractor shall prepare and submit a Quarterly Status Report in Microsoft (MS) Word or Excel format. This report shall convey the status of the contract from award until completion. All relevant billing information shall be delivered electronically and will indicate/discuss:

Deliverable:

A. Quarterly Contract Status Report

5.1.2 PROGRESS REPORT

The Contractor shall provide the COR’s with Weekly Progress Reports until the transition from old circuits/account to the new circuits/account under this contract. The weekly reports shall reflect data as of the last day of the preceding week and shall be submitted every Monday. The Contractor shall submit the Progress Reports electronically in MS Word, Excel and/or Project formats.

The Weekly Progress Reports shall convey the progress from the start of transition to completion. The reports shall cover all work completed during each reporting period and work planned for the subsequent period. The report shall be to the facility location level, shall identify all problems that arise, and shall describe how the problems will be resolved including any action needed by VA. If problems are not being completely resolved within 3 business days, the Contractor shall provide an explanation with plan and timeframe for resolving. The Contractor shall maintain communication with the Contracting Officer (CO) and COR so that status of issues are transparent to both parties, which serves to minimize the need to escalate outstanding issues.

Deliverable:

A. Weekly Progress Reports (during installation/transition period)

5.2 MEETING REQUIREMENTS

5.2.1 KICKOFF MEETING

The Contractor shall hold a kickoff meeting within 10 days after contract award. At a minimum, the Contractor shall present, for review and approval by the Government, the Points of Contact for this effort, and address any contractual concerns. Dates, locations (can be virtual), and agenda shall be specified at least five (5) calendar days prior to the meeting. The CO, COR, and VA PM shall be invited at a minimum.

5.2.2 PROGRAM PROGRESS REVIEWS

The Contractor shall conduct Program Progress Reviews (PPRs) for Government personnel at a mutually agreeable facility (meeting can be virtual). The CO or the COR will schedule the initial PPR. It is anticipated the first PPR will occur no later than 90 calendar days after date of contract award. Thereafter, if needed PPRs shall occur quarterly, for the life of the contract. During each PPR, the Contractor shall present material that addresses:

4. How issues are to be resolved by VA or Contractor

5. New technologies that would benefit VA

Deliverable:

A. PPR Briefing Material (during installation/transition period)

5.3 RECURRING DATA SERVICES

The Contractor shall be able to provide LEC voice and data services as listed in section 5.3.1. This is based on services currently in place and where commercially available.

5.3.1 SERVICE TYPES

The Contractor shall continue providing the existing service types required for OI&T, Enterprise. The existing services and associated accounts shall be transitioned under this contract NLT 30 days after award of this contract.

1. Plain Old Telephone Service (POTS)/ Business Line (B1)

2. Integrated Services Digital Network (ISDN) Primary Rate Interfaces (PRIs)

3. Direct Inward Dialing (DID) two way, combination, inbound/outbound, and both-way

4. PBX Trunks, ground start and loop start

5. Ring Down lines

6. Voice DS-1 circuits

7. Point-to-point private line DS-1

8. Metro Ethernet 10-1000mbps bandwidth. Ethernet base data services switched (layer 2), Multiprotocol Label Switching (MPLS) (Layer 2.5) and Routed (Layer 3) (10 Megabits per second [Mbps], Mbps, 100 Mbps, 1000 Mbps), OptiWan, OptiMan or equivalent services

5.3.2 LOCAL VOICE TELECOMMUNICATION FEATURES

The Contractor shall provide the existing feature types required for OI&T Enterprise when required. The features that shall be available under this contract:

1. Directory Listing Published and Non-Published, (No cost to Government)

2. Call forwarding

3. Call waiting

4. Voice mail

5. Caller identification (ID) (PRI and POTS)

6. Call blocking

7. Hunting/Roll-over

8. Caller Redirect Service (Ability for inbound calls to reroute to a predetermined number(s) in the event of a PRI outage, loss of location phone system, disaster)

9. Third Party Billing block

10. Call return blocking

11. Repeat dial blocking

12. E-911/PS-ALI (if requested)

5.3.3 TELECOMMUNICATION AVAILABILITY

The Contractor shall provide telecommunication/ data services at each facility 24 hours per day, seven days per week, 365 days per annum. The Contractor shall adhere to all Public Utilities Commission (PUC) Agreements that regulate the area of service. The PUC shall be the primary ombudsman for regulated services. Government LEC requirements, and conditions may be more stringent than PUC regulations and both may apply. All Contractors and their subcontractors must be recognized and regulated by the PUC in the area that the Contractor offers service. Rate and service schedules must comply with both Federal Communications Commission (FCC) and PUC rules. Best effort service shall not be accepted.

5.3.4 ETHERNET FEATURES

The Contractor shall provide Ethernet services as a Virtual Private Network (VPN) that shall support Voice, Video, Real Time applications and data with Class of Service (CoS) and Quality of Services (QoS) feature for services operating at the Open Systems Interconnection (OSI) Layer 3 and Multiprotocol Label Switching (MPLS) services. Ethernet services operating at OSI Layer 2 shall support Real Time (RT), Guaranteed Data (GD) connections. This feature is not required at all facilities.

5.3.5 THROUGHPUT

Throughput is defined as the Bandwidth Rate (expressed in Megabits) that can effectively be used by the Government compared to the Bandwidth Rate delivered by the Contractor based on an Ethernet frame size of 1518 bytes. Throughput excludes Ethernet Frames that are not delivered due to factors unrelated to Contractor's Service. The Contractor shall confirm the throughput performance at the establishment of service also as defined in section 5.5.

Throughput is calculated as the usable Bandwidth Rate (expressed in Megabits) successfully (without any frame loss) transmitted over the Contractor’s core network, divided by the Bandwidth Rate (also expressed in Megabits) delivered by the Contractor based on an Ethernet frame size of 1,518 bytes The measurement domain is the Edge-to-Edge device (from Customer Premise Equipment (CPE) to CPE) within the Contractor Ethernet service.

Any circuit that does not comply with the SLA for throughput, the Contractor shall conform at its own expense within thirty calendar days from time of trouble ticket.

5.4 ESTABLISHMENT OF SERVICES

The Contractor shall provide telecommunication services that are available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, 365 days a year (to include all materials, equipment, and labor) for the locations specified in Attachment 0001. Establishment of services includes all non-recurring charges specific to each facility. The Contractor shall seek permission via local Point of Contact (POC) to enter the Government facility for the purpose of installing, inspecting or repairing of the services/equipment, or upon termination of the service, for the purpose of removing Contractor services/equipment.

Requirements for access to VA facilities shall include the following:

1. Normal working hours at VA facilities are 8:00 AM to 4:30 PM except for the Network Operations Center (NOC) which is open 24/7. Overtime for VA employees or access after normal administrative hours shall be coordinated and approved with each site.

2. Contractor Technicians shall require escorts for in-building work where security requirements dictate; a maximum of four escorts will be provided at each VA location depending on staff availability. The intent is for escorts to be dedicated resources.

3. If work must be conducted after normal working hours, pre-notification must be given to VA Telecom Manager to coordinate VA escorts at a minimum of 48 hours in advance of technician arrival.

5.4.1 INVENTORY OF LINES AND CIRCUITS

Upon completion of the installation/transition, the Contractor shall complete an inventory of all their circuits under this contract. The inventory shall include the physical location, fiber/cable pair assignments, the local and long haul circuit ID, the Network Interface (NI) location, and monthly recurring charges for each item in the inventory at each demarcation point for the location specified. The Contractor shall submit the inventory data to the designated COR no later than 30 business days after the completion of the installation or 30 business days for paper only transitions.

The Contractor shall provide the up-to-date, accurate inventory of lines and circuits as part of the Contractor’s account management inventory reporting.

5.4.2 SERVICE TRANSITION

In the event that the Contractor is not already the incumbent local exchange carrier (ILEC) service provider, the Contractor shall perform a site survey and coordinate with the VA facility Telecom Manager or designee. Upon contract award, the Contractor shall have 10 business days to develop and deliver to the VA COR a Transition and Installation Plan including a listing of tasks identifying the installation and cutover approach. The Contractor shall not commence installation and cutover until the Contractor receives acceptance of the service installation and approved cutover plan from the VA COR. Deviations from the final Transition Plan shall be coordinated with the VA COR prior to any work being accomplished in the affected area. The Contractor shall coordinate that all circuits and services provided by the ILEC, under the prior contract, are disconnected/discontinued upon successful cutover.

Deliverable:

A. Transition Plan (10 days after award)

5.4.3 INSTALLATION PLAN (for New Services)

The Installation Plan shall contain the following site specific information:

1 Description of any equipment to be installed and site support required.

5.4.4 CONTINUITY OF OPERATIONS PLAN (COOP)

The Contractor shall provide a continuity of operations plan within 30 calendar days after award and shall update the plan as required to satisfy the needs of the Government. This shall include:

Deliverable:

A. Continuity of Operations Plan

5.4.5 TELECOMMUNICATIONS SERVICE PRIORITY

The Contractor shall comply with the assignment of a Telecommunications Service Priority (TSP) to circuits identified in the contract. TSP is a program that authorizes national security and emergency preparedness (NS/EP) organizations to receive priority treatment for vital voice and data circuits or other telecommunications services as a result of hurricanes, floods, earthquakes, and other natural or man-made disasters. The TSP Program requires service vendors to prioritize requests by identifying those services critical to NS/EP based on the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) mandate (REF: 88-341). A TSP assignment ensures that VA shall receive priority attention by the service vendor before any and all non-TSP services.

Website: http://tsp.ncs.gov

5.4.7 ADDITION/DELETION OF FACILITIES

The scope of this effort is to provide telecommunications (voice/data) services for facilities in the OIT enterprise catchment area, specifically locations within the Caribbean. The current list of facilities is set forth in Attachment 0001. In the event VA requires addition of facilities, this shall only include new services to the demarcation point. Due to the size of OIT Enterprise leased facilities are always closing and opening or changing in size. These changes are due to changes in regional demographics and service levels. Furthermore, OIT Enterprise typically has 1 or more facility construction sites going on at a time. This critical factor must be considered to understand the changing nature of VA environment and the requirement of the support level of the service provider to accommodate these daily changes. Any changes to location will be memorialized in a contractual action signed by a warranted Contracting Officer.

5.5 SERVICE LEVEL AGREEMENT (SLA)

The Contractor shall agree that services they provide conform to Service Level Agreement (SLA) parameters as defined in the following subtasks. This SLA will apply from the Government Acceptance Date for the Service to the duration of the Service Term. Satellite, cellular, or other radio services shall not be an acceptable solution.

5.5.1 CONTRACTOR CUSTOMER SUPPORT

The Contractor shall use an Escalation Process to resolve customer service issues and provide a single point of contact for each issue or dispute. The Contractor shall provide the COR an Escalation Process 14 days After Receipt of Order (ARO) outlining the specific steps taken to resolve customer service issues. The process shall include a full escalation list that provides resolution if necessary, at the Contractor’s senior executive level.

The Contractor shall provide the COR a Customer Support Organization Chart containing employee names, email addresses, and direct phone numbers.

The Contractor shall provide technical help desk support. Technical help desk support is required 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, and 365 days year. A toll-free number shall be designated as the primary help desk number for VA Telecom Staff to call to report a trouble ticket. A Trouble Ticket is the method used by the Government to advise the Help Desk of a perceived Fault, including a Service Outage or a failure to meet an SLA. A unique Trouble Ticket reference number will be raised and given to the Government representative and also used each time the Government calls in to the Help Desk for any Fault update or, if appropriate, to inform the Contractor of restoration of the Service.

The Contractor shall provide the COR a monthly report of Help Desk trouble tickets at the completion of each billing cycle. The report shall contain all tickets opened during the billing cycle and shall include a list of trouble ticket numbers and circuits effected, reporting location, time of trouble ticket report, time of service restoration, and description of fault and resolution of fault. Credit shall be automatically given to the VA for any service that is not usable, without the VA having to ask for credits.

5.5.2 MEAN TIME TO REPAIR

MTTR is the average time for the Contractor to restore the Service during a Service Outage in a billing month. The SLA for MTTR shall be 4 hours for outage and 24 hours for services being affected. The Contractor shall provide technical support/resolution during established business hours to assist VA with issues pertaining to the LEC Services in Section 5.3.1. MTTR times begin when the Contractor receives a support request from VA. The Contractor shall respond to VA’s support requests according to the following classifications of fault. If problems are not being completely resolved within 3 business days, the Contractor shall provide an explanation with plan and timeframe for resolving.

5.5.2.1 PRIORITY 1– SERVICE OUTAGE

A Service Outage is defined as an unscheduled period in which the service is interrupted and unavailable for use by Customer for 60 or more Unavailable Seconds within a 15-minute period. Contractor shall acknowledge the trouble ticket within 1 hour of being reported. This includes a business impacting function or service is not available such as loss of dial tone, inability to dial 911, or inability to receive a call on the circuit due to service outages. This shall include total loss of service or the service is degraded to the extent where the Government is unable to use it This shall include the inability to receive or transmit data or access critical medical systems due to circuit impairment. The Contractor shall respond to all Service outages within four hours. Notifications shall be provided to VA local POC as identified by COR or trouble ticket, every business day via telephone until restored. The fault shall not return for seven days or it shall be considered a continuation of the original service impact.

5.5.2.2 PRIORITY 2– SERVICE DEGRADED

Service Degraded means VA’s workflow is not seriously affected or limited as defined in 5.5.2.1 The fault shall not return for 30 days or it shall be considered a continuation of the original fault. Contractor shall acknowledge the trouble ticket within 1 hour of being reported. The Contractor shall respond to all Service outages within four hours. Notifications shall be provided to VA local POC as identified by COR or trouble ticket, every business day via telephone until restored.

5.5.2.3 EXCLUSIONS

During scheduled maintenance of the LEC Service, the Contractor shall notify VA within three days of the maintenance window and describe in detail how long and to what level degraded service is to be expected. The Contractor shall obtain approval in advance from the appropriate VA facility POC before scheduled maintenance occurs. The voice service shall not be considered to be unavailable for any outage that results from any maintenance performed by the Contractor as defined by the following three exceptions:

1. VA is notified at least three days in advance of outage or service degradation;

2. During the installation period; and

3. Trouble beyond the demarcation point or Network Interface (NI) not caused by the Contractor.

5.5.3 EFFECTIVE DATE

The PUC Critical Dates utilized to establish the effective date are as follows:

1. Application Date (APP): The date the Government provides a contract and sufficient information to the Contractor for order placement. The APP Date is the date the contract service provider enters the order into their order distribution system(s). This is sometimes referred to as the order date.

2. Design Layout Report Date (DLRD): The date the Design Layout Report which contains the design for the service(s) ordered is forwarded to the Government.

3. Plant Test Date (PTD): The date acceptance testing is performed with the the Government.

4. Service Date (DD): The date the service is due to be made available to the Government. This is sometimes referred to as the Due Date.

The time between APP and DD should be less than 60 days in all cases. The Government shall be notified within 45 days after APP if the DLRD cannot be provided or if the Contractor’s facilities cannot support the requirements. Also the Contractor shall notify the Government prior to the 60th day the results of the PTD. Any exception to the effective date shall be identified by the contractor and shall also furnish a written plan with a new due date and anticipated additional cost to install. The Government COR may approve exceptions up to 60 days from the APP. If not approved by the COR or the exception is greater than 60 days, the requirement issue will be raised to the CO for additional action.

5.5.4 END TO END SERVICE AVAILABILITY

End-to-End Service Availability is defined as the total number of minutes in a billing month during which the Service is available to transmit data between the originating & terminating Government Sites divided by the total number of minutes in a billing month. LEC Service Availability SLA shall be 99.9%. Service Availability is calculated in relation to Service Outage only. Measurement is based on the LEC’s Help Desk time documentation and does not include time covered by exclusions in the section 5.5.2.3. The calculation of Service Outage time shall include periods of severe service degradation as defined in section 5.5.2.1 Calculation of Monthly Service Availability (%) = (1 - (Total minutes of Service Outage per month Days in month x 24 hours x 60 minutes)) X100.

5.6 MAINTENANCE AND RESTORATION ACTIVITIES

The Contractor shall maintain service availability to the standards established in this PWS and ensure no loss of telecommunications services during all service requests, and provide maintenance activities to the Contractor’s network. For example, remediation of major system failures using redundant resources or other resources may be necessary to maintain performance standards. The Contractor shall conduct all activities necessary to ensure service technicians are able to access, provide, and maintain all service-provider-controlled circuits and equipment. If major system failure occurs and is outside of typical business hours the VA reserves the right to directly contact repair services of the Carrier providing the last mile to the location. The Contractor shall clean up all work areas after completing work in VA facilities, including removal and disposal of defective equipment. The Contractor shall notify VA when any service request, repair, or maintenance is completed by telephone call or email to the VA local technical contact. The service request, repair, or maintenance is not considered complete until a VA Facility Telecommunications Manager confirms that the completion of service is acceptable.

5.6.1 DOWNTIME

The Contractor shall obtain the approval of the COR and VA Facility Telecommunications Manager through the Contractor’s account management system (refer to Section 5.8 Account Management) before starting any work that will cause any downtime. If work is needed to be performed outside of normal business hours, the Contractor shall notify the COR and VA Facility Telecommunications Manager a minimum of three business days before the work is to begin (except in the case of emergencies or major failures).

5.6.2 ONSITE WORK

The Contractor shall clean up all work areas after completing work in VA facilities, including removal and disposal of defective equipment.

Requirements for access to VA facilities shall include the following:

a. Normal business hours at VA facilities are 8:00 AM to 4:30 PM except for the Network Operation Center and Major Medical Centers which require 24/7 coverage. Access after normal business hours shall be coordinated and approved with each site Telecom Manager in advance with at least 48 hours’ notice when possible.

b. Technicians are required to be escorted by VA staff at all times.

c. If work must be conducted after normal business hours, the Contractor shall notify VA prior to arrival in order to coordinate VA escorts at least 48 hours in advance.

5.6.3 RESTORATION OF SERVICES AND RESPONSE TIME

The Contractor shall restore all losses of service within 4 hours.

The Contractor shall respond to major system failures within one hour of notification, 24 hours per day, seven days per week, 365 days per year. If problems are not being completely resolved within 3 business days, the Contractor shall provide an explanation with plan and timeframe for resolving.

The Contractor shall respond to minor system failures within four hours of notification, Monday through Friday, from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. ET. The Contractor shall have a qualified technician call the service requestor within one hour of a service request.

When the Contractor needs onsite access, to respond to service or repair requests for example, the Contractor shall provide a timeframe not exceeding two hours for arrival onsite. Contractor must check in with the local OI&T office for access to telecommunications rooms.

A major system failure is any failure that affects receipt of incoming calls or generation of outgoing calls, inability to receive or transmit data or access critical medical systems due to circuit impairment for more than fifteen consecutive minutes. If major system failure occurs and is outside of typical business hours the VA reserves the right to directly contact repair services of the Carrier providing the last mile to the location.

A minor system failure is a failure or repair request that is not a major system failure.

5.6.4 INTRUSIVE TESTING

The Contractor shall receive approval from the COR and/or VA Facility Telecommunications Manager prior to commencement of intrusive testing. Intrusive testing must be conducted after normal business hours unless the circuit is already down and is required to restore services.

5.6.5 SERVICE FIELD REPORTS

The Contractor shall provide Service Field Reports to the onsite VA Facility Telecommunications Manager at the time of the service call. The Contractor shall obtain the VA Facility Telecommunications Manager’s signature on the Service Field Report. Service Field Reports shall include written evidence of all procedures and tests performed and any itemized parts used in the repair.

5.6.6 NOTIFICATION OF SERVICE COMPLETION

The Contractor shall notify VA when any service request, repair, or maintenance is completed by sending an email to a VA email group(s) designated by the COR. The service request, repair, or maintenance is not considered complete until a VA Facility Telecommunications Manager confirms that the completion of service is acceptable.

5.7 CUSTOMER SERVICE

The Contractor shall provide a toll-free number for customer service support staffed by a live customer service representative 24 hours per day, seven days per week, 365 days per year. The customer service representative must be able to speak and write in English and be understandable. The customer service support may be delivered using an Interactive Voice Response System (IVR), but only if the initial voice menu allows the caller to immediately choose to speak with a live customer service representative.

5.7.1 RESOLUTION OF ISSUES

The Contractor shall use an Escalation Process to resolve customer service issues and provide a single point of contact for each issue or dispute.

The Contractor shall provide the COR an Escalation Process 14 days After Receipt of Order (ARO) outlining the specific steps taken to resolve customer service issues. The process shall include a full escalation list that provides resolution if necessary at the Contractor’s senior executive level.

Deliverable:

A. Escalation Process

5.7.2 CUSTOMER SUPPORT ORGANIZATION CHART

The Contractor shall provide the COR a Customer Support Organization Chart containing employee names, email addresses, and direct phone numbers. The Contractor shall submit the Customer Support Organization Chart 14 days ARO.

Deliverable:

A. Customer Support Organization Chart

5.7.3 CUSTOMER SERVICE RECORDS

The Contractor shall provide Customer Service Records (CSRs) by the 45th day after successful transition. Each record shall include the delivery service point, an itemized list of service types provided, and the existing price associated with each service. The Contractor shall provide VA access to all records by maintaining them in the Contractor’s account management system.

5.8 ACCOUNT MANAGEMENT (If Available)

The Contractor shall provide VA access to a secure web-based portal account management system by the fifth day after contract award, if a portal is available. The system shall enable VA to access only VA data using password protection. No other customer shall be able to access VA’s data. The system shall provide VA users the ability to obtain current status of service outages, billing records, and current CSRs for VA accounts. The system shall allow VA to assign permission-based user access. The VA shall be able to extract all VA data from the Contractor’s account management system in an acceptable commercial electronic file format such as .csv, .dbf, .xls, etc.

The system shall have the capability for VA to generate reports sufficient to do a current, complete, and accurate reconciliation of billing, for all individual Service Delivery Points (SPDs), for any monthly period inclusive of moves, adds, changes, and deletes (MACDs).

5.8.1 MANAGEMENT PORTAL AND REPORTING (If available)

The Contractor shall provide a VA-only, password-protected, web-based, management portal that provides VA the following:

The COR(s) shall identify the users of this web-based portal. The Contractor shall provide all required portal training.

5.8.2 PORTAL DATA AND REPORTING (If available)

The Contractor shall provide all generally provided, commercially available data reports to VA through the portal. These reports, on demand through the portal, will be used by VA to manage the LEC Services Program. The report data shall be able to be aggregated by delivery service point, an itemized list of service types provided, CSRs, the price associated with each service, VA facility, region, and total contract. Specific data reporting elements will be used to reconcile billing for any monthly period inclusive of moves, adds, changes, and deletes (MACD). All data and reports shall be posted on the Contractor portal. If portal is not available, then reports shall be emailed to the contract COR’s. Data shall be downloadable in MS Excel, Adobe PDF, or tab delimited American Standard Code for Information Interchange (ASCII) format. (For the purpose of this contract, Contracting Level and Enterprise Level are interchangeable terms.) All data must have the ability for EDI in a variety of formats, i.e., MS Word, MS Excel, tab delimited ASCII, comma-separated values (CSV), extensible markup language (XML), or other standard formats such as flat-files or text files. The following data access capabilities and reporting elements are required:

5.8.3 MOVES, ADDS, CHANGES, AND DELETES

The ability for VA to process MACDs shall be included within the Contractor’s account management system. The information must include the date of MACD request, current status, and cost prorated based on date of the MACD request. The Government reserves the right to add additional services as needed via contract modification. It also reserves the right to disconnect any services that are no longer needed due to closure of facility or change in service requirements at any facility. The government will also at times move clinics to new locations for various reasons and will also require the capability to move services when this occurs, provided redundant services are not required.

Moves made under portability provisions are subject to facility availability and requirements in section 5.4 Establishment of Services. The Government may choose to move either a portion of or the entire existing service

5.8.4 INVENTORY REPORTING

The Contractor shall provide account access by the 30th day after contract award to VA personnel to view inventory status of line and circuits for all VA accounts as identified in sections 5.4.1 Inventory of Lines and Circuits and 5.4.2 Service Transition. VA sites not currently listed will be added by a modification to the contract.

6.0 GENERAL REQUIREMENTS

6.1 POSITION/TASK RISK DESIGNATION LEVEL(S) AND CONTRACTOR PERSONNEL SECURITY REQUIREMENTS The Contractor(s) shall comply with all personnel security requirements included in this contract and local level organization security requirements described herein

VA requires that all Vendors be escorted at all times when on-site. Contractors will not be issued Personal-Identity Verification (PIV) cards/badges.

Contractor Responsibilities:

a. The Contractor shall prescreen all personnel requiring access to the computer systems to ensure they maintain the appropriate Background Investigation, and are able to read, write, speak and understand the English language.

b. The Contractor shall bear the expense of obtaining background investigations.

c. The Contractor shall be responsible for the actions of all personnel provided to work for VA under this contract. In the event that damages arise from work performed by Contractor provided personnel, under the auspices of this contract, the Contractor shall be responsible for all resources necessary to remedy the incident.

d. All Contractor personnel are required to be escorted at VA facilities at all times.

6.2 METHOD AND DISTRIBUTION OF DELIVERABLES

The Contractor shall deliver documentation in electronic format, unless otherwise directed in Section B of the solicitation/contract. Acceptable electronic media include: Microsoft (MS) Word 2000/2003/2007/2010, MS Excel 2000/2003/2007/2010, MS PowerPoint 2000/2003/2007/2010, MS Project 2000/2003/2007/2010, MS Access 2000/2003/2007/2010, MS Visio 2000/2002/2003/2007/2010, AutoCAD 2002/2004/2007/2010, and Adobe Postscript Data Format (PDF).

6.3 PERFORMANCE METRICS

The table below defines the Performance Standards and Acceptable Performance Levels for Objectives associated with this effort.

The Government will utilize a Quality Assurance Surveillance Plan (QASP) throughout the life of the contract to ensure that the Contractor is performing the services required by this PWS in an acceptable manner. The Government reserves the right to alter or change the surveillance methods in the QASP at its own discretion. A Performance Based Service Assessment Survey will be used in combination with the QASP to assist the Government in determining acceptable performance levels.

6.4 FACILITY/RESOURCE PROVISIONS

The Contractor shall contact the COR for Government documentation needed and which is not available by other means.

The Contractor shall not transmit, store or otherwise maintain sensitive data or products in Contractor systems (or media) within the VA firewall IAW VA Handbook 6500.6 dated March 12, 2010. All VA sensitive information shall be protected at all times in accordance with local security field office System Security Plans (SSP’s) and Authority to Operate (ATO)’s for all systems/LAN’s accessed while performing the tasks detailed in this PWS. For detailed Security and Privacy Requirements refer to ADDENDUM A and ADDENDUM B.

6.5 GOVERNMENT FURNISHED INFORMATION

N/A

7.0 ACRONYMS

The following is a list of acronyms that may be found in this document or in TOs issued by VA.

CIO – Chief Information Officer DVA – Department of Veterans Affairs EGB – Executive Governance Board ERR – Enterprise Requirements’ Repository FBO – Federal Business Opportunities FFP – Firm Fixed Price FY – Fiscal Year GFE – Government Furnished Equipment IDIQ – Indefinite Delivery Indefinite Quantity IM – Information Management ISDN – Integrated Services Digital Network IT – Information Technology LEC – Local Exchange Carrier LOA – Letter of Authorization LPTA – Lowest Price Technically Acceptable MRC – Monthly Recurring Charges NANP – North American Numbering Plan OEC – Office of Enterprise Communications OI&T – Office of Information Technology POP – Period of Performance PIC – Primary Interexchange Carrier PRI – Primary Rate Interface PUC Public Utilities Commission PWS – Performance Work Statement QOS – Quality of Service RFI – Request for Information RFQ – Request for Quotes SDP – Service Delivery Point SLA – Service Level Agreement TBO – Telecommunications Business Office TCO – Total Cost of Ownership TEM – Telecommunications Expense Management TSP – Telecommunications Service Priority TTU – Test and Turn Up VA – Veterans Affairs VoIP – Voice over Internet Protocol V2E – Visibility to Everything

ADDENDUM A

A1.0 Cyber and Information Security Requirements for VA IT Services The Contractor shall ensure adequate LAN/Internet, data, information, and system security in accordance with VA standard operating procedures and standard PWS language, conditions, laws, and regulations. The Contractor’s firewall and web server shall meet or exceed VA minimum requirements for security. All VA data shall be protected behind an approved firewall. All security violations or attempted violations shall be reported to the VA Program Manager and VA Information Security Officer as soon as possible. The Contractor shall follow all applicable VA policies and procedures governing information security, especially those that pertain to certification and accreditation.

Contractor supplied…