PD FINAL RFI v4 BMC Helix.pdf

PRODUCT DESCRIPTION (PD)

DEPARTMENT OF VETERANS AFFAIRS(VA)

Office of Information & Technology Software Product Management

Capacity and Performance Engineering (CPE)

BMC Helix Continuous Optimization SaaS Date: July 1, 2024

VA-24-00057862

PD Version Number: 4.0

Contents

1.0 PRODUCT REQUIREMENTS

1.1 SALIENT CHARACTERISTICS

1.2 ASSESSMENT, AUTHORIZATION, AND CONTINUOUS MONITORING

1.2.1 1.2.2

1.3 INCOMING TRANSITION SUPPORT (OPTIONAL TASK 1)

1.4 PROFESSIONAL SERVICES (OPTIONAL TASK 2)

1.5 ADDITIONAL SUBSCRIPTIONS (OPTIONAL TASK 3)

1.6 OUTGOING TRANSITION SUPPORT (OPTIONAL TASK 4)

2.0 NOTICE OF THE FEDERAL ACCESSIBILITY LAW AFFECTING ALL

INFORMATION AND COMMUNICATION TECHNOLOGY (ICT)

PROCUREMENTS (SECTION 508)

2.1 SECTION 508 – INFORMATION AND COMMUNICATION TECHNOLOGY

(ICT) STANDARDS

2.2 COMPATABILITY WITH ASSISTIVE TECHNOLOGY

2.3 ACCEPTANCE AND ACCEPTANCE TESTING

3.0 INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY USING ENERGY-EFFICIENT PRODUCTS ... 14

3.1 EPEAT

3.2 ENERGY STAR

3.3 FEMP

4.0 SHIPMENT OF SOFTWARE

4.1 SPECIAL INVOICING INSTRUCTIONS

5.0 GENERAL REQUIREMENTS

5.1 VA TECHNICAL REFERENCE MODEL

5.2 SOCIAL SECURITY NUMBER (SSN) REDUCTION

5.3 INTERNET PROTOCOL VERSION 6 (IPV6)

5.4 POSITION/TASK RISK DESIGNATION LEVEL(S)

5.5 Information security considerations

5.6 POINts of contact

ADDENDUM B – VA INFORMATION AND INFORMATION SYSTEM SECURITY AND

PRIVACY LANGUAGE

1.0 PRODUCT REQUIREMENTS

VA Office of Information and Technology (OI&T), Capacity and Performance Engineering (CPE), currently uses the BMC True Sight Capacity Optimization (TSCO) capacity and management tool. BMC has announced that full support for the current version of TSCO ended on March 31, 2024, with no further functional enhancements planned. CPE has a requirement for a deployed, operable and maintained brand name BMC Helix Continuous Optimization (BHCO) or equal SaaS environment to replace the current TSCO. The system must be FedRAMP approved at Federal Information Security Modernization Act (FISMA) MODERATE impact at the time of award. This product will be utilized in the analysis and engineering of capacity and performance characteristics for approximately 1,000 unique VA Information Technology (IT) systems located across the Agency. These systems are a mix of Red Hat Enterprise Linux v7.x and 8.x as well as Microsoft Windows Server 2019 running various commercial off-the shelf as well as Government-developed software applications for a variety of clinical and administrative needs. The proposed action also contains optional tasks for the contractor to assist with professional services, product customization, individual system configuration and custom reporting. This includes the development of custom ETL (Extract, Transform, Load) functions to import system-specific data into the BHCO or equal product environment for use in modeling and forecasting.

Deliverables will include the following brand name or equal items: VA access to BHCO SaaS environment platform; BHCO SaaS entitlements; professional services;

instructions on how to place service requests; VA-specific FedRAMP artifacts, listed in section 1.2 below; training and support; optional tasks for incoming transition support;

additional subscriptions; and outgoing transition support (to include a Data Migration Plan).

The period of performance shall be a base period of twelve (12) months from the date of award and four (4) 12-month option periods.

Item Number

Description Software Subscriptions to License Entitlements

Part Number Qty Unit

Base Period - Period of Performance shall not exceed 12 months

BMC Helix Continuous Optimization - Resource Unit (FedRAMP) - per resource unit - SaaS - Monthly Subscription (or equal)

LPS11-003-

S1-0004

EA

Moviri Integrator for BMC Solutions - MarketZone -per third-party software - OnPremise Monthly Subscription (or equal)

LYQ11-001-

S5-0001

EA

Option Period 1 - Period of Performance shall not

EA

Moviri Integrator for BMC Solutions - MarketZone -per third-party software - OnPremise Monthly Subscription (or equal)

LYQ11-001-

S5-0001

Option Period 2 - Period of Performance shall not

EA

Moviri Integrator for BMC Solutions - MarketZone -per third-party software - OnPremise Monthly Subscription (or equal)

LYQ11-001-

S5-0001

Option Period 3 - Period of Performance shall not

EA

Moviri Integrator for BMC Solutions - MarketZone -per third-party software - OnPremise Monthly Subscription (or equal)

LYQ11-001-

S5-0001

Option Period 4 - Period of Performance shall not

Moviri Integrator for BMC Solutions - MarketZone -per third-party software - OnPremise Monthly Subscription (or equal)

LYQ11-001-

S5-0001

1.1 SALIENT CHARACTERISTICS

The Contractor shall provide an IT Resource Management product with the following salient characteristics:

1. Must be FedRAMP approved at Moderate Impact level at Contract award.

2. Must be a SaaS offering that conforms to the definition of cloud computing in accordance with NIST Special Publication 800-145, The NIST Definition of Cloud Computing.

3. Provide user access 24x7x365 with a system availability of at least 99.9%, excluding scheduled downtime for scheduled maintenance and upgrades.

4. Software capabilities:

a. Shall be commercial configurable “out of the box” which will be configured to meet VA OIT CPE business needs.

i. User-Friendly Interface: An intuitive and user-friendly interface that simplifies the management and analysis of IT capacity.

ii. create groups and/or filters of systems organized by business function/organization

iii. organize systems into groups based on deployment, cluster group and/or geolocation

iv. automate the addition/removal of systems being monitored

v. add, remove systems being monitored manually

vi. create templates for system types and business/application types being monitored

vii. create custom statistics and/or formulas for application on collections of metrics

viii. add, edit and delete tags, user-defined tags associated with systems and application(s)

ix. automate and/or schedule data collections from systems being monitored

x. establish global thresholds for metrics data collections, i.e. warning for high CPU, memory, disk utilization, etc

xi. enable alerting when aforementioned thresholds are violated

xii. create user accounts, define administrative roles and access groups

xiii. manage itself, i.e. logging for warning and errors or important information, provide usage

xiv. information and control administrative maintenance tasks

xv. create, edit and remove data aging configuration

b. Data Collections

i. Historical Database(s) are required to store the data collected from the

Nodes and Hosts being monitored. The current data collection is approximately 700 GB in size and covers up to 3 years of summarized data.

ii. Granularity of data collections shall have the ability to be adjusted by the user as needed.

iii. The data store shall have the ability to set an aging limit before the data is removed, e.g. 3 months, 6 months, 1 year, 2 years, etc. This is so the datastore size can be managed to the users needs.

iv. Resource Utilization Data: Detailed information about the usage of IT resources such as CPU, memory, storage, and network bandwidth across physical, virtual, and cloud environments.

v. Performance Metrics: Data related to the performance of IT systems and services, including response times, transaction speeds, and application availability.

vi. Capacity Data: Information on the current capacity and utilization levels of IT resources, helping in forecasting future requirements.

vii. Configuration Data: Detailed descriptions of the IT infrastructure setup, including hardware configurations, software versions of OS, and virtualization details.

viii. Workload Information: Data about the workloads running on the IT systems, such as user counts, transaction volumes, application-specific metrics, and usage patterns.

ix. Cost Information: Financial data related to the operation and maintenance of IT resources, including costs of hardware, software licenses, cloud services, and energy consumption.

x. Quality of Service (QoS) Metrics: Data regarding the reliability and availability of IT services, including metrics like uptime, downtime, MTBF (Mean Time Between Failures), and MTTR (Mean Time to Repair).

xi. Custom Metrics: Data pertaining to custom metrics defined by the organization to meet specific analysis needs.

xii. Event and Log Data: System logs and event data that provide insights into the operational aspects of the IT infrastructure.

xiii. Ability to build and customize predictive models from empirical data collection, including the selection of the predictive model algorithm used.

c. Provides capability to evaluate utilization and inform right sizing of on-premises and cloud-based resources for components such as CPU, memory, storage, etc.

i. 'What-If' Scenario Analysis: Capability to simulate various scenarios (such as increased user load, new application deployment) to understand their impact on IT infrastructure.

ii. Resource Utilization Tracking: Ability to monitor and report on the utilization of various IT resources like CPU, memory, storage, and network bandwidth.

iii. Performance Monitoring and Analysis: Functionality to track and analyze performance metrics such as response times, transaction rates, and application throughput.

d. Predicts saturation risks, degradation, outages, failures, opportunities to save, and mitigate future health risks.

i. Cost Management and Reporting: Features to track, analyze, and report on the costs associated with IT resource usage, aiding in effective budget management.

ii. Quality of Service (QoS) Metrics Tracking: Ability to track and report on QoS metrics like uptime, downtime, MTBF (Mean Time Between Failures), and MTTR (Mean Time to Repair).

iii. Custom Metric Definition and Tracking: The ability for users to define and track custom metrics specific to their business needs.

iv. Automated Resource Allocation and Scaling: Automated mechanisms for dynamic allocation and scaling of resources in response to varying workloads.

e. Applies Artificial Intelligence/Machine Learning:

i. To formulate and execute predictive systems models and to validate those models.

ii. To use large amounts of data to develop forecast models of service demand for IT systems and predict future capacity needs.

iii. To validate system models via empirical data collections and derive a confidence level for the model.

f. Tracks history of outages, failures

i. System Uptime and Reliability: The ability to capture and evaluate the system uptime and reliability post-deployment of the systems being monitored.

5. Integration:

a. Integration with Existing IT Infrastructure (which consists of approximately 1,000 unique VA Information Technology (IT) systems located across the Agency. These systems are a mix of Red Hat Enterprise Linux v7.x and 8.x as well as Microsoft Windows Server 2019 running various commercial off-the shelf as well as Government-developed software applications for a variety of clinical and administrative needs.): Compatibility and integration capabilities with existing IT infrastructure, including cloud platforms, virtualization environments, and other IT management tools.

b. Capability to integrate with existing Agency Identity Access Management (IAM) systems and utilize existing Agency two-factor authentication mechanisms.

c. Data Export and Integration with Other Systems: Capabilities to export data and integrate with other business intelligence and analytics systems such as third-party data visualization products.

d. Application Program Interface (API) support for integration with third-party software products.

e. Legacy Data Import: The ability to incorporate the existing body of TSCO metric data and utilize it in all tool functions as a basis for historical data.

f. Re-use of existing TSCO agents – The current system uses TSCO agents and a brand name or equal product would need to interface with the TCSO agents.

6. Other Capabilities:

a. Compliance and Risk Management Tools: Features to monitor and ensure compliance with various regulatory standards, and tools for risk assessment and management.

b. Security and Access Controls: Robust security features and access controls to protect sensitive data and ensure authorized access to the tool.

c. Disaster Recovery and Business Continuity Support: Capabilities to aid in disaster recovery planning and maintaining business continuity.

d. Workflow automation: Capabilities to collect, analyze, predict, and report system and workload information in stakeholder context.

e. Vendor Support and Training: Comprehensive vendor support and training resources to ensure effective implementation and usage of the tool.

1.2 ASSESSMENT, AUTHORIZATION, AND CONTINUOUS MONITORING

1.2.1 If the solution is FedRAMP Authorized but not VA Authorized:

1. The information system solution selected by the Contractor shall comply with the Federal Information Security Management Act (FISMA)

2. The Contractor shall comply with FedRAMP requirements as mandated by Federal laws and policies, including making available any documentation, physical access, and logical access needed to support this requirement

3. The system must be FedRAMP Authorized at no less than the Moderate Impact Level.

4. The Contractor shall, where applicable, assist with the VA ATO Process to help achieve agency authorization of the cloud service or migrated application.

5. The Contractor shall develop a VA specific system boundary diagram including any integration and connectivity components that will be known as a VA Implementation Diagram (VAID) demonstrating the proposed implementation of this system at VA. The Contractor shall provide the VAID within 10 calendar days of contract award.

6. The Contractor shall provide confirmation of their FedRAMP System Security Plan (SSP) and supporting documentation completion via their repository ID number and a link for VA to download the SSP and all required artifacts within 5 calendar days of contract award.

7. The Contractor shall provide the results of their most recent Third-Party Assessment Organization (3PAO) Security Assessment Plan (SAP) within 10 calendar days of contract award.

8. The Contractor shall complete a 3PAO Security Assessment Report (SAR) within 10 calendar days after the SSP is accepted by VA.

9. The Contractor shall provide VA with the most recent monthly scans for the production environment within the authorization boundary and their scan upload schedule for FedRAMP within 30 calendar days of contract award.

10. The Contractor shall provide their availability to participate in monthly continuous monitoring meetings to be scheduled following successful VA ATO within 30 calendar days of contract award.

11. Contractor shall work with assigned VA SME to develop a VA specific Incident Response Plan (IRP) and perform an IRP TableTop Exercise with VA Stakeholders.

This should be completed within 30 calendar days of the SAR being delivered.

12. If new or unanticipated vulnerabilities are discovered by either VA or the Contractor, or if existing safeguards have ceased to function, the discoverer shall immediately bring the situation to the attention of the other party in accordance with Addendum B, VA Information and Information System Security/Privacy Language

13. The Contractor shall comply with data management requirements.

14. Successful issuance of a VA ATO will be required before live VA data can be used in the system.

Deliverables:

A. VA Implementation Diagram B. FedRAMP System Security Plan (SSP) and supporting documentation C. 3PAO Security Assessment Plan (SAP) D. 3PAO Security Assessment Report (SAR) E. IRP Scenario

1.2.2 If the solution is FedRAMP Authorized and VA Authorized:

1. The information system solution selected by the Contractor shall comply with the Federal Information Security Management Act (FISMA) and have a current VA authorization.

2. The Contractor shall comply with FedRAMP requirements as mandated by Federal laws and policies, including making available any documentation, physical access, and logical access needed to support this requirement.

3. The FedRAMP Authorization level and existing VA ATO should be no less than the level required for this use case which has been defined as Moderate Impact Level.

4. The Contractor shall, where applicable, assist with the VA ATO Sustainment Process to help maintain health and quality of agency authorization of the cloud service or migrated application.

5. The Contractor shall exclusively provide licenses and/or accounts to FedRAMP authorized and VA authorized environments.

6. The Contractor shall afford VA access to the Contractor’s and Cloud Service Provider’s (CSP) facilities, installations, technical capabilities, operations, documentation, records, and databases.

7. If new or unanticipated vulnerabilities are discovered by either VA or the Contractor, or if existing safeguards have ceased to function, the discoverer shall immediately bring the situation to the attention of the other party in accordance with Addendum B, VA Information and Information System Security/Privacy Language

8. The Contractor shall comply with data management requirements.

9. Successful issuance of a VA ATO will be required before live VA data can be used in the system.

10. The Contractor shall participate in monthly Agency and FedRAMP Sustainment meetings following the granting of a VA ATO.

11. The Contractor shall provide continuous monitoring activities including scans, security artifacts, and monthly Plan of Action and Milestones (POAM) reports as outlined by FedRAMP requirements.

Deliverables:

A. Continuous monitoring security artifacts B. Continuous monitoring scans C. Plan of Action and Milestones reports

1.3 INCOMING TRANSITION SUPPORT (OPTIONAL TASK 1)

If exercised, the Contractor shall be responsible to provide all resources necessary for the smooth transition of work related to this PD from other vendors within a period of 60 days from the execution of this optional task.

The Government shall establish an Incoming Transition kickoff meeting within 5 days after execution of this option. The Contractor shall participate in the Incoming Transition kickoff meeting and shall begin the Incoming Transition task support immediately after https://www.fedramp.gov/agency-authorization/ https://www.fedramp.gov/agency-authorization/ completion of the kickoff meeting. The Contractor shall participate in any Phase-In Transition Plan meetings scheduled by the outgoing Contractor [if current contract has a transition out task, this is easier] or with the VA COR, or VA organizations identified by the COR.

The Incoming Contractor shall perform the following activities:

1. Participate in reviews of program documentation.

2. Participate, as an observer, such as desk side knowledge sharing in the day-to-day tasks performed by the outgoing contractor for the purpose of knowledge sharing, from understanding all standard operating procedures, VA stakeholders, meeting attendance, and business workflows and processes.

3. Support VA with data transfer from the outgoing Contractor, review results at the completion of data transfer, identify any errors or issues and verify transferred data is accessible in the incoming BHCO or equal SaaS product using VA approved tools such as VA BOX or other enterprise solutions used by the VA for large data transfer. See Section 1.1(4)b(i) above.

4. Provide VA COR with ongoing status of Government-required (on-boarding) mandatory VA training, clearances, access, and certification processes.

1.4 PROFESSIONAL SERVICES (OPTIONAL TASK 2)

If exercised, the Contractor shall provide professional services support to assist VA with initiating specific goals such as product customization, individual system configuration and custom reporting. This includes the development of custom Extract, Transform, Load (ETL) functions to import system-specific data into the BHCO or equal product environment for use in modeling and forecasting. Each professional services support for initiating specific goals shall include up to a three-day planning workshop virtually/on-line between VA and a Contractor product expert. The Contractor shall provide guidance to VA during the workshop to achieve the stated goal. The Contractor shall also provide 24x7 unlimited user access to related self-service training and knowledge content. For each exercise of this optional task, the Government will provide a statement detailing the specific goal required. In response, the Contractor shall provide VA with a written execution plan detailing the technical approach, workshop agenda, and assigned product expert. This optional task may be exercised up to four times during the base period and each option period.

1.5 ADDITIONAL SUBSCRIPTIONS (OPTIONAL TASK 3)

If exercised, the Contractor shall provide 800 additional subscription-based licenses to the BHCO or equal SaaS offering in accordance with paragraphs 1.0 and 1.1. This optional task may be exercised at any time during option periods one through four.

(BMC Helix Continuous Optimization – Resource Unit (FedRAMP) – per resource unit – SaaS – Monthly Subscription – Generally Available P/N LPS11-003-S1-0004, or equal).

1.6 OUTGOING TRANSITION SUPPORT (OPTIONAL TASK 4)

If exercised, the Contractor shall provide Outgoing Transition Management as follows:

1. Upon notification from the VA that there is going to be a transition from the awarded BHCO or equal SaaS product to a different contracted system, the Contractor shall deliver feedback on how the Government can execute a smooth transition to a successor Contractor. The Contractor shall allow for transition of the required data without interruption to the Government.

2. VA data shall be accessible both during and after data migration through the end of the contract. All existing metadata shall remain intact and unaltered throughout migration. This shall include, at a minimum, the creation date and last modified date.

Share and file permissions shall match the originating location.

3. The Contractor shall also transfer any data migration-specific knowledge to the VA PM and COR via a Data migration plan.

4. The Contractor shall also document the progress status and results of the data migration throughout the VA specified timeline and provide updates upon request from the COR.

5. Work shall be completed within 90-days of execution of the optional task.

6. This optional task may be exercised at the Base or Option Periods up to one time.

Deliverables:

A. Data migration plan.

2.0 NOTICE OF THE FEDERAL ACCESSIBILITY LAW AFFECTING ALL

INFORMATION AND COMMUNICATION TECHNOLOGY (ICT)

PROCUREMENTS (SECTION 508)

On January 18, 2017, the Architectural and Transportation Barriers Compliance Board (Access Board) revised and updated, in a single rulemaking, standards for electronic and information technology developed, procured, maintained, or used by Federal agencies covered by Section 508 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973, as well as our guidelines for telecommunications equipment and customer premises equipment covered by Section 255 of the Communications Act of 1934. The revisions and updates to the Section 508-based standards and Section 255-based guidelines are intended to ensure that information and communication technology (ICT) covered by the respective statutes is accessible to and usable by individuals with disabilities.

2.1 SECTION 508 – INFORMATION AND COMMUNICATION TECHNOLOGY (ICT)

STANDARDS

The Section 508 standards established by the Access Board are incorporated into, and made part of all VA orders, solicitations and purchase orders developed to procure ICT.

These standards are found in their entirety at: https://www.access-board.gov/guidelines-and-standards/communications-and-it/about-the-ict-refresh/final-rule/text-of-the-standards-and-guidelines. A printed copy of the standards will be supplied upon request.

Federal agencies must comply with the updated Section 508 Standards beginning on January 18, 2018. The Final Rule as published in the Federal Register is available from the Access Board: https://www.access-board.gov/guidelines-and-standards/communications-and-it/about-the-ict-refresh/final-rule.

The Contractor shall comply with “508 Chapter 2: Scoping Requirements” for all electronic ICT and content delivered under this contract. Specifically, as appropriate for the technology and its functionality, the Contractor shall comply with the technical standards marked here:

E205 Electronic Content – (Accessibility Standard -WCAG 2.0 Level A and AA Guidelines)

E204 Functional Performance Criteria E206 Hardware Requirements E207 Software Requirements E208 Support Documentation and Services Requirements

2.2 COMPATABILITY WITH ASSISTIVE TECHNOLOGY

The standards do not require installation of specific accessibility-related software or attachment of an assistive technology device. Section 508 requires that ICT be compatible with such software and devices so that ICT can be accessible to and usable by individuals using assistive technology, including but not limited to screen readers, screen magnifiers, and speech recognition software.

2.3 ACCEPTANCE AND ACCEPTANCE TESTING

Deliverables resulting from this solicitation will be accepted based in part on satisfaction of the Section 508 Chapter 2: Scoping Requirements standards identified above.

The Government reserves the right to test for Section 508 Compliance before delivery.

The Contractor shall be able to demonstrate Section 508 Compliance upon delivery.

https://www.access-board.gov/guidelines-and-standards/communications-and-it/about-the-ict-refresh/final-rule/text-of-the-standards-and-guidelines https://www.access-board.gov/guidelines-and-standards/communications-and-it/about-the-ict-refresh/final-rule/text-of-the-standards-and-guidelines https://www.access-board.gov/guidelines-and-standards/communications-and-it/about-the-ict-refresh/final-rule/text-of-the-standards-and-guidelines https://www.access-board.gov/guidelines-and-standards/communications-and-it/about-the-ict-refresh/final-rule https://www.access-board.gov/guidelines-and-standards/communications-and-it/about-the-ict-refresh/final-rule

3.0 INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY USING ENERGY-EFFICIENT PRODUCTS

The Contractor shall comply with Sections 524 and Sections 525 of the Energy Independence and Security Act of 2007; Section 104 of the Energy Policy Act of 2005;

Executive Order 13834, “Efficient Federal Operations”, dated May 17, 2018; Executive Order 13221, “Energy-Efficient Standby Power Devices,” dated August 2, 2001; and the Federal Acquisition Regulation (FAR) to provide ENERGY STAR®, Federal Energy Management Program (FEMP) designated, low standby power, and Electronic Product Environmental Assessment Tool (EPEAT) registered products in providing information technology products and/or services..

3.1 EPEAT

EPEAT product compliance is not required in this acquisition.

3.2 ENERGY STAR

Energy Star compliance is not required in this acquisition.

3.3 FEMP

FEMP or FEMP low standby power product compliance is not required in this acquisition.

4.0 SHIPMENT OF SOFTWARE

Inspection: Destination Acceptance: Destination Free on Board (FOB): Destination

Initial SaaS delivery/acceptance will take place within 30 days of receipt and processing of the delivery order. Please notify the following POC’s of initial delivery and readiness for the ATO approval process:

Primary Alternate Name: TBD Name: TBD Voice: Voice:

Email: Email:

4.1 SPECIAL INVOICING INSTRUCTIONS

Upon submitting an invoice to Tungsten, the Contractor shall also forward a copy of the invoice to TBD for review and approval for payment.

5.0 GENERAL REQUIREMENTS

5.1 VA TECHNICAL REFERENCE MODEL

The Contractor shall support the VA enterprise management framework. In association with the framework, the Contractor shall comply with OI&T Technical Reference Model (VA TRM). The VA TRM is one component within the overall Enterprise Architecture (EA) that establishes a common vocabulary and structure for describing the information technology used to develop, operate, and maintain enterprise applications. Moreover, the VA TRM, which includes the Standards Profile and Product List, serves as a technology roadmap and tool for supporting OI&T. Architecture & Engineering Services (AES) has overall responsibility for the VA TRM.

5.2 SOCIAL SECURITY NUMBER (SSN) REDUCTION

The Contractor solution shall support the Social Security Number (SSN) Fraud Prevention Act (FPA) of 2017 which prohibits the inclusion of SSNs on any document sent by mail. The Contractor support shall also be performed in accordance with Section 240 of the Consolidated Appropriations Act (CAA) 2018, enacted March 23, 2018, which mandates VA to discontinue using SSNs to identify individuals in all VA information systems as the Primary Identifier. The Contractor shall ensure that any new IT solution discontinues the use of SSN as the Primary Identifier to replace the SSN with the Integrated Control Number (ICN) in all VA information systems for all individuals. The Contractor shall ensure that all Contractor delivered applications and systems integrate with the VA Master Person Index (MPI) for identity traits to include the use of the ICN as the Primary Identifier. The Contractor solution may only use a Social Security Number to identify an individual in an information system if and only if the use of such number is required to obtain information VA requires from an information system that is not under the jurisdiction of VA.

5.3 INTERNET PROTOCOL VERSION 6 (IPV6)

The Contractor solution shall support Internet Protocol Version 6 (IPv6) based upon the memo issued by the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) on November 19, 2020 (https://www.whitehouse.gov/wp-content/uploads/2020/11/M-21-07.pdf). IPv6 technology, in accordance with the USGv6 Program (https://www.nist.gov/programs-projects/usgv6-program/usgv6-revision-1), NIST Special Publication (SP) 500-267B Revision 1 “USGv6 Profile” (https://doi.org/10.6028/NIST.SP.500-267Br1), and NIST SP 800-119 “Guidelines for the Secure Deployment of IPv6” (https://doi.org/10.6028/NIST.SP.800-119), compliance shall be included in all IT https://www.whitehouse.gov/wp-content/uploads/2020/11/M-21-07.pdf file://R04.med.va.gov/V03/EAS/Users/vhaeasWymbsk/TEMPLATES--NEW%20TAC%20PROCESS/PWS%20TEMPLATE%20(DO%20NOT%20TOUCH)%20-%20In%20Process%20Revisions/DO%20NOT%20TOUCH%20(next%20version/IPv6/(https:/www.nist.gov/programs-projects/usgv6-program/usgv6-revision-1 file://R04.med.va.gov/V03/EAS/Users/vhaeasWymbsk/TEMPLATES--NEW%20TAC%20PROCESS/PWS%20TEMPLATE%20(DO%20NOT%20TOUCH)%20-%20In%20Process%20Revisions/DO%20NOT%20TOUCH%20(next%20version/IPv6/(https:/www.nist.gov/programs-projects/usgv6-program/usgv6-revision-1 https://doi.org/10.6028/NIST.SP.500-267Br1 https://doi.org/10.6028/NIST.SP.800-119 infrastructures, application designs, application development, operational systems and sub-systems, and their integration. In addition to the above requirements, all devices shall support native IPv6 and dual stack (IPv6 / IPv4) connectivity without additional memory or other resources being provided by the Government, so that they can function in a mixed environment. All public/external facing servers and services (e.g.

web, email, DNS, ISP services, etc.) shall support native IPv6 and dual stack (IPv6 / IPv4) users and all internal infrastructure and applications shall communicate using native IPv6 and dual stack (IPv6 / IPv4) operations.

5.4 POSITION/TASK RISK DESIGNATION LEVEL(S)

NOT APPLICABLE

5.5 INFORMATION SECURITY CONSIDERATIONS

The Assessment and Authorization (A&A) requirements apply and a Security Accreditation Package is required.

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 Product Description.

5.6 POINTS OF CONTACT

Contract Specialist:

Name: Brendan Hopkins Address: 23 Christopher Way, Eatontown, NJ 07724 Voice: 848-377-5074 Email: Brendan.Hopkins@va.gov

ADDENDUM B – VA INFORMATION AND INFORMATION SYSTEM SECURITY AND

PRIVACY LANGUAGE

NOTE: In the event of a conflict, VAAR Security Clauses take precedence over the language in this Addendum B.

APPLICABLE PARAGRAPHS TAILORED FROM: VA NOTICE 24-12, APRIL 22,

2024, UPDATE TO VA HANDBOOK 6500.6, CONTRACT SECURITY, APPENDIX C

VA INFORMATION AND INFORMATION SYSTEM SECURITY/PRIVACY

LANGUAGE, FOR INCLUSION INTO CONTRACTS, AS APPROPRIATE

B1. GENERAL

This entire section applies to all acquisitions requiring any Information Security and Privacy language. Contractors, contractor personnel, subcontractors and subcontractor personnel will be subject to the same federal laws, regulations, standards, VA directives and handbooks, as VA personnel regarding information and information system security and privacy.

B2. VA INFORMATION CUSTODIAL LANGUAGE

a. The Government shall receive unlimited rights to data/intellectual property first produced and delivered in the performance of this contract or order (hereinafter “contract”) unless expressly stated otherwise in this contract. This includes all rights to source code and all documentation created in support thereof. The primary clause used to define Government and Contractor data rights is FAR 52.227-14 Rights in Data – General. The primary clause used to define computer software license (not data/intellectual property first produced under this contractor or order) is FAR 52.227-19, Commercial Computer Software License.

b. Information made available to the contractor by VA for the performance or administration of this contract will be used only for the purposes specified in the service agreement, SOW, PWS, PD, and/or contract. The contractor shall not use VA information in any other manner without prior written approval from a VA Contracting Officer (CO). The primary clause used to define Government and Contractor data rights is FAR 52.227-14 Rights in Data – General.

c. VA information will not be co-mingled with any other data on the contractor’s information systems or media storage systems. The contractor shall ensure compliance with Federal and VA requirements related to data protection, data encryption, physical data segregation, logical data segregation, classification requirements and media sanitization.

d. VA reserves the right to conduct scheduled or unscheduled audits, assessments, or investigations of contractor Information Technology (IT) resources to ensure information security is compliant with Federal and VA requirements. The contractor shall provide all necessary access to records (including electronic and documentary materials related to the contracts and subcontracts) and support (including access to contractor and subcontractor staff associated with the contract) to VA, VA's Office Inspector General (OIG), and/or Government Accountability Office (GAO) staff during periodic control assessments, audits, or investigations.

e. The contractor may only use VA information within the terms of the contract and applicable Federal law, regulations, and VA policies. If new Federal information security laws, regulations or VA policies become applicable after execution of the contract, the parties agree to negotiate contract modification and adjustment necessary to implement the new laws, regulations, and/or policies.

f. The contractor shall not make copies of VA information except as specifically authorized and necessary to perform the terms of the contract. If copies are made for restoration purposes, after the restoration is complete, the copies shall be destroyed in accordance with VA Directive 6500, VA Cybersecurity Program and VA Information Security Knowledge Service.

g. If a Veterans Health Administration (VHA) contract is terminated for default or cause with a business associate, the related local Business Associate Agreement (BAA) shall also be terminated and actions taken in accordance with VHA Directive 1605.05, Business Associate Agreements. If there is an executed national BAA associated with the contract, VA will determine what actions are appropriate and notify the contactor.

h. The contractor shall store and transmit VA sensitive information in an encrypted form, using VA-approved encryption tools which are, at a minimum, Federal Information Processing Standards (FIPS) 140-2, Security Requirements for Cryptographic Modules (or its successor) validated and in conformance with VA Information Security Knowledge Service requirements. The contractor shall transmit VA sensitive information using VA approved Transport Layer Security (TLS) configured with FIPS based cipher suites in conformance with National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) 800-52, Guidelines for the

Selection, Configuration and Use of Transport Layer Security (TLS) Implementations.

i. The contractor’s firewall and web services security controls, as applicable, shall meet or exceed VA’s minimum requirements.

j. Except for uses and disclosures of VA information authorized by this contract for performance of the contract, the contractor may use and disclose VA information only in two situations: (i) in response to a qualifying order of a court of competent jurisdiction after notification to VA CO (ii) with written approval from the VA CO.

The contractor shall refer all requests for, demands for production of or inquiries about, VA information and information systems to the VA CO for response.

k. Notwithstanding the provision above, the contractor 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 medical records pertaining to drug addiction, sickle cell anemia, alcoholism or alcohol abuse or infection with Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV). If the contractor is in receipt of a court order or other requests for the above-mentioned information, the contractor shall immediately refer such court order or other requests to the VA CO for response.

l. Information made available to the contractor by VA for the performance or administration of this contract or information developed by the contractor in performance or administration of the contract will be protected and secured in accordance with VA Directive 6500 and Identity and Access Management (IAM) Security processes specified in the VA Information Security Knowledge Service.

m. Any data destruction done on behalf of VA by a contractor shall be done in accordance with National Archives and Records Administration (NARA) requirements as outlined in VA Directive 6300, Records and Information Management, VA Handbook 6300.1, Records Management Procedures, and applicable VA Records Control Schedules.

n. The contractor shall provide its plan for destruction of all VA data in its possession according to VA Directive 6500 and NIST 800-88, Guidelines for Media Sanitization prior to termination or completion of this contract. If directed by the COR/CO, the contractor shall return all Federal Records to VA for disposition.

o. Any media, such as paper, magnetic tape, magnetic disks, solid state devices or optical discs that is used to store, process, or access VA information that cannot be destroyed shall be returned to VA. The contractor shall hold the appropriate material until otherwise directed by the Contracting Officer’s Representative (COR) or CO. Items shall be returned securely via VA-approved methods. VA sensitive information must be transmitted utilizing VA-approved encryption tools which are validated under FIPS 140-2 (or its successor) and NIST 800-52. If mailed, the contractor shall send via a trackable method (USPS, UPS, FedEx, etc.) and immediately provide the COR/CO with the tracking information. Self-certification by the contractor that the data destruction requirements above have been met shall be sent to the COR/CO within 30 business days of termination of the contract.

p. All electronic storage media (hard drives, optical disks, CDs, back-up tapes, etc.)

used to store, process or access VA information will not be returned to the contractor at the end of lease, loan, or trade-in. Exceptions to this paragraph will only be granted with the written approval of the VA CO.

B3. 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 and subcontractors only to the extent necessary to perform the services specified in the solicitation or contract. This includes indirect entities, both affiliate of contractor/subcontractor and agent of contractor/subcontractor.

b. Contractors and subcontractors shall sign the VA Information Security Rule of

Behavior (ROB) before access is provided to VA information and information systems (see Section 4, Training, below). The ROB contains the minimum user compliance requirements and does not supersede any policies of VA facilities or other agency components which provide higher levels of protection to VA’s information or information systems. Users who require privileged access shall complete the VA elevated privilege access request processes before privileged access is granted.

c. All contractors and subcontractors working with VA information are subject to the same security investigative and clearance 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 shall be in accordance with VA Directive and Handbook 0710, Personnel Suitability and Security Program. The Office of Human Resources and Administration/Operations, Security and Preparedness (HRA/OSP) is responsible for these policies and procedures. Contract personnel who require access to classified information or information systems shall have an appropriate security clearance. Verification of a Security Clearance shall be processed through the Special Security Officer located in HRA/OSP. Contractors shall conform to all requirements stated in the National Industrial Security Program Operating Manual (NISPOM).

d. All contractors and subcontractors shall comply with conditions specified in

VAAR 852.204-71(d); Contractor operations required to be in United States. All contractors and subcontractors working with VA information must be permanently located within a jurisdiction subject to the law of the United States or its Territories to the maximum extent feasible. If services are proposed to be performed abroad the contractor must state where all non-U.S. services are provided. The contractor shall deliver to VA a detailed plan specifically addressing communications, personnel control, data protection and potential legal issues. The plan shall be approved by the COR/CO in writing prior to access being granted.

e. The contractor shall notify the COR/CO in writing immediately (no later than 24 hours) after personnel separation or occurrence of other causes. Causes may include the following:

(1) Contractor/subcontractor personnel no longer has a need for access to VA information or VA information systems.

(2) Contractor/subcontractor personnel are terminated, suspended, or otherwise has their work on a VA project discontinued for any reason.

(3) Contractor believes their own personnel or subcontractor personnel may pose a threat to their company’s working environment or to any company-owned property. This includes contractor-owned assets, buildings, confidential data, customers, employees, networks, systems, trade secrets and/or VA data.

(4) Any previously undisclosed changes to contractor/subcontractor background history are brought to light, including but not limited to changes to background investigation or employee record.

(5) Contractor/subcontractor personnel have their authorization to work in the

United States revoked.

(6) Agreement by which contractor provides products and services to VA has either been fulfilled or terminated, such that VA can cut off electronic and/or physical access for contractor personnel.

f. In such cases of contract fulfillment, termination, or other causes; the contractor shall take the necessary measures to immediately revoke access to VA network, property, information, and information systems (logical and physical) by contractor/subcontractor personnel. These measures include (but are not limited to): removing and then securing Personal Identity Verification (PIV) badges and PIV – Interoperable (PIV-I) access badges, VA-issued photo badges, credentials for VA facilities and devices, VA-issued laptops, and authentication tokens.

Contractors shall notify the appropriate VA COR/CO immediately to initiate access removal.

g. Contractors/subcontractors who no longer require VA accesses will return VA-issued property to VA. This property includes (but is not limited to): documents, electronic equipment, keys, and parking passes. PIV and PIV-I access badges shall be returned to the nearest VA PIV Badge Issuance Office. Once they have had access to VA information, information systems, networks and VA property in their possessions removed, contractors shall notify the appropriate VA COR/CO.

B4. TRAINING

a. All contractors and subcontractors requiring access to VA information and VA information systems shall successfully complete the following before being granted access to VA information and its systems:

(1) VA Privacy and Information Security Awareness and Rules of Behavior course (Talent Management System (TMS) #10176) initially and annually thereafter.

(2) Sign and acknowledge (electronically through TMS #10176) understanding of and responsibilities for compliance with the Organizational Rules of Behavior, relating to access to VA information and information systems initially and annually thereafter; and

(3) Successfully complete any additional cyber security or privacy training, as required for VA personnel with equivalent information system or information access [to be defined by the VA program official and provided to the VA CO for inclusion in the solicitation document – i.e., any role-based information security training].

b. The contractor shall provide to the COR/CO a copy of the training certificates and certification of signing the Organizational Rules of Behavior for each applicable employee within five days of the initiation of the contract and annually thereafter, as required.

c. Failure to complete the mandatory annual training 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 required training is complete.

B5. SECURITY INCIDENT INVESTIGATION

a. The contractor, subcontractor, their employees, or business associates shall immediately (within one hour) report suspected security / privacy incidents to the VA OIT’s Enterprise Service Desk (ESD) by calling (855) 673-4357 (TTY: 711).

The ESD is OIT’s 24/7/365 single point of contact for IT-related issues. After reporting to the ESD, the contractor, subcontractor, their employees, or business associates shall, within one hour, provide the COR/CO the incident number received from the ESD.

b. To the extent known by the contractor/subcontractor, the contractor/ subcontractor's notice to VA shall identify the information involved and the circumstances surrounding the incident, including the following:

(1) The date and time (or approximation of) the Security Incident occurred.

(2) The names of individuals involved (when applicable).

(3) The physical and logical (if applicable) location of the incident.

(4) Why the Security Incident took place (i.e., catalyst for the failure).

(5) The amount of data belonging to VA believed to have been compromised.

(6) The remediation measures the contractor is taking to ensure no future incidents of a similar nature.

c. After the contractor has provided the initial detailed incident summary to VA, they will continue to provide written updates on any new and relevant circumstances or facts they discover. The contractor, subcontractor, and their employes shall fully cooperate with VA or third-party entity performing an independent risk analysis on behalf of VA. Failure to cooperate may be deemed a material breach and grounds for contract termination.

d. VA IT contractors shall follow VA Handbook 6500, Risk Management Framework for VA Information Systems VA Information Security Program, and VA

Information Security Knowledge Service guidance for implementing an Incident Response Plan or integrating with an existing VA implementation.

e. 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 the VA Office of 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.

f. The contractor shall comply with VA Handbook 6500.2, Management of

Breaches Involving Sensitive Personal Information, which establishes the breach management policies and assigns responsibilities for the oversight, management and reporting procedures associated with managing of breaches.

g. With respect to unsecured Protected Health Information (PHI), the contractor is deemed to have discovered a data breach when the contractor knew or should have known of breach of such information. When a business associate is part of VHA contract, notification to the covered entity (VHA) shall be made in accordance with the executed BAA.

h. If the contractor or any of its agents fails to protect VA…