Performance Work Statement.pdf

US Department of Agriculture (USDA)

Performance Work Statement

October 21, 2024

Contents Project Title

General Information

1.0 Background and Purpose

2.0 Period of Performance

Contractor Requirements

3.0 Technical Requirements / Tasks

4.0 Deliverable / Schedule

5.0 Government Furnished

6.0 Travel

7.0 Contractor’s Key Personnel

8.0 Security Requirements

9.0 Data Rights

10.0 Section 508 - Electronic and Information Technology Standards

11.0 Performance Requirement Measures

Project Title Digital Asset Management (DAM) replacement for U.S. National Arboretum digital resources

General Information

1.0 Background and Purpose

The United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) Agriculture Research Service (ARS) Office of the Chief Information Officer (OCIO) requires contractor assistance to replace the functionality of the U.S. National Arboretum’s (USNA) existing DAM that no longer meets federal IT system requirements. The USNA digital asset management system not only stores and preserves assets which document the organization's history and current plant collections, but it performs an important function in the digital ecosystem of products, such as the public-facing Arboretum Botanical Explorer and the Arboretum mobile app. The current DAM has been in use and development since 2010. The system has over 46,000 assets related to the U.S. National Arboretum’s history, research, and germplasm collections.

The Arboretum is seeking DAM services that will as a minimum, meet the current DAM capabilities. The new system must have the ability to transfer all existing files and their associated data to a new platform. The application must also have the capability for multiple users to search for and export data for a wide range of uses through a user-friendly interface.

2.0 Period of Performance

The period of performance: 12 Months

Contractor Requirements

3.0 Technical Requirements / Tasks

The DAM shall meet the following requirements, and the contractor shall perform the following tasks as a part of this engagement:

3.1 The DAM technical requirements:

a. Supports a variety of digital file types for images (e.g., .jpg, .tif, .jp2, .iiq), video (e.g., .mp4, .mov, .avi), audio (e.g., .mp3, .flac, .m4a, .wav), presentations (e.g., .ppt), and documents (e.g., .pdf, .doc, .xls, .txt).

b. Allows non-IT administrators to easily configure/reconfigure the structure of the interface.

c. A user-friendly, intuitive interface for all levels of computer experience.

d. Ability for admin to customize which fields are displayed on various screens (e.g. upload screens, edit screens, search screens, record screens)

e. Ability for admin to fully customize the display and field order of information for each asset’s record.

f. Ability to find images by category or keyword hierarchical drilldown, as opposed to only being able to search by literally typing in a keyword or category to find matching images. Users should also be able to see the drilldown trees or lists displayed on one page/screen.

g. Ability to upload or update/edit assets in bulk and add common metadata to multiple assets at one time.

h. Ability to define a group of assets to update/edit the metadata sequentially.

i. Detect duplicate assets at the pixel level, spotting duplicates even when the image is a different size and filetype. Provide notice either at time of upload or in a later report.

j. Flexible metadata options to categorize our digital files: options to add free text areas, html text area (to allow use of italics), hyperlinked fields, drop-downs, checklists, keyword pickers, category trees, etc.

k. Ability to upload and maintain a hierarchical controlled vocabulary (keyword chooser fields) to allow ease of use when it comes to choosing from sometimes extensive lists of keywords/categories via hierarchical workflows as well as by seeing (and being able to quickly search) the entire list.

l. Partition assets and allow controlled access to certain partitions, based on permissions.

m. Allow for flexible user permissions so administrators of the system can easily create user groups and decide what they can see and do.

n. Approval workflows: to authorize the upload, download or edits of certain digital files.

o. Provide the administrators with reporting and audit trails to track how the DAM is being used internally by staff, who is engaging with it and if there are any areas that need work. The admin dashboard should provide information about user and group engagement, a selection of search reports, statistics on asset viewing and downloading, duplicates, and full audit trails.

p. Auto-complete search suggestions based on metadata found in the DAM.

q. Allows for saved searches and user workspace/lightboxes. Lightboxes should allow various functions on all or a selection of assets within e.g. download all or a selection, share lightbox, update metadata simultaneously on a selected group of assets, update metadata on individual assets sequentially, run a find & replace on text attributes, delete, remove from lightbox, view contents as a slideshow, link selected assets, export selected assets.

r. Includes option to crop images or change file sizes before downloading.

s. A data lookup feature that allows users to populate attribute values from external sources. (e.g. On upload/edit screen we have a “lookup” button under the plant accession number which uses that number to link to an external document from which it pulls data and then places it in specified fields)

t. Ability to access and export all asset metadata stored in the program database so that they can be used in external applications.

u. Maintain our existing workflows to populate the Arboretum Botanical Explorer (ABE) and the USNA mobile app (multiple tables exported to SQL). To that end, be able to export and publish assets using a script to define a selection of assets ( e.g. new or changed assets) at specific sizes or resolutions and with defined filename attributes to locations such as a remote server.

v. Ability to designate certain metadata fields be hyperlinked within the system. (e.g. from within the assets’ records the hyperlinked keywords/tags/categories connect to other assets - essentially by running a search on matching assets.) Current fields we have hyperlinked: Photo Location, Categories, keywords, NA Accession Number, Scientific Name, Common Names(s), “Received as” Name, Field Collection Number, Collector(s), Secondary ID(s), Sources(s), Embedded Data, Asset Usage, Access Level, Audit Logging, Related Items.

w. Ability to link related assets on upload, or create links later, so that the linked thumbnails are functional and visible in each asset’s record.

x. Ability to develop custom features, for an additional cost, as needed. (e.g. A global lookup function that would allow users to update all the lookup fields across all assets/records at the same time (all based on the primary/key lookup field), rather than having to go into each asset’s record and press its lookup button manually to update it. This would allow us to efficiently update all records when taxonomic names are changed.)

3.2 Migrate existing U.S. National Arboretum digital assets and associated data from existing Bright Interactive’s Asset Bank DAM to a new DAM

a. Install and configure the DAM in the ARS Azure Cloud environment ensuring all systems are optimized for performance.

b. Develop a migration script to facilitate the transfer of all 46,000+ digital assets and their associated data to the new DAM that allows for the continued use of existing ID numbers as the system of identification.

c. Execute the migration script to transfer existing digital assets into the new DAM.

d. Conduct thorough testing to ensure all assets, metadata, and links have been correctly migrated and that the system operates seamlessly (performance, security, functionality and user acceptance testing.)

e. Provide comprehensive training sessions for end-users and administrators to ensure proficiency in using the DAM platform.

3.3 Launch the DAM in the Azure Cloud, provide support, and licensing as needed

a. Launch the system and perform final data verification, system monitoring and resolution of any issues during the transition.

b. Provide ongoing support including troubleshooting, system updates and performance tuning.

c. Provide all necessary licenses for the DAM platform giving access to all required features and capabilities for their operations.

4.0 Deliverable / Schedule

Key Deliverables

Item No. Deliverable Submitted To Due By

1 Project Management Plan

USNA project CO, COR, POC Two weeks after award of contract

2 Project Schedule USNA project CO, COR, POC Two weeks after award of contract

3 Project Risks USNA project CO, COR, POC Two weeks after award of contract

Templates and directions will be provided During Kick-off Meeting.

5.0 Government Furnished

All work performed for this contract shall be done using Government Furnished Equipment (GFE). All code developed for this project shall be stored in a source code repository designated by the contracting officer representative (COR). Application code, data, and other artifacts developed, generated, or used as a part of this contract effort must be stored only on USDA GFE and/or USDA information systems as approved by the contracting officer representative

(COR).

6.0 Travel

U.S. National Arboretum, 3501 New York Ave. NE, Washington, DC, 20002

7.0 Contractor’s Key Personnel

The contractor shall perform all work described in this Performance Work Statement in accordance with all applicable Federal, State, and local laws, regulations, codes, technical specifications, manufacturers guidelines, USDA, REE, and the ARS mission.

8.0 Security Requirements

All contractor personnel who work at USDA must have approval for facility access. Prior to work starting, the contractor must supply the names of those employees selected to perform the work. Due to security requirements, pre-notification of all visitors to the U.S. National Arboretum non-public areas is required. Anyone requiring access must notify the USNA POC prior to arrival to this location.

9.0 Data Rights

The contractor shall adhere to the Privacy Act, Title 5 of the U.S. Code, Section 552a and applicable agency rules and regulations. The Contractor Program Manager shall ensure that all contract personnel take the required USDA Privacy training.

10.0 Section 508 - Electronic and Information Technology Standards This contract vehicle is subject to Section 508 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 (29 U.S.C. 749d) as amended by the Workforce Investment Act of 1998 (P.L. 105-220). The Revised Section 508 Standards, which consist of 508 Chapters 1 and 2 (Appendix A), along with Chapters 3 through 7 (Appendix C), contain scoping and technical requirements for information and communication technology (ICT) to ensure accessibility and usability by individuals with disabilities.

Compliance with these standards is mandatory for Federal agencies subject to Section 508 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973, as amended (29 U.S.C. 794d).

Each ICT product or service furnished under this contract shall comply with the Revised Section 508 ICT Accessibility Standards at a minimum, as specified in the contract. If any furnished product or service is determined to be noncompliant, the Contracting Officer will notify the Contractor in writing. The Contractor shall, without charge to the Government, remediate or replace the noncompliant products or services within a specified timeframe as determined by the Government in writing. If such remediation or replacement is not completed within the time specified, the Government shall have the following recourses:

1) Cancellation of the contract, delivery, task order, purchase, or line item without termination liabilities; or

2) In the case of custom ICT being developed by a contractor for the Government, the Government shall have the right to have any necessary changes made or repairs performed by itself or by another firm for the noncompliant ICT, with the contractor liable for reimbursement to the Government for any expenses incurred thereby.

The contractor must ensure all noncompliant ICT products and services are provided pursuant to extensive market research and exhibit the highest level of compliance while satisfying the contract requirements.

For every ICT product or service accepted under this contract by the Government that does not comply with the Revised Section 508 Accessibility Standards, the contractor shall, at the discretion of the Government, remediate or upgrade the item with a compliant equivalent product or service, if commercially available and cost neutral, on either a contract specified refresh cycle for the product or service, or on a contract effective option/renewal date, whichever shall occur first.

1. Section 508 Compliance Vendors, contractors, and their respective ICT products and services shall comply with the following standards, policies, and procedures. In the event of conflicts between the referenced documents and this contract vehicle, the contract vehicle shall take precedence.

1) Revised Section 508 ICT Accessibility Standards

2) Section 508 of the Rehabilitation Act as amended (29 U.S.C. 794d)

3) Federal Acquisition Regulation (FAR) Subpart 39.2

4) USDA Section 508 Departmental Regulation

Additionally, all contract deliverables are subject to these standards.

All ICT products and services, regardless of format, must conform to the applicable Section 508 standards to allow Federal employees and members of the public with disabilities equivalent access to and use of information and data provided to those without disabilities.

All contractors, sub-contractors, and consultants are responsible for preparing or posting content must comply with the applicable Section 508 accessibility standards and, where applicable, those set forth in the referenced policy or standards document. Remediation of any noncompliant ICT or materials as set forth in this contract vehicle shall be the responsibility of the contractor, sub-contractor, or consultant.

According to the Access Board’s Section 508 Scoping Requirements The following Section 508 provisions apply to the products and/or services identified in this contract vehicle:

• C202 Functional Performance Criteria: Where the requirements in Chapters 4 and 5 do not address one or more functions of telecommunications or customer premises equipment, the functions not addressed shall conform to the Functional Performance Criteria specified in Chapter 3.

• C203 Electronic Content: Electronic content that is integral to the use of telecommunications or customer premises equipment shall conform to the most current WCAG Level A and Level AA Success Criteria and

Conformance Requirements.

• C204 Hardware: Where components of telecommunications equipment and customer premises equipment are hardware, and transmit information or have a user interface, those components shall conform to applicable requirements in Chapter 4.

• C205 Software: Where software is integral to the use of telecommunications functions of telecommunications equipment or customer premises equipment and has a user interface, such software shall conform to C205 and the applicable requirements in Chapter 5.

WCAG Conformance: User interface components, as well as the content of platforms and applications shall conform to the most current WCAG Level A and Level AA Success Criteria and Conformance Requirements.

• C206 Support Documentation and Services: Where support documentation and services and provided for telecommunications equipment and customer premises equipment, manufacturers shall ensure that such documentation and services conform to Chapter 6 and are made available upon request at no additional charge.

In addition, vendors and contractors shall comply with the standards, policies, and procedures below for all ICT pursuant to this contract:

https://www.access-board.gov/ict/#about-the-ict-accessibility-standards https://www.access-board.gov/law/ra.html#text-of-section-508-of-the-rehabilitation-act-of-1973-as-amended-29-usc-794d https://www.acquisition.gov/sites/default/files/current/far/html/Subpart%2039_2.html http://www.ocio.usda.gov/document/departmental-regulation-4030-001 https://www.access-board.gov/ict/#508-chapter-2-scoping-requirements https://www.access-board.gov/ict/#C202-functional-performance-criteria https://www.access-board.gov/ict/#C203-electronic-content https://www.access-board.gov/ict/#C204-hardware https://www.access-board.gov/ict/#C205-software https://www.access-board.gov/ict/#C206-documentation-services

• For Custom ICT Development Services, the vendor or contractor shall ensure the ICT fully conforms to the applicable Revised Section 508 standards prior to delivery and before final acceptance.

• For Installation, Configuration, and Integration Services, the vendor or contractor shall not install, configure, or integrate the equipment and software in a way that reduces the level of conformance with the applicable

Revised Section 508 standards.

• For Maintenance, Upgrades, and Replacements, the vendor or contractor shall ensure maintenance upgrades, substitutions, and replacements do not reduce the original level of conformance with the applicable Revised

Section 508 standards at the time of the contract award.

• Service Personnel are ensured by the vendor or contractor to possess the knowledge, skills, and ability necessary to address the applicable Revised Section 508 standards and shall provide supporting documentation upon request.

• When providing Hosting Services, the vendor or contractor shall not reduce the existing level of conformance of the electronic content with the applicable Revised Section 508 standards.

• When purchasing ICT where 1) Section 508 validation is not possible prior to award, 2) the ICT will be changed after the award, or 3) ICT will be hosted in a third-party environment, the vendor or contractor shall test and validate the ICT solution for conformance to the Revised Section 508 standards, in accordance with the required testing methods as defined by the agency.

• The vendor or contractor shall document and maintain information regarding the measures taken to ensure compliance with the applicable requirements. This documentation includes but is not limited to testing records, product demonstrations, and reported defects by end users and testers.

• Prior to acceptance, the vendor or contractor shall provide an Accessibility Conformance Report (ACR) for each

ICT item that is developed, updated, and/or configured for the agency, and when product substitutions are offered. The ACR should be based on the latest version of the Voluntary Product Accessibility Template (VPAT) provided by the Information Technology Industry Council (ITI). To be considered for award, an ACR must be submitted for each ICT item, and must be completed according to the instructions provided by the ITI.

Note: A supplemental ACR may be required if the agency has additional or stricter accessibility requirements than what is outlined in the VPAT.

• Prior to acceptance, the agency reserves the right to require a full working demonstration of the completed ICT item to demonstrate conformance to the agency’s accessibility requirements in addition to independent testing to validate.

• In the case of non-compliance where the vendor or contractor claims its products and/or services satisfy the applicable Revised Section 508 standards specified in the contract vehicle, the contracting officer will promptly inform the vendor or contractor in writing of the non-compliance. The vendor or contractor shall, at no cost to the agency, repair or replace the non-compliant products or services within the period specified by the contracting officer.

All Information and Communications Technology (ICT) subject to the Revised Section 508 standards will be evaluated for Section 508 conformance and usability. The test must be administered by a Federal Section 508 Testing Center. All maintenance for ICT that requires upgrades, modifications, installations, repairs, and purchases shall adhere to the Revised Section 508 standards.

https://www.section508.gov/sell/vpat http://www.itic.org/policy/accessibility

11.0 Performance Requirement Measures

Compliance with Internet Protocol Version (IPv6

This contract involves the acquisition of Information Technology (IT) that uses Internet Protocol (IP) Technology. In order to comply with OMB Memorandum M-05-22, Transition Planning for Internet Protocol Version 6 (IPv6) issued on August 2, 2005, the contractor agrees that: (1) all deliverables that involve IT that uses IP (products, services, software, etc.) will comply with IPv6 standards set forth in the USGv6 Profile (NIST Special Publication 500-267) and interoperate with both IPv4 and IPv6 systems and products; and (2) it has IPv6 technical support for such deliverables. If the contractor plans to offer a deliverable that involves IT that is not compliant with these requirements, the contractor agrees to obtain the Contracting Officer’s approval before starting work on the deliverable.

Protection of Information Information about USDA networks and/or the security posture of any USDA information assets gathered or created under this PWS is sensitive but unclassified information. It is anticipated that this information will be gathered, created, stored within the primary Government work location. If contractor personnel must remove any information from the primary work area for any reason, the information must remain in the possession of the contractor at all times or locked in a secure location. If contractor personnel are away from primary work area for any reason, they must secure any hardcopy information by storing the information in a locked shelf or drawer and or use a password protected screen saver if the information is on a computer.

Prior approval must be obtained if the contractor must remove any materials from their work area.