PITC PACS QASP.docx

QUALITY ASSURANCE SURVEILLANCE PLAN (QASP)

DEPARTMENT OF VETERANS AFFAIRS

Office of Information & Technology Philadelphia Information Technology Center (VA-PITC)

Preventative Maintenance (PM) For Physical Access Control System (PACS) Including, Software Upgrades, Replacement of Video Edge Server or Replace Site Cameras Project

Date: June 1, 2023 QASP Version Number: 1.0

Quality Assurance Surveillance Plan (QASP) Version History

1.0

June 1, 2023

QUALITY ASSURANCE SURVEILLANCE PLAN

For: VA-PITC, Preventative Maintenance (PM) of Physical Access Control System (PACS) including software upgrades, replacement of NVR Computer Server, replacement of obsolete exterior cameras and adding some new site exterior cameras if needed.

Contract Number: TBD

Contract Description: The Contractor must provide 24/7 support, maintenance and repairs to the existing Lenel OnGuard PACS and Avigilon Video Surveillance (AVIGILON CCTV) systems installed at the PITC. The Contractor must manage a service request response system for Lenel OnGuard PACS and maintenance requests. The Contractor must employ maintenance personnel/technicians who are trained and certified in the use and operation of all Lenel OnGuard PACS, and AVIGILON CCTV.

Contractor’s Name: TBD

Purpose This Quality Assurance Surveillance Plan (QASP) provides a systematic method to monitor Contractor performance. This QASP describes:

What will be monitored How monitoring will take place Who will conduct the monitoring How monitoring efforts and results will be documented

Copies of the original QASP and revisions shall be provided to the Contractor and Government officials responsible for surveillance activities. The Government can change the method of surveillance at any time without the approval of the contractor.

Performance Management Approach The PWS sets forth “what” service is required as well as the performance standards associated with that task, as opposed to “how” the Contractor should perform the work (i.e., results, not compliance). This QASP will define the performance management approach taken by PITC to monitor the Contractor’s performance to ensure the expected outcomes or performance standards communicated in the PWS are achieved. Performance management rests on developing a capability to review and analyze information generated through performance assessment. The ability to make decisions based on the analysis of performance data is the cornerstone of performance management; this analysis yields information that indicates to what extent the expected outcomes for the project are being achieved by the Contractor.

Performance management represents a significant shift from the more traditional quality assurance (QA) concepts in several ways. Performance management focuses on assessing whether outcomes are being achieved and to what extent. This approach migrates away from scrutiny of compliance with the processes and practices used to achieve the outcome. A performance-based approach enables the Contractor to play a large role in how the work is performed, as long as the proposed processes are within the stated constraints. Required processes are those required by law (federal, state, and local) and compelling business situations, such as safety and health. A “results” focus by the Government provides the Contractor flexibility to continuously improve and innovate over the course of the contract/order as long as the critical outcomes expected are being achieved and/or the desired performance levels are being met.

Performance Management Strategy The Contractor is responsible for the quality of all work performed. The Contractor measures that quality through the Contractor’s own quality control (QC) program. QC is work output, not workers, and therefore includes all work performed under this contract/order regardless of whether the work is performed by Contractor employees or by Subcontractors. The Contractor’s QC program will set forth the procedures for self-inspecting the quality, timeliness, responsiveness, customer satisfaction, and other performance requirements in the PWS. The Contractor will implement a performance management system with processes to assess and report its performance to the designated government representative.

The government representative(s) will monitor performance by the Contractor to determine how the Contractor is performing against performance standards. The Contractor will be responsible for making required changes in processes and practices to ensure performance is managed effectively. The Contractor will be monitored and assessed throughout the period of performance of the contract/order as to either meeting or not meeting the performance thresholds stated in the Performance Metrics Section of the Performance Work Statement (PWS). The Contracting Officer’s Representative (COR) will perform quarterly assessments. The Performance Based Service Assessment, or other method, may be used to document this assessment. A Performance Based Service Assessment is provided at the end of this document. When Contractor performance is unacceptable, the COR will notify the Contractor Program Manager (CPM) and the Contracting Officer (CO). Unacceptable performance is defined as; “the contractor is not meeting the Acceptable Levels of Performance (ALPs) as defined in the PWS or is in violation of any contract clause or terms and conditions. Notification of unacceptable performance issues shall be immediately provided to the CPM and shall not remain un-addressed until the end of an assessment period. In order to remediate performance issues in a timely manner, the COR should work collaboratively with the CPM. The COR/CO will engage the CPM to resolve the discrepancy.

Performance Feedback For instances where immediate notification of performance issues is not required, the COR should review the assessment in accordance with the quarterly reviews with the CPM and provide the assessment to CO. The COR/CO will notify the Contractor of the results for a rating of 3 or less, no later than 15 working days after the end of the assessment period.

Government Roles and Responsibilities The following personnel shall oversee and coordinate surveillance activities:

a. Contracting Officer (CO) - The CO shall ensure performance of all necessary actions for effective contracting, ensure compliance with the contract terms, and shall safeguard the interests of the United States in the contractual relationship. The CO shall also assure that the Contractor receives impartial, fair, and equitable treatment under this contract/order. The CO is ultimately responsible for the final determination of the level of acceptability of the Contractor’s performance.

Assigned CO: Justin Cole, Contracting Officer Organization: Department of Veterans Affairs, Strategic Acquisition Center – Frederick (SAC-F)

b. Contracting Officer’s Representative (COR) - The COR is responsible for technical administration of the contract/order and shall assure proper Government surveillance of the Contractor’s performance. The COR shall keep a quality assurance file. This file shall contain all quality assessment reports. The COR is not empowered to make any contractual commitments or to authorize any contractual changes on the Government’s behalf.

Assigned COR: Mark Schuette, PITC Physical Security Officer (PSO) & COR

c. Other Key Government Personnel – Tom Barnasevitch, PITC Program Analyst for Infrastructure Operations (IO)

Contractor Representatives

a. Program Manager – TBD

b. Other Contractor Personnel – TBD

Performance Standards Performance Standards define required performance for each of the performance objectives. The Government performs surveillance to determine if the Contractor exceeds, meets or does not meet these standards.

The Performance Metrics for Performance Standards are defined in Section 6 of the PWS. The Government may utilize the Performance Based Service Assessment, provided at the end of this document, or other methods to compare Contractor performance to the ALPs.

Methods of QA Surveillance Various methods exist to monitor performance. The COR shall use any or a combination of the surveillance methods listed below in assessing performance using this QASP.

1. 100% INSPECTION. (Evaluates all outcomes).

a. Each quarter, the COR shall review all the Contractor’s performance/generated documentation and document the results accordingly. This assessment shall be placed in the COR’s QA file.

Acceptable Levels of Performance (ALP) Metrics and methods are designed to determine if performance exceeds, meets, or does not meet a given standard and ALP.

The ALPs are included in the Performance Metrics Section of the PWS for Contractor performance and are structured to allow the Contractor to manage how the work is performed, while providing negative incentives for performance shortfalls.

Documenting Performance

a. ACCEPTABLE PERFORMANCE

The Government shall document acceptable performance accordingly. Any report may become a part of the supporting documentation for any contractual action.

b. UNACCEPTABLE PERFORMANCE

When unacceptable performance occurs, the COR shall inform the CO. This will always be in writing although when circumstances necessitate immediate verbal communication, that communication will be followed up in writing. The COR shall document the discussion and place it in the COR file.

When the CO determines formal written communication is required, the COR shall prepare a Contract Discrepancy Report (CDR) and present it to the Contractor's program manager.

The Contractor shall acknowledge receipt of the CDR in writing to the CO. The CDR will state how long after receipt the Contractor must take corrective action. The CDR will also specify if the Contractor is required to prepare a corrective action plan to document how the Contractor shall correct the unacceptable performance and avoid a recurrence. The CO shall review the Contractor's corrective action plan to determine acceptability.

Any CDRs may become a part of the supporting documentation for any contractual action deemed necessary by the CO.

Frequency of Measurement

a. Frequency of Measurement.

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

b. Frequency of Performance Assessment Meetings.

The COR shall meet with the Contractor quarterly to assess performance and shall provide a written assessment to the CO.

PERFORMANCE EVALUATION SURVEY

CONTRACTOR:

CONTRACT NUMBER/ TITLE:

PERIOD COVERED:

GOVERNMENT REQUIRING ACTIVITY

EXCELLENT

ABOVE

AVERAGE

AVERAGE

POOR

A. MEETING TECHNICAL NEEDS:

1. What level of understanding does the contractor have of the technical needs and the mission requirements?

2. What level of efficiency and effectiveness does the contractor demonstrate in meeting the requirements?

3. Overall, how well does the contractor meet the technical needs and mission requirements?

4. Overall, the quality of the products/services provided are….

B. MANAGEMENT

1. How current is the expertise of those contractors performing requested tasks?

2. Do contractor personnel possess the necessary knowledge, skills and ability to accomplish assigned tasks?

3. Are the staffing levels assigned by contractor appropriate for accomplishing the mission?

4. How well does the contractor meet the established small business participation goals on contract?

5. How responsive is the contractor to the customer?

C. PROJECT MILESTONES AND SCHEDULE

1. How well does the contractor meet the established milestones and project dates?

2. How timely are services provided and delivered?

3. How well does the contractor notify me in advance about potential milestones and scheduling problems so that I have enough time to correct them?

4. How timely was the contractor's submission of monthly invoices?

** Ratings for a Performance Objective are calculated by adding the individual scores under a Performance Objective and dividing it by the number of sub-objectives under that Performance Objective ****Poor ratings must be explained in Section II (Narrative Clarification) below

II NARRATIVE CLARIFICATION

(USE ADDITIONAL SPACE AS REQUIRED)

Typed Name And Title of Contracting Officer's Representative/Date

PERFORMANCE STANDARDS TABLE

PERFORMANCE

OBJECTIVE

STANDARD

ACCEPTABLE

QUALITY

LEVEL

SURVEILLANCE

METHOD

Efficient and effective in meeting requirements.

Meets technical needs and mission requirements.

Offers quality services/products.

Personnel possess necessary knowledge, skills and abilities to perform tasks.

Sufficient number of personnel to accomplish the mission.

Responsiveness to customer.

Products completed, reviewed, delivered in timely manner.

Notifies customer in advance of potential problems.

Timely submission of invoices.

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