Tele Town Hall Events

VA-26-00026960

PERFORMANCE WORK STATEMENT (PWS)

DEPARTMENT OF VETERANS AFFAIRS

Veterans Health Administration (VHA) Veterans Integrated Service Network (VISN) 17 VA Health Service Area 4.3

Telephone Town Hall Services

Date: July 29, 2026

VA-26-00026960

PD Version Number: 1.0

Contents

BACKGROUND

The Legacy VISN 17, Heart of Texas Health Care Network, requires a new Town Hall platform service that has integrated telephone capabilities to improve Veteran engagement. Gathering regular feedback from Veterans is essential for continuous healthcare improvement, but past virtual town halls have suffered from low attendance of 60 or fewer participants. Because Veterans queried less than four times a year often feel disconnected, leadership wants to implement push/pull technology that allows for real-time crowdsourcing and two-way communication through the use of polling questions and live Question and Answer sessions. The Telephone Town Hall (TTH) Services contract will enable executives to expedite feedback, discuss Veteran patient experiences, and keep Veterans updated on new services and options. It will provide a minimum of four TTH events per facility each year (4 TTHs/year for 8 facilities is 32 TTHs total/year), ensuring Veterans remain informed and actively involved in shaping their care. Since VA is renaming Veteran Information System Network (VISN) 17, VA Heart of Texas Health Care Network, to Health Service Area (HSA) 4.3, this PD refers to Legacy VISN 17 or HSA 4.3.

APPLICABLE DOCUMENTS

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

1. “Federal Information Security Modernization Act of 2014”

2. Federal Information Processing Standards (FIPS) Publication 140-3, “Security Requirements for Cryptographic Modules”, March 22, 2019

3. FIPS Pub 199. “Standards for Security Categorization of Federal Information and Information Systems,” February 2004

4. FIPS Pub 200, “Minimum Security Requirements for Federal Information and Information Systems,” March 2006

5. FIPS Pub 201-3, “Personal Identity Verification of Federal Employees and Contractors,” January 2022

6. 10 U.S.C. § 2224, "Defense Information Assurance Program", as amended

7. 5 U.S.C. § 552a, as amended, “The Privacy Act of 1974”

8. Public Law 109-461 (P.L. 109-461), Veterans Benefits, Health Care, and Information Technology Act of 2006, as amended, Title IX, Information Security Matters

9. 42 U.S.C. § 2000d “Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964”, as amended

10. VA Directive 0710, “Personnel Vetting Program,” September 8, 2025, https://www.va.gov/vapubs/index.cfm

11. VA Handbook 0710, “Personnel Vetting Program,” September 8, 2025, https://www.va.gov/vapubs/index.cfm

12. VA Directive 6102, “Internet/Intranet Services,” August 5, 2019

13. 36 C.F.R. Part 1194 “Information and Communication Technology Standards and Guidelines,” as amended

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

15. 32 C.F.R. Part 199, “Civilian Health and Medical Program of the Uniformed Services (CHAMPUS)”, as amended

16. NIST SP 800-66 Rev. 2, “Implementing the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) Security Rule: A Cybersecurity Resource Guide,” February 2024

17. 45 C.F.R Parts 160 and 164, Subparts A and E, the Standards for Privacy of Individually Identifiable Health Information (“Privacy Rule”); and 45 C.F.R. Parts 160 and 164, Subparts A and C, the Security Standard (“Security Rule”); as amended

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

19. Homeland Security Presidential Directive (12) (HSPD-12), August 27, 2004

20. VA Directive 6500, “VA Cybersecurity Program,” February 24, 2021 (see VA NOTICE 24-18, dated September 27, 2024, “Update to VA Directive 6500 Cybersecurity Program”, and VA Notice 25-07, dated 3/18/25, “Amending VA Directive 6500 to incorporate M-24-15”)

21. VA Handbook 6500, “Risk Management Framework for VA Information Systems VA Information Security Program,” February 24, 2021 (see VA Notice 25-01, dated October 15, 2024, “Update to VA Handbook 6500 Risk Management Framework for VA Information Systems VA Information Security Program”, and VA Notice 25-06, dated 3/18/25, “Amending VA Directive 6500 to incorporate M-24-15”, VA Notice 25-16, dated September 15, 2025, “Amending VA Handbook 6500 to Replace Enterprise Mission Assurance Support Services Tool With Office of Information Technology Governance Risk Compliance Tool, and VA Notice 25-17, dated September 22, 2025, “Rescission Of Office Of Information Security (OIS) Deputy Assistant Secretary (DAS) Memorandum – Requirements of Proper Plan of Action and Milestones (POA&M) Completion)

22. VA Handbook 6500.2, “Management of Breaches Involving Sensitive Personal Information (SPI),” June 30, 2023

23. VA Handbook 6500.6, “Contract Security,” March 12, 2010 (see VA Notice 24-12, dated 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”)

24. VA Handbook 6500.8, “Information System Contingency Planning,” March 25, 2025

25. VA Handbook 6500.10, “Mobile Device Security Policy,” February 15, 2018 (see VA NOTICE 25-10, dated June 9, 2025, “Use of Personally Owned Mobile Devices Policy Amendment of Department of Veterans Affairs Handbook 6500.10”, and VA Notice 25-15, dated August 22, 2025, “Update to VA Handbook 6500.10 Mobile Device Security Policy”)

26. VA Handbook 6500.11, “VA Firewall Configuration,” August 22, 2017

27. OIT Process Asset Library (PAL), OIT Process Asset Library.

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

29. VA Directive 6508, “Implementation of Privacy Threshold Analysis and Privacy Impact Assessment,” October 15, 2014

30. VA Directive 6510, “VA Identity, Credential and Access Management,” September 3, 2024

31. VA Handbook 6510, “VA Identity, Credential and Access Management,” September 27, 2024

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

33. VA Directive 6300, “Records and Information Management,” September 21, 2018

34. VA Handbook, 6300.1, “Records Management Procedures,“ March 24, 2010

35. NIST SP 800-37 Rev 2, “Risk Management Framework for Information Systems and Organizations: A System Life Cycle Approach for Security and Privacy,” December 2018

36. NIST SP 800-53 Rev. 5, “Security and Privacy Controls for Federal Information Systems and Organizations,” September 23, 2020 (includes updates as of 12/10/2020)

37. VA Directive 0735, “Homeland Security Presidential Directive 12 (HSPD-12) Program,” October 26, 2015

38. VA Handbook 0735, “Homeland Security Presidential Directive 12 (HSPD-12) Program,” March 24, 2014

39. OMB Memorandum 05-24, “Implementation of Homeland Security Presidential Directive (HSPD) 12 – Policy for a Common Identification Standard for Federal Employees and Contractors,” August 5, 2005

40. OMB Memorandum M-19-17, “Enabling Mission Delivery Through Improved Identity, Credential, and Access Management,” May 21, 2019

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

42. Federal Identity, Credential, and Access Management (FICAM) Architecture, June 30, 2023 (FICAM Architecture (idmanagement.gov))

43. NIST SP 800-116 Rev 1, “Guidelines for the Use of Personal Identity Verification (PIV) Credentials in Facility Access,“ June 2018

44. NIST SP 800-63 Rev 4, 800-63A-4, 800-63B-4, 800-63C-4, “Digital Identity Guidelines,” August 1, 2025

45. NIST SP 800-157, “Guidelines for Derived PIV Credentials,” December 2014

46. VA Memorandum, VAIQ #7100147, “Continued Implementation of Homeland Security Presidential Directive 12 (HSPD-12),” April 29, 2011 (reference https://www.voa.va.gov/documentlistpublic.aspx?NodeID=514)

47. IAM Identity Management Business Requirements Guidance document, May 2013, (reference Enterprise Architecture Section, PIV/IAM (reference https://www.voa.va.gov/documentlistpublic.aspx?NodeID=514)

48. VA Memorandum “Personal Identity Verification (PIV) Logical Access Policy Clarification,” July 17, 2019, https://www.voa.va.gov/DocumentView.aspx?DocumentID=4896

49. Trusted Internet Connections (TIC) 3.0 Core Guidance Documents, https://www.cisa.gov/publication/tic-30-core-guidance-documents

50. OMB Memorandum M-19-26, “Update to the Trusted Internet Connections (TIC) Initiative,” September 12, 2019

51. OMB Memorandum M-08-23, “Securing the Federal Government’s Domain Name System Infrastructure,” August 22, 2008

52. Sections 524 and 525 of the Energy Independence and Security Act of 2007, (P.L. 110–140), December 19, 2007

53. Section 104 of the Energy Policy Act of 2005, (P.L. 109–58), August 8, 2005

54. Executive Order 13221, “Energy-Efficient Standby Power Devices,” August 2, 2001

55. Executive Order 14148, “Initial Rescissions of Harmful Executive Orders and Actions,” dated January 20, 2025

56. VA Directive 0057, “VA Environmental Management Program,” October 25, 2022

57. OIS VAIQ #7424808 Memorandum, “Remote Access,” January 15, 2014, https://www.voa.va.gov/DocumentListPublic.aspx?NodeId=28

58. Clinger-Cohen Act of 1996, 40 U.S.C. §11101 and §11103

59. “Veteran Focused Integration Process (VIP) Guide 4.0,” March 2021, https://www.voa.va.gov/DocumentView.aspx?DocumentID=4371

60. VA Memorandum “Proper Use of Email and Other Messaging Services,” January 2, 2018, https://www.voa.va.gov/DocumentListPublic.aspx?NodeId=28

61. “Product Line Management Transformation Playbook” version 3.1, August 2023, https://www.voa.va.gov/DocumentView.aspx?DocumentID=4946

62. NIST SP 500-267B Revision 1, “USGv6 Profile,” November 2020

63. OMB Memorandum M-21-07, “Completing the Transition to Internet Protocol Version 6 (IPv6),” November 19, 2020

64. Social Security Number (SSN) Fraud Prevention Act of 2017

65. Section 240 of the Consolidated Appropriations Act (CAA) 2018, March 23, 2018

66. C.F.R Title 15 Part 7, “Securing the Information and Communications Technology and Services (ICTS) Supply Chain”, as amended

67. Executive Order 14028, “Executive Order on Improving the Nation's Cybersecurity,” May 12, 2021, https://bidenwhitehouse.archives.gov/briefing-room/presidential-actions/2025/01/16/executive-order-on-strengthening-and-promoting-innovation-in-the-nations-cybersecurity/

68. OMB Memorandum M-22-09, “Moving the U.S. Government Toward Zero Trust Cybersecurity Principles”, January 26, 2022, https://www.whitehouse.gov/wp-content/uploads/2022/01/M-22-09.pdf.

69. NIST SP 800-52 Revision 2, “Guidelines for the Selection, Configuration, and Use of Transport Layer Security (TLS) Implementations

70. OMB M-26-05, “Adopting a Risk-based Approach to Software and Hardware Security,” January 23, 2026

71. OMB M-21-31, “Improving the Federal Government’s Investigative and Remediation Capabilities Related to Cybersecurity Incidents,” August 27, 2021

72. NIST SP 800-88 Revision 1 “Guidelines for Media Sanitization,” December 2014

73. CISA Binding Operational Directive (BOD) 19-02: “Vulnerability Remediation Requirements of Internet-Accessible Systems,” April 29, 2019, BOD 19-02: Vulnerability Remediation Requirements for Internet-Accessible Systems | CISA

74. CISA BOD 22-01: “Reducing the Significant Risk of Known Exploited Vulnerabilities,” November 3, 2021, BOD 22-01: Reducing the Significant Risk of Known Exploited Vulnerabilities | CISA

75. CISA BOD 23-01: Improving Asset Visibility and Vulnerability Detection on Federal Networks.” Cybersecurity & Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA), BOD 23-01: Improving Asset Visibility and Vulnerability Detection on Federal Networks | CISA

76. VA Directive 6550, Pre-Procurement Assessment and Implementation of Medical Devices/Systems, June 03, 2019

77. VA Memorandum, “VA Security Controls,” January 17, 2025, https://www.voa.va.gov/DocumentView.aspx?DocumentID=5010

78. E.O. 13960, “Promoting the Use of Trustworthy Artificial Intelligence in the Federal Government,” December 3, 2020

79. E.O. 14319, “Preventing Woke AI in the Federal Government,” July 23, 2025

80. OMB Memorandum M-25-21, “Accelerating Federal Use of AI through Innovation, Governance, and Public Trust,” April 3, 2025

81. OMB Memorandum M-25-22, “Driving Efficient Acquisition of Artificial Intelligence in Government,” April 3, 2025

82. OMB Memorandum M-26-04, “Increasing Public Trust in Artificial Intelligence (AI) Through Unbiased AI Principles,” December 11, 2025

SCOPE OF WORK

The Contractor shall provide telephone town hall (TTH) services for VA TTH events with Veterans as well as event planning, pre-event, day of-event, and post-event customer support for events, training, pre-event, day of-/post-event services, and quality and performance monitoring.

PERFORMANCE DETAILS

PERFORMANCE PERIOD

The PoP shall be for 12 months with four 12-month option periods and 30 optional tasks for additional TTH events or more TTH event participants.

Any work at the Government site shall not take place on Federal holidays or weekends unless directed by the Contracting Officer (CO).

There are 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:

PLACE OF PERFORMANCE

Tasks under this PWS shall be performed at Contractor facilities. The Contractor shall identify the Contractor’s place of performance in their proposal submission.

TRAVEL

The Government does not anticipate travel under this effort to perform the tasks associated with the effort.

SPECIFIC TASKS AND DELIVERABLES

PROJECT MANAGEMENT

REPORTING REQUIREMENTS

The Contractor shall provide the COR with Monthly Progress Reports in electronic form in Microsoft Word and Project formats. The report shall include detailed instructions/explanations for each required data element, to ensure that data is accurate and consistent. These reports shall reflect data as of the last day of the preceding Month.

The Monthly Progress Reports shall cover all work completed during the reporting period and work planned for the subsequent reporting period to include the number of town hall events executed, so VA can track the town hall events remaining. The report shall also identify any problems that arose and a description of how the problems were resolved. If problems have not been completely resolved, the Contractor shall provide an explanation including their plan and timeframe for resolving the issue. The report shall also include an itemized list of all Information and Communication Technology (ICT) deliverables and their current Section 508 conformance status. The Contractor shall monitor performance against the CPMP and report any deviations. It is expected that the Contractor will keep in communication with VA accordingly so that issues that arise are transparent to both parties to prevent escalation of outstanding issues.

The Contractor shall provide ad-hoc meetings at VA’s request to discuss any issues or problems that arise during the task order. VA anticipates approximately one ad-hoc meeting a month.

Deliverable:

A. Monthly Progress Report

TECHNICAL KICKOFF MEETING

The Contractor shall provide a virtual Technical Kick-Off Meeting with 10 days of award to establish a shared understanding of the project among all key stakeholders. The Contractor shall coordinate the date, time, and location with the Contracting Officer, VA PM, Contract Specialist, and the Contracting Officer Representative (COR). The Contractor shall provide a draft agenda to the CO, COR, and VA PM at least five business days prior to the meeting. Upon Government approval of the final agenda, the Contractor shall distribute it to all meeting attendees. During the Kickoff Meeting, the Contractor shall present, for Government review and approval, the details of the intended approach, work plan, and project schedule in a Kickoff Meeting Presentation. The Contractor shall submit the final updated technical kickoff meeting presentation to the CO within three business days after the meeting.

VA will prepare and distribute the kickoff meeting minutes to the CO, COR, and all attendees within five business days of the meeting. VA will record the Technical Kickoff Meeting and provide the VA Project Team email distribution list to the Contractor at the Technical Kickoff Meeting.

The Kickoff Meeting shall address, at a minimum, the project objectives and scope; the roles and responsibilities of both the Contractor and VA; the project schedule and key milestones; communication protocols and escalation procedures; reporting expectations; and the overall project management approach as documented in the CPMP. The meeting shall also provide an opportunity to review assumptions, constraints, and initial risks, and to confirm alignment of priorities and expectations.

The Contractor shall be responsible for coordinating the meeting logistics, preparing and distributing an agenda in advance, and documenting the outcomes, decisions, and action items in the meeting minutes. These minutes shall be distributed to all participants following the meeting to ensure a common record of the discussion and agreed upon the next steps.

Deliverable:

A. Technical Kickoff Meeting Agenda, Presentation, and Minutes

SECURITY & COMPLIANCE REQUIREMENTS

The Contractor shall adhere to the following security and compliance requirements:

· Ensure all data transmission and storage of PHI/PII complies with FIPS 140-2 (or successor FIPS 140-3 as applicable) encryption standards.

· Comply with VA Handbook 6500 (Information Security), the VA Privacy Act requirements, HIPAA (as applicable to PHI handling), and Section 508 accessibility requirements for any web-based reporting interfaces.

· Not store, use, or disclose Veteran phone numbers or PHI/PII for any purpose outside the scope of the contracted event(s).

· Ensure all Contractor employees with access to VA-provided phone lists or event data complete VA-required privacy/security/signed Rules of Behavior training and, if applicable, undergo background investigation commensurate with VA Position of Trust designations before handling this data.

· Secure all VA data and not mix VA data with data from other companies or any non-VA sources.

The Contractor shall provide the VA-required Privacy/Security Training Certification and signed Rules of Behavior showing completion of training and understanding of Rules of Behavior, for each Contractor employee.

Deliverable:

A. VA-required Privacy/Security/Rules of Behavior Training Certification and Signed Rules of Behavior (for each Contractor employee)

TELE TOWN HALL SERVICES TASKS

The Contractor shall provide a fully managed, turnkey TTH service(s) including the web-based technology platform (also referred to as platform), event staffing (event specialists), pre-, day of-, and post-event support, and reporting — not merely software or infrastructure. The Contractor shall also provide appropriate access to the VA faculty running the call (i.e., VA facility leadership, VA call screeners, VA staff managing the call). VA will provide event content including polling questions, which are to be launched during the event. The Contractor shall upload the polling questions to the web-based technology platform before the event and launch the polling questions during the event, for the Veterans to answer during the event. VA subject matter experts (i.e., VA facility leadership) and VA call screeners will collect any questions from the Veterans and the Veterans’ answers to the polling questions during the event.

The Contractor shall provide TTH services that support HSA 4.3's mission to conduct recurring engagement events across 8 facilities, at a minimum of four events per facility per year (32 events/year minimum baseline), each scalable to at least 40,000 participants per event. The TTH service shall have the salient characteristics of section 5.2.1. TTH Services shall be provided for the following HSA 4.3 facilities:

1. VA Amarillo Healthcare System, 6010 Amarillo Boulevard, West Amarillo, TX 79106-1991

2. VA Central Texas Healthcare System, 1901 Veterans Memorial Drive, Temple, TX 76504-7451

3. VA El Paso Healthcare System, 5001 North Piedras Street, El Paso, TX 79930-4210

4. VA South Texas Healthcare System, 7400 Merton Minter Boulevard, San Antonio, TX 78229-4404

5. VA North Texas Healthcare System, 4500 South Lancaster Road, Dallas, TX 75216-7167

6. VA Texas Valley Coastal Bend Healthcare System, 2601 Veterans Drive, Harlingen, TX 78550-8942

7. VA West Texas Healthcare System, 300 Veterans Boulevard, Big Spring, TX 79720-5566

8. HSA 4.3, 2301 East Lamar Blvd. Suite 650, Arlington, TX, 76006

The Contractor shall provide technical/operational management of the call to include the Live Event Specialist as described in 5.3.2. Because VA will provide the following, the Contractor shall not include them as part of its TTH services:

a. Creation of event content,

b. Editorial/messaging strategy, or

c. Subject-matter facilitation of the town hall discussion itself. VA will serve as event facilitator/hosts/panelists.

The Contractor shall:

· Always keep all VA data secure.

· Backup systems to store VA data.

· Never mix VA data with that from other companies.

· Purge or move data from Contractor infrastructure to HSA 4.3 secure network storage within 72 hours of a completed Virtual Town Hall event or upon notification by the HSA 4.3 COR.

· Not use for any purpose any data collected from Veterans and VA employees during this task order. The data is the intellectual property of VA HSA 4.3.

SALIENT CHARACTERISTICS OF TTH SERVICES

The Contractor shall ensure the TTH services have at a minimum the following salient characteristics:

CAPACITY REQUIREMENTS

CORE PLATFORM & TELEPHONY FEATURES

1. Secure, toll-free recording line for pre-event message recording (e.g., host greetings, invitation scripts) by VA staff.

2. VA Caller ID — outbound calls shall display a VA-designated or Contractor-provisioned caller ID recognizable to Veteran recipients (e.g., facility name or local-appearing number), configurable per facility/event.

3. Outbound pre-event invitation calling — one automated outbound voice message call per recipient on the VA-provided Phone List, delivered 24–48 hours prior to the event(VA will provide the list in Microsoft Excel format or equivalent structured format).

4. Outbound event-day calling — automated outbound call at event start time inviting recipients to remain on the line to join the live event, using the VA–provided phone list (Excel or equivalent).

5. Unlimited/all-inclusive inbound minutes for the toll-free inbound access number(s), with no per-minute overage charge to the Government. Calls are 60 minutes in duration.

6. Live Event Specialist (Contractor personnel) assigned to manage each event in real time, including:

a. Technical call management and monitoring.

b. Live Questions & Answer (Q&A) queue management (screening, sequencing callers); VA will provide screeners for Q&A.

c. Live polling administration.

d. Troubleshooting/technical support during the live event.

7. Interactive Voice Response Systems to all participants of the call to navigate to different features during the call such as the question queue, leaving a voicemail, direct transfer to the Veteran Crisis Line or responding to the Polling questions via the telephone keypad based on the options presented during the call.

8. The platform shall have the following capabilities or allow VA event hosts to do the following things:

a. Provide enterprise software polling platforms and live Q&A queuing and management.

b. Ability to allow Veterans to leave voicemails at the end of the call if they are waiting in the questions queue to ensure loop closure.

c. Provide access controls within the software so the Government staff managing the call can mute and unmute speakers, launch polls, identify and label telephone lines dialed into the speaker or screener platform.

d. Software compatibility with multiple computing platforms such as Google Chrome, Microsoft Edge, or Apple Safari at a minimum.

e. Ability to configure screens with VA logo provided by the Government via email. Appropriate VA logos for display are hosted by the VA with branding guidelines for specific use. They are found at: https://design.va.gov/foundation/logos.

f. Screen data is displayed in multiple formats: console, tables, graphs, and graphics.

g. Data to be viewed and available during the call shall include:

a. Dial out progress bar so VA knows how many callers have been reached and how many more are to be dialed.

b. Live number of callers on the line for the duration of the call.

c. Number of callers in the screener queue to ask questions.

d. Number of responses to polling questions and the type of response easily visualized by a graph or table in real time.

e. Call time.

f. Number of Screeners on the line and their identification (name)

g. Number of Speakers on the line and their identification (name).

h. Logged questions as they are received. All provided and collected data shall be exportable to VA.

REPORTING & DATA REQUIREMENTS

9. Standard real-time statistics and reporting. The Contractor shall ensure participant response data (Q&A submissions, poll responses, call activity) is:

a. Deliverable and accessible to VA via HTTPS or a FIPS-compliant protocol

b. Transferred using a method compliant with FIPS 140-2 for the secure movement of data classified as Protected Health Information (PHI) or Personally Identifiable Information (PII)

c. Inclusive of downloadable voice messages left by participants, provided in a format playable using Windows Media Player (e.g., .wav or .wma)

10. Post-call recordings and reports. The platform shall generate post-event reports in a .xlsx or .csv file format of the following metrics within 24 hours of call completion (real-time reporting is preferred/desired where technically feasible):

a. Total calls made

b. Total calls answered

c. Total calls disconnected

d. Time call was active (in minutes)

e. Real‑time counts of the number of callers on the line, tracked continuously throughout the entire call. Each data point should be timestamped with the actual clock time, not time‑elapsed since the call began, and collected at intervals no longer than five minutes.

f. Time stamped caller log

g. List of all logged questions by screeners and whether or not it was answered on the call.

h. List of callers chosen to ask questions live on the call.

i. All voicemails left by callers who were still on the line when the call ended and the facility they are associated with.

j. Final poll responses.

k. Audio recording of the call in its entirety.

l. Any occurrences of Veterans who were transferred to the crisis line during the call.

(These five metrics represent the minimum required report fields; the Contractor may propose additional standard metrics as part of its technical response — e.g., average time on call, peak concurrent participants, number of Q&A submissions, number of poll responses, opt-out/complaint counts.)

EVENT ACCOUNT MANAGER

The Contractor shall assign a dedicated Program/Account Manager as the single point of contact for HSA 4.3 scheduling and coordination that VA can contact to schedule an event. The Contractor shall provide the contact info to include phone number and email of the event account manager so VA can contact the account manager. The Contractor (i.e., the event account manager) shall work with VA for the tasks of this task order, to include scheduling any events, conducting trainings, resolving issues or questions.

Deliverable:

A. Account Manager Name, Phone Number, and Email

PRE-EVENT SERVICES

The Contractor shall provide event planning for each of the TTH events including scheduling consultation, script/message recording coordination, and pre-event technical checks.

The Contractor shall email confirmation of receipt and successful ingestion of VA-provided phone lists (Excel or equivalent) no less than five business days prior to each scheduled event and notify the Government promptly of any formatting or data issues requiring correction. The Contractor shall provide Emailed Confirmation of Receipt and Successful Ingestion of VA-provided Phone List.

The Contractor shall ensure eligible participants on the VA-provided phone lists are successfully contacted before, so that they know about the event and are prompted to join. The Contractor shall:

· Load and validate VA–provided phone number lists.

· Configure and test the toll-free recording line prior to each event for VA staff to record invitation and event greeting messages.

· Execute the automated pre-event invitation call to the full VA-provided phone list 24–48 hours before each scheduled event.

· Confirm and notify VA of the invitation call batch and report any significant delivery failures to the Government point of contact prior to the event.

· Pre-Event Notification of Successful Completion of Invitation Call Batch to VA.

Deliverables:

A. Emailed Confirmation of Receipt and Successful Ingestion of VA-provided Phone List B. Pre-Event Notification of Successful Completion of Invitation Call Batch

EVENT-DAY SERVICES

The Contractor shall ensure the maximum number of intended participants are connected and actively engaged on the live TTH call, for the duration of the event, with all interactive features functioning and the call proceeding without disruption. The Contractor shall:

· Execute the automated outbound event-day call to the full VA-provided phone list at the scheduled event start time (VA and Event Account Manager will arrange the start time).

· Provide a live Event Specialist for the full duration of each event to manage:

· Call flow and technical operations

· Live Q&A intake and moderation queue (working in coordination with VA event hosts, who will select/approve which questions are voiced)

· Live polling setup and administration

· Real-time technical troubleshooting for the host line and participant lines

· Ensure the inbound toll-free line remains available and fully functional for the duration of the live event with no interruption in service attributable to the Contractor's platform.

POST-EVENT SERVICES

The Contractor shall provide a timely, accurate, and complete Post-Event Report with data proving what happened during the TTH event (to include turnout, engagement, and call performance) in a usable, secure format that supports after-action review and accountability. The Contractor shall:

· Deliver post-event reports within 24 hours of event completion (real-time or near-real-time reporting preferred), containing at minimum the metrics specified in Section 5.2.1.3 item 10.

· Deliver downloadable participant voice messages in Windows Media Player–compatible format. VA needs to have a way to obtain voicemails left behind by Veterans who were in the screener queue when the call gets cut. This enables VA to circle back with that Veteran with the answer to their question. The Contractor shall provide the voice messages as part of the post-event report.

· Make all participant response data (Q&A text/audio, poll results, call statistics) available to VA via HTTPS or a FIPS 140-2–compliant transfer method.

· Retain event data only as long as necessary to fulfill delivery obligations, per a data retention/destruction schedule to be agreed upon with the Government (recommend specifying exact retention period, e.g., destruction or return within 30/60/90 days post-delivery, consistent with VA data handling policy).

Deliverable:

A. Post-Event Report

QUALITY AND PERFORMANCE MONITORING SERVICES

The Contractor shall track and report platform uptime/reliability for each event and immediately notify the Government of any service degradation or outage affecting a scheduled event.

The Contractor shall email a Quality and Performance Monitoring Corrective Action Plan within five business days of any failure to meet a minimum salient characteristic (e.g., failure to reach minimum participant capacity due to platform limitation, missed reporting deadline).

Deliverable:

A. Quality and Performance Monitoring Corrective Action Plan

TRAINING

The Contractor shall provide training sessions for VA employees who will serve as either a speaker, screener or event manager during the call. Training must be conducted through the Microsoft Teams platform with the ability to be recorded. The Contractor shall:

· Provide up to two training sessions held the week of or the week prior to the scheduled event.

· Provide training sessions free of charge for any system upgrades that impact the user interface.

· Provide training sessions that include detailed demonstrations of how users of each role (screener, speaker, event manager) interface with the platform and the functions available to them.

· Provide user manuals (or assist VA managers in creating them).

Deliverable:

A. User Manuals

CUSTOMER SUPPORT

The Contractor shall provide customer support during standard business hours, Monday through Friday 8:00am to 4:30pm CST, at minimum, for troubleshooting, scheduling changes, or other operational challenges. The Contractor shall:

· Respond to routine VA inquiries (e.g., scheduling questions, feature questions) within 48 hours.

· Respond to urgent VA inquiries (e.g., issues affecting an imminent or in-progress event) within two hours.

· Communicate with VA via email and VA-approved collaboration platforms (e.g., MS Teams) on status of VA inquiries.

· Conduct an After Action Review (AAR) within three days of an event for any event experiencing a service disruption, technical failure, or deviation from the planned agenda. Each AAR shall include root cause analysis, corrective action plan, and timeline for remediation. The Contractor shall provide a written After Action Review Report detailing the AAR and event issues and resolution to the VA.

If an event does not meet the criteria outlined in this task order, then the Contractor shall either not charge VA for the event or provide a repeat event at no cost to VA.

Deliverable:

A. After Action Review Report

ADDITIONAL TELE TOWN HALL EVENTS (OPTIONAL TASK 1)

The Contractor shall provide one additional TTH event beyond the 4-per-facility annual baseline.

ADDITIONAL PARTICIPANT CAPACITY (OPTIONAL TASK 2)

The Contractor shall provide additional participant capacity up to 40,000 additional participants per event, if required for a specific facility/event.

GENERAL REQUIREMENTS

ENTERPRISE AND IT FRAMEWORK

VA TECHNICAL REFERENCE MODEL

The Contractor shall comply with the VA OIT Technical Reference Model (VA TRM). Compliance with the VA TRM is achieved by using only technologies and standards that are listed as approved for use in the VA TRM. The Contractor shall provide all necessary information requested by VA to ensure TRM approval is obtained prior to use on VA’s network.

ZERO TRUST – VA CRITICAL SECURITY CONTROLS

VA has established minimum mandatory security requirements and requires that any network connected software system or service must meet the VA Critical Security Controls as outlined in the VA Memorandum, “VA Security Controls”, https://www.voa.va.gov/DocumentView.aspx?DocumentID=5010. VA Critical Security Controls identify the minimum mandatory requirements that must be implemented across all VA enterprise infrastructure, cloud computing environments, information systems, networks, and specialized devices (medical devices/systems, special-purpose systems, and research scientific computing devices) that process, store, and/or transmit VA data. Effective July 1, 2025, the Contractor shall implement these VA Critical Security Controls, within any network connected software system or service prior to being authorized for use in the VA. This functional requirement is not negotiable, and Plan of Action & Milestones (POAM) will not be accepted in the event these controls cannot be implemented for new systems. Critical Security Controls are intended to increase VA’s security posture and provide security and privacy risk visibility into the VA network and is not a new requirement. The Contractor’s failure to maintain these VA Critical Controls after implementation will result in VA discontinuing the use of the system.

FEDERAL IDENTITY, CREDENTIAL, AND ACCESS MANAGEMENT (FICAM)

The Contractor shall ensure Commercial Off-The-Shelf (COTS) product(s), software configuration and customization, and/or new software are Personal Identity Verification (PIV) card-enabled by accepting HSPD-12 PIV credentials using VA Enterprise Architecture (EA), and VA Identity and Access Management (IAM) approved Enterprise Technology Guidelines (ETG). The Contractor shall ensure all Contractor delivered applications and systems comply with the VA Identity, Credential, and Access Management policies and guidelines set forth in Executive Order 14028, VA Handbook 6510 VA Identity and Access Management, VA Handbook 0735 Homeland Security Presidential Directive 12 (HSPD-12) Program, CISA Binding Operational Directive 23-01, and align with the Federal Identity, Credential, and Access Management Roadmap and Implementation Guidance v2.0.

The Contractor shall ensure all Contractor delivered applications and systems provide user authentication services compliant with the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) Special Publication (SP) 800-63-4, VA Handbook 6500, and VA IAM enterprise requirements for direct, assertion based authentication, and/or trust based authentication, as determined by the ETGs. Direct authentication at a minimum must include Public Key Infrastructure (PKI) based authentication supportive of PIV card and/or Common Access Card (CAC), as determined by the business need.

The Contractor shall ensure all Contractor delivered applications and systems conform to the specific Identity and Access Management PIV requirements set forth in the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) Memoranda M-05-24, M-19-17, M-22-09, and NIST Federal Information Processing Standard (FIPS) 201-3. Contractor delivered applications and systems shall be on the FIPS 201 Approved Product List (APL). If the Contractor delivered application and system is not on the APL, the Contractor shall be responsible for taking the application and system through the FIPS 201 Evaluation Program.

The Contractor shall ensure all Contractor delivered applications and systems support:

1. Automated provisioning and are able to use enterprise provisioning service.

2. Interfacing with VA’s Master Person Index (MPI) to provision identity attributes, if the solution relies on VA user identities. MPI is the authoritative source for VA user identity data.

3. The VA defined unique identity (Secure Identifier [SEC ID] / Integrated Control Number [ICN]).

4. Multiple authenticators for a given identity and authenticators at every Authenticator Assurance Level (AAL) appropriate for the solution.

5. Identity proofing for each Identity Assurance Level (IAL) appropriate for the solution.

6. Federation for each Federation Assurance Level (FAL) appropriate for the solution, if applicable.

7. Two-factor authentication (2FA) through an applicable Technology Guideline as outlined in VA ETG.

8. A Security Assertion Markup Language (SAML) implementation if the solution relies on assertion-based authentication. Additional assertion implementations, besides the required SAML assertion, may be provided as long as they are compliant with NIST SP 800-63-4 guidelines.

9. Authentication/account binding based on trusted Hypertext Transfer Protocol (HTTP) headers if the solution relies on Trust based authentication.

10. Role Based Access Control.

11. Auditing and reporting capabilities.

12. Compliance with VIEWS 00155984, PIV Logical Access Policy Clarification https://www.voa.va.gov/DocumentView.aspx?DocumentID=4896.

The required Assurance Levels for this specific effort are Identity Assurance Level 3, Authenticator Assurance Level 3, and Federation Assurance Level 3.

INTERNET PROTOCOL VERSION 6 (IPv6)

The Contractor solution shall support IPv6-Only 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). Which defines IPv6-only as the state of an operational system or service when IPv4 protocol functions (addressing, packet forwarding) are not in use. The NIST USGv6 profile defines technical requirements for a product to be capable of operating in IPv6-Only environments. IPv6-Only 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 infrastructures, application designs, application development, operational systems and sub-systems, and their integration. In addition to the above requirements, all devices, applications, and systems shall support all applicable functionality on native IPv6-Only as well as 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-Only and dual stack (IPv6 / IPv4) users and all internal infrastructure and applications shall support using native IPv6-Only and dual stack (IPv6 / IPv4) for all functionality and operations.

TRUSTED INTERNET CONNECTION (TIC)

The Contractor solution shall meet the requirements outlined in Office of Management and Budget Memorandum M-19-26, “Update to the Trusted Internet Connections (TIC) Initiative“ (https://www.whitehouse.gov/wp-content/uploads/2019/09/M-19-26.pdf), VA Directive 6513 “Secure External Connections”, and shall comply with the TIC 3.0 Core Guidance Documents, including all Volumes and TIC Use Cases, found at the Cybersecurity & Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) (https://www.cisa.gov/publication/tic-30-core-guidance-documents).

STANDARD COMPUTER CONFIGURATION

The Contractor IT end user solution that is developed for use on standard VA computers shall be compatible with and be supported on the standard VA operating system, Windows 11, Edge (Chromium based), and 365 Apps for enterprise. Applications delivered to VA and intended to be deployed to Windows 11 workstations shall be delivered as a signed .msi package with switches for silent and unattended installation and updates shall be delivered in signed .msp file formats for easy deployment using Microsoft Endpoint Configuration Manager (CM) VA’s current desktop application deployment tool. Signing of the software code shall be through a vendor provided certificate that is trusted by VA using a code signing authority such as Verizon/Cybertrust or Symantec/VeriSign. The Contractor shall also ensure and certify that their solution functions as expected when used from a standard VA computer, with non-admin, standard user rights that have been configured using the Defense Information Systems Agency (DISA) Secure Technical Implementation Guide (STIG) specific to the particular client operating system being used.

VETERAN FOCUSED INTEGRATION PROCESS (VIP) AND PRODUCT LINE MANAGEMENT (PLM)

The Contractor shall support VA efforts IAW the Veteran-Focused Integration Process (VIP) Guide and Product Line Management (PLM) Playbook. The major focus of VIP is on Enterprise Oversight, Governance, reporting, and establishing practices that focus on outcomes and continuously delivering sustainable IT capabilities to benefit the Veteran. PLM is a framework that focuses on delivering functional products that provide the highest priority work to customers while delivering simplified, reliable, and practical solutions to the business, medical staff, and our Veterans. The VIP Guide is a companion guide to the PLM Transformation Playbook and can be found at: https://www.voa.va.gov/DocumentView.aspx?DocumentID=4371 and the PLM Transformation Playbook can be found at https://www.voa.va.gov/DocumentView.aspx?DocumentID=4946. VIP and PLM are the authoritative processes that IT projects must follow to ensure development and delivery of IT products.

The VIP Guide provides guidance for transitioning from project-centric to product-centric delivery. The VIP guide applies to all OIT Office of Management and Budget (OMB) reportable products that are required to collect and report costs, schedules, risks, and other valuable information in VA PARS (whether products are procured or developed by VA) and any VA Information Technology project effort in Software Product Management (SPM) and Infrastructure Operations (IO), or their successors, that touch the VA network regardless of IT organizational alignment (whether it spends government funding from VA's Congressional IT Appropriation or any other appropriation).

The PLM Transformation Playbook details how OIT leadership expects Product Lines (PLs) to implement PLM, DevOps, and Lean-Agile principles, methods, practices, and techniques through levels of maturity. The PLM Transformation Playbook applies to all Information Technology (IT) products aligned to PLs in the Software Product Management, Infrastructure Operations and Product Engineering organizations within the OIT organization.

Others outside the referenced groups or organizations may use the VIP Guide and PLM Transformation Playbook for situational awareness as needed.

PROCESS ASSET LIBRARY (PAL)

The Contractor shall perform their duties consistent with the processes defined in the OIT Process Asset Library (PAL). The PAL includes a spectrum of OIT functions and activities, such as project management, operations, service delivery, communications, acquisition, and resource management. PAL serves as an authoritative and informative repository of searchable processes, activities or tasks, roles, artifacts, tools and applicable standards and guides to assist the OIT workforce, Government and Contractor personnel. OIT utilizes PAL processes to ensure compliance with policies and regulations and to meet VA quality standards. The PAL includes the contractor onboarding process consistent with Section 6.2.2 and can be found at process_CONB_ext.docx (live.com). The main PAL can be accessed at www.va.gov/process.

AUTHORITATIVE DATA SOURCES

The VA Enterprise Architecture Repository (VEAR) is one component within the overall EA that establishes the common framework for data taxonomy for describing the data architecture used to develop, operate, and maintain enterprise applications. The Contractor shall comply with the department’s Authoritative Data Source (ADS) requirement that VA systems, services, and processes throughout the enterprise shall access VA data solely through official VA ADSs where applicable, see below. The Information Classes which compose each ADS are located in the VEAR, in the Data & Information domain.