PWS_HD AUDIO VIDEO TRANSPORT SERVICES.docx

EMPLOYEE EDUCATION SYSTEM

PERFORMANCE WORK STATEMENT

PERFORMANCE WORK STATEMENT

DEPARTMENT OF VETERANS AFFAIRS

EMPLOYEE EDUCATION SYSTEM (EES)

HD Video and Audio Transport Services

Dated May 5, 2022

1. Title of Project: HD Video and Audio Transport Services

2. Background: The Employee Education System (EES) Media Services is the largest VA provider for employee education satellite services. As the VHA key source for training delivery, EES assists customers in conceptual design, media selection, production scheduling, contract specification development, performance monitoring, and content delivery through live and archive video. The ability to deliver HD video and audio signals via fiber, from VA Central Office (VACO) television studios to a transport service positioned outside the VA firewall, provides the VA with that delivery capability. EES receives these services from Diversified Communications, Inc. (DCI), located in Washington DC. DCI utilizes existing VA-managed secure fiber circuits between the VACO studio and their teleport location. DCI hosts VA-managed video encoding equipment and maintains a secure outbound path to the Internet to deliver non-sensitive live video training and communications content to VA staff and veterans. These services are relied upon heavily in support of VA Medical Center Directors live town halls for VA-wide COVID response communications and to provide a path for live communications from VA senior leadership.

3. Objectives: The VA intends to procure a multiple-year contract to continue receiving DCI services to maintain this mission-critical terrestrial transport path. The desired outcomes of this project are the successful transport of HD video and audio signals over fiber from VACO to the DCI’s teleport facility. The solution organically air gaps and isolates the VA business network from webcast delivery activity.

4. Scope of Work: The contractor shall provide all labor, supervision and other resources to deliver continued services from Diversified Communications, Inc in Washington DC. DCI shall receive and distribute HD video and audio, via directly connected fiber circuits from the VA Central Office (VACO) studios at 810 Vermont Ave., Washington DC. DCI shall appropriately route, distribute and monitor all audio and video signals originating from the VACO studios via (4ea) HD video and audio fiber circuits, will route and distribute the HD video and audio signals available to a variety of distribution platforms located at the DCI teleport facility, to include Internet and satellite delivery in standard broadcast and webcast formats. DCI shall host no less than two networked VA-provided video encoders connected to HD video distribution. The contractor shall provide video engineering support via email, text, and telephone M-F 8:00am-5:00pm Eastern standard time.

5. Applicable Documents: None

6. Mandatory Tasks and Deliverables:

6.1 General Requirements: The contractor shall develop and maintain an effective quality control program to ensure services are performed in accordance with this PWS. The contractor shall develop and implement procedures to identify, prevent, and ensure non-recurrence of defective services. The contractor’s quality control program is the means that the work complies with the requirement of the contract. As a minimum, the contractor shall develop quality control procedures that address the areas identified in the table shown in PWS Section 8.2. After acceptance of the quality control plan the contractor shall receive the contracting officer’s acceptance in writing of any proposed change to the Quality Control system.

6.2 Specific Requirements: The contractor shall provide DCI services for the following:

6.2.1. The contractor shall include on-premises equipment rack space with sufficient cooling, remote control power switch-capable AC power, and environmental security, to allow for positioning of government-owned video and audio encoding equipment. Contractor’s facility will contain a backup power system to include UPS (uninterruptible power supply) with power generator.

6.2.2. The contractor shall provide on-premises cloud network capability for Internet access to all VA-managed equipment in support of remote management and video streaming content capability.

6.2.3. The contractor shall provide on-premises HD video and audio signal distribution via an HD Audio/Video router inputs/outputs for no fewer than four each (4ea) HD video and audio direct local fiber circuits to VACO at 810 Vermont Avenue.

6.2.3 The contractor shall be able to route or distribute the encoded IP HD video and audio signals to any of the available cloud-based transport services designated by EES engineering staff.

6.2.4 The contractor shall have onsite capability to receive the VA uplink satellite signal and uplink and route the HD video and audio for satellite distribution and to the VA-owned on-premises video encoders, for emergency situations. The contractor shall have quick access to the News broadcast community (CBS, ABC, NBC, Fox, CNN,) live feeds to redistribute to the VA on-premises encoders, in support of adhoc requests by the VA.

6.2.5 The contractor shall provide Video Engineering telephone, email and text, and on-premises staff support, between the hours of 8:00AM- 5:00PM EST to ensure signal quality is optimal and video routing is correct.

6.3 Government Responsibilities:

The government may on an on-going, ad hoc basis provide Government furnished broadcast equipment to support various types of broadcast events.

7. Evaluated Optional Tasks and Deliverables: N/A – There are not any optional tasks or deliverables.

7.1 The contractor shall provide all deliverables as defined in Table 1.

Table 1, Mandatory Deliverable Table

Due Date

Quick access to the News broadcast community (CBS, ABC, NBC, Fox, CNN,) live feeds to redistribute to the VA on-premises encoders, in support of adhoc requests by the VA.

8. Quality Control:

8.1 Contractor’s Quality Control Program: The Contractor shall develop and maintain an effective internal quality control program to ensure that services performed are in accordance with the PWS. The Contractor shall develop and implement procedures to identify, prevent, and ensure non-recurrence of defective services. As a minimum requirement, the Contractor shall internally develop quality control procedures that address the areas identified in the table in PWS Section 8.2.

8.2 Performance Monitoring:

Service Summary

Formal Acceptance or Rejection of Deliverables:

9. Government-Furnished Equipment (GFE)/Government Furnished Information (GFI): None

10. Performance Details:

10.1 Period of Performance: The period of performance shall be one (1) base year and four (4) option years from date of award.

10.2. Place of Performance: Work shall be performed at the contractor’s site. Telephone, text, and email support is required.

10.3 Observance of Government Holidays. There are 10 Federal holidays set by law (USC Title 5 Section 6103). Under current definitions, four 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 holidays are set by a day of the week and month:

10.4. Type of Contract: The Government anticipates award of a Firm Fixed-Price contract.

10.5. Travel: There will be no travel authorized in the performance of the contract

10.6. Contract Post-Award Meeting: The Contractor shall not commence performance on the tasks in this PWS until the CO has conducted a post-award meeting or has advised the Contractor that the post-award meeting has been waived.

10.7. Service Provider Contact Information: Diversified Communication Inc., 2000 M Street NW, Suite 340, Washington DC 20036; POC: Joe Concaugh, (e) joe.concaugh@dciteleport.com

(m) 240.505.4516 (o) 202.470.5141

11. Formal Acceptance or Rejection of Deliverables: N/A

12. Changes to the PWS Any changes to this PWS shall be authorized and approved only through written correspondence from the Contracting Officer. A copy of each change will be kept in a project folder along with all other products of the project. Costs incurred by the contractor through the actions of parties other than the Contracting Officer shall be borne by the contractor.

13. Confidentiality and Non-Disclosure:

It is agreed that:

The preliminary and final deliverables, and all associated working papers, application source code, and other material deemed relevant by VA which have been generated by the contractor in the performance of this contract, are the exclusive property of the U.S. Government and shall be submitted to the Contracting Officer at the conclusion of the contract.

The Contracting Officer will be the sole authorized official to release, verbally or in writing, any data, draft deliverables, final deliverables, or any other written or printed materials pertaining to this contract. No information shall be released by the contractor. Any request for information relating to this contract, presented to the contractor, shall be submitted to the Contracting Officer for response.

Press releases, marketing material, or any other printed or electronic documentation related to this project, shall not be publicized without the written approval of the Contracting Officer.

14. Security Requirements:

14.1. General

Contractors, contractor personnel, subcontractors, and subcontractor personnel shall not have access to VA Network/Information Technology or equipment.