PWS RDVP RUI DRAFT.docx

US Department of Agriculture (USDA)

USDA Rural Development Rural Housing Service (RHS) Multifamily Housing Rural Development Voucher Program Remote Unit Inspections

PERFORMANCE WORK STATEMENT (PWS)

May 19, 2022

DRAFT

Table of Contents

Project Title

Rural Development Voucher Program (RDVP) Remote Unit Inspections (RUI)

Introduction

This is a non-personal services contract to provide remote unit inspection services for the RD Voucher Program.

The Government will not exercise any supervision or control over the contract service providers. The Contractor shall perform to the standards specified in this Performance Work Statement (PWS). Contract service providers shall be accountable solely to the Contractor who, in turn is responsible to the Government. The Contractor shall provide all personnel, equipment, supplies, facilities, transportation, tools, materials, supervision, and other items and non-personal services necessary as defined in this PWS.

1.0 Background

The United States Department of Agriculture, Rural Development (RD) also known as the Agency is committed to helping improve the economy and quality of life in rural America. The Rural Development Voucher Program (RDVP) was created to offer some protection to eligible multifamily housing tenants in properties financed through Rural Development’s Section 515 Rural Rental Housing Program, who may be subject to economic hardship through the loss of rental assistance due to the prepayment of the RD mortgage. The RD Voucher helps tenants by providing a rental subsidy that will supplement the tenant’s rent payment. Low-income tenants who reside in the prepaying property are eligible to receive a voucher that they may use at that property or take to any other rental unit in the United States that passes RD inspection and where the owner will accept an RD Voucher, except for rental units in subsidized housing like USDA Section 521 Rural Rental Assistance (RA), HUD Section 8, and public housing where two housing subsidies would result.

1.1 Objectives

The goal of the RD Voucher Program is to provide “decent, safe, and sanitary” housing at an affordable cost to low-income families. To accomplish this, Rural Development set forth basic inspection standards in its RD guidebook, which all units must meet before assistance can be paid on behalf of a tenant. The Rural Development inspection standard defines “standard housing” and establishes the minimum criteria necessary for the health and safety of program participants. The Agency must determine that these standards are met prior to approving the use of the voucher.

The objective of the service is to schedule and conduct remote unit inspections in accordance with the RDVP program guidebook and other Agency instructions.

Requirements

2.0 Description of Services/Scope

The scope of the RDVP unit inspections services support project is to conduct approximately 1,000 remote unit inspections annually. Units inspected must meet the RD inspection standards as outlined in the RDVP Guidebook and guidance provided by Agency.

The contractor shall provide all personnel, equipment, supplies, facilities, transportation, tools, materials, supervision, and other items and non-personal services necessary as defined in this PWS to perform Remote Unit Inspections (RUI).

The Contractor shall ensure all work accomplished in the performance of this PWS meets all applicable Federal, State, and local laws, regulations, and directives to include, but not limited to, government provided publications and/or related documents. Additionally, the contractor shall compile historical data, prepare required reports, and submit all information as specified by the Deliverables presented in this PWS, ensuring all work in support of mission requirements tendered to the Government for acceptance conform to the measurable performance standards of quality, timeliness, and quantity specified in the PWS of this contract.

The intent is to establish work requirements that are performance-based and results-oriented. The Contractor shall determine the best and most cost-effective ways to fulfill Remote Unit Inspections, emphasizing innovation and commercial best practices.

3.0 Technical Requirements / Tasks

The overriding objective of the RDVP RUI is provide remote unit inspection services to the Agency.

Types of Inspections:

Initial and move: All units must pass a unit inspection prior to the initial term of the lease and execution of the assistance contract. An initial inspection will be conducted for a family that is new to the RDVP program or a family that is moving to a new unit with assistance.

Reinspection: A reinspection will be conducted within 10 business days of a failed inspection to ensure health and safety violations are corrected prior to tenant move in.

Table 1: Inspection Types

Scheduling Inspections

Upon receipt of the Request for Tenancy Approval (RTA) from the Agency. The Contractor shall contact the property owner listed on the RTA to schedule the unit inspection. As a note, tenants are encouraged, but not required, to be present for the inspection.

Inspection Scheduling Standards

Conducting the Inspection

Utilizing the Rural Development inspection standards, the Contractor should interpret the standards as broadly and consistently as possible. Using the Inspection Form, the Contractor shall strive to ensure consistency in areas requiring judgment. The Inspection form provides specific inspection guidance in the Inspection Instructions. See Attachment 6-A of the RD Guidebook for the Inspection Form and its instructions.

The Contractor shall ensure that the unit indicated on the paperwork is the unit that they are to inspect.

The Contractor will verify the information on the RTA is accurate.

1. Unit number

2. Number of rooms

3. Utilities and responsibility

For initial and move inspections, the Contractor shall inspect each room in the unit, inspecting all items on the inspection form and indicating if each item is acceptable, if there is a finding, or if there is a violation.

A violation is a finding that constitutes a health and safety issue. Findings that are cosmetic in nature will not be considered violations.

Unit Passes Inspection: Initial or Move Inspection

If the unit passes the initial inspection, the Contractor shall email the Agency the completed inspection packet, which consists of the Inspection Form, Inspection Result Sample Letter and the RDVP Remote Inspection Owner Certification. The Agency will then mail letters to the owner and tenant.

Unit Fails Inspection: Initial Inspection

· The Agency will email or mail the owner a Failed Inspection Report listing the failed items that must be completed and schedule a reinspection within 10 days.

· The Agency may choose to conduct a reinspection or allow the owner to submit documentation of completed corrections, at the Agency’s discretion.

· If the Agency is not able to confirm repairs have been completed within the allotted time, RD will send a 5-day follow up to the owner. The RTA will be denied if the owner does not respond to the follow-up notice. The tenant will be notified and given the opportunity to continue to search for another unit.

Termination

If an owner does not correct deficiencies within the 10 business days allotted after a failed inspection and is unresponsive to inquiries from the Contractor regarding the repair, the Agency may terminate assistance and inform the tenant that they can move or continue living in the unit without RD assistance.

3.1 Specific Objectives

The Agency is seeking a Contractor to schedule and conduct remote unit inspections for the RDVP.

3.2 Specific Requirements/Tasks

The contractor will work closely with the RDVP Program Manager on the development, execution and review of all policies and procedures related to the conduct of remote unit inspections.

The Contractor shall perform and document initial and move inspections of units in the RDVP for compliance with the housing standards. Perform re-inspections when needed. Advise owners and residents of inspection results. Confirm that unit is the size noted on the contract and which utilities are provided by the owner and tenant. Notifies owner and resident in writing of specific violations so deficiencies can be corrected within the time specified by the RDVP. Practice good customer service skills and professional courtesy in the performance of duties.

Contractor shall establish and maintain a central filing system with electronic capabilities for all correspondence and communication with the applicants, owners, RDVP staff utilizing RD and contractor approved tracking information collection processes.

Scheduling

The Contractor will email and/or call the property owners listed on the RTA to schedule the inspections within 5 business days of receipt of the RTA from the Agency. The appointment should be scheduled at a mutually acceptable time. Unit inspections will be conducted within 7 business days from the day they are scheduled by the Contractor. Owners should be given a one-hour window during which they will be contacted by the Contractor to conduct the inspection.

Method for conducting inspection:

Using a mobile phone or tablet for ease of mobility using:

· Microsoft Teams

· FaceTime

· Google Meet

· Skype

· Zoom

· Or any other video call platform as available for the Contractor and the proxy

The Contractor will initiate the video call during the inspection window.

Inspection Process

The inspection must be conducted via an uninterrupted video call to ensure the unit being shown is the unit in question. If for some reason the call is dropped for more than 10 seconds, the proxy will need to exit the unit and show the remote inspector that they are in fact in the unit in question.

The proxy should be capable of showing that all relevant mechanicals are working, including smoke and carbon monoxide detectors.

Inspection Procedure

Throughout the inspection the Contractor personnel will instruct the proxy of where to move the mobile device so that the inspector can see the items being inspected.

The inspection should begin with an introduction between the property owner proxy and the Contractor personnel or must record the name and affiliation of the proxy. The inspection should begin outside of the property with the exterior inspection. The inspector must be able to see the address and where applicable, unit number, of the property, to ensure that the unit being inspected is the same unit that will be occupied by the tenant.

Proxy Evaluations

Some aspects of the inspection cannot be conducted via visual inspection alone and will require the proxy to indicate if an item is operating as required. Examples of these subjective items are highlighted in red in the attached inspection checklist and include items like ensuring the refrigerator and freezer are sufficiently cold, that hot water is present, and that the heating or cooling unit is operational. The inspector will still request the proxy to indicate if these items are functioning as required. Additionally, the proxy will sign a document indicated that all statements made during the inspection are true and the proxy may be subject to consequences and the lease may be canceled if the proxy made false statements. Tenants will also sign the attestation whenever they are present accepting the unit.

Correspondence

Contractor will provide owner an appointment time in writing and give specific instructions on how to connect for the inspection. Even if the owner was conducting the inspection and is aware of the pass or of failed items, a letter must be sent informing them of the findings of the inspector and given the same number of days to repair the item.

In the case of occupied unit inspections, tenants will be given copies of owner correspondence and will be made aware of any failed items that are deemed tenant responsibilities. Tenants will have the same number of days to correct any deficiencies at their own expense. All correspondence will have a number for landlords and tenants to call with any questions, to schedule appointments or to get in touch with their inspector.

Inspector Training

Within 15 days of the contract award, contractor must provide training materials and a plan on how it intends to train inspector personnel for Agency approval. Contractor must provide personnel training on the RD inspection standards prior to performing inspections. The Contractor will track and maintain a training log on the RD inspection process to ensure service delivery across the program is structured, standardized, and monitored.

General Information

4.0 Contract Type

This is a contract consisting of Firm-Fixed-Price (FFP) and Contract Line-Item Numbers (CLINS). This contract is issued pursuant to…….

5.0 Period of Performance

This contract will be for a period of performance of one year with additional optional periods and consists of the following:

Option Period 4

6.0 Recognized Holidays

The scope of services under this award may occur outside of normal business days and hours and can occur on Federal Holidays, although Federal Government support may not be available

(a) Following are the annual federal holidays. The actual date of observance for the Government each year may differ from the calendar date.

(b) In addition to the annual holidays, the Government may observe additional days as holidays, those to include:

• Any other day designated by Federal Statue

• Any other day designated by Executive Order

• Any other day designated by the President’s Proclamation

(c) Unless otherwise authorized by the Contracting Officer, observance of holidays by Government personnel shall not otherwise be a reason for an extension to the period of performance, delivery schedule, or entitlement of payment by the Government to the Contractor. In the event the Contractor’s personnel (including subcontractor) work during the holiday, they may be compensated for the work in accordance with the Contractor’s operational/employee/business procedures; however, no form of holiday or other premium compensation will be paid by the Government, either as an additional direct or indirect cost, over the payments authorized in the contract.

7.0 Place of Performance

The work to be performed under this contract will be performed at the Contractor facilities and other locations. The Contractor will provide all supplies, equipment, facilities, and services, etc. at the place of performance.

8.0 Government Furnished Items

The Government will provide electronic copies of standards, protocols, and processes documents sufficient to describe the scope of work. All materials will remain the property of the Government and will be returned to the COR upon request or at the end of the contract period.

Deliverables

9.0 Schedule of Deliverables

In performing the services and providing the support described in the PWS, the Contractor shall provide the written deliverables as described within this document. All deliverables shall be submitted to the COR for inspection, review, and acceptance by the due date. All deliverables become the property of the Government.

All the deliverables (e.g., meetings, products, activities, reports, schedules, plans, documents, etc.) and due dates, including interim steps and final product delivery shall be the property of USDA. In addition to the minimum set of deliverables defined in the contract, Contractor shall deliver the following deliverables

Schedule of Key Deliverables

•Objectives •Schedule •Roles and responsibilities •Next steps

· Goals and Objectives

· Schedule

· Roles and responsibilities

· Technical Approach

· Training Plan

Final/Approved Submission 15-business days after item 1. Updates as required in the monthly status report due the 5th day of each month for the previous month’s activities

9.1 Description of Deliverables

9.1.1 Post Award Conference -To be conducted within 5 business days of award.

9.1.2 Monthly Status Report

Provide regular status reports in a format acceptable to the COR and CO. The reports shall reflect the accomplishments achieved during the current reporting period, to include number and status of completed inspections and projections for the upcoming reporting period(s).

9.1.3 Baseline Master Program Schedule

The contactor shall develop and execute an agreed upon project management plan that includes all items necessary to execute this order, including, but not limited to a master schedule of multiple tasks required to address all aspects of the PWS. The contractor will develop a Quality Control Plan that monitors quality assurance throughout the life of the contract ensuring reviews are conducted within RDVP requirements. and a detailed work plan that addresses all requirements set forth in the PWS. The Contractor must also designate a Program Manager (PM), as key personnel, and who will act as the interface with the Contracting Officers Representative (COR) and Contracting Officer (CO) though regularly scheduled meetings.

9.2 Quality Standards

The Government will work with the Contractor to define specific quality standards for each deliverable and work product produced. For any documents, the Government expects them to be timely, thorough, and accurate. As each deliverable is usually the result of a series of activities, it is vital that the Contractor and the Government have the same expectations on the content and approach for the deliverable, the activities involved to develop it, including reviews of drafts, organization, and any other expectations for the final product, prior to the commencement of work.

Specifically:

· Adherence to Requirements - Work products and deliverables shall adhere to the requirements in the contract.

· Accuracy – Work products and deliverables shall be free from errors and mistakes; and be developed in accordance with applicable laws, regulations, policies, and procedures.

· Completeness – Work products and deliverables shall have all parts or elements adhering to the required content.

· Clarity – Work products and deliverables shall be easy to understand.

· Timeliness – Work products and deliverables shall be available at time required and be delivered on or before specified due dates.

· Format – Work products and deliverables shall be submitted in hard and/or soft copy, as agreed by the contractor and USDA. Both hard and soft copy formats shall follow specified guidance, directives, and/or policies.

9.2.1 Review and Acceptance

The Contractor shall submit deliverables to the COR for inspection, review, and acceptance. Final acceptance will occur upon COR signature. All deliverables become the property of the Government. The Government will provide timely comments on deliverables, as necessary. The Contractor must incorporate the Government’s comments within five (5) workdays of receipt of the COR’s comments, unless otherwise mutually agreed to. In the event of rejection of any deliverables, the Contractor will be notified in writing by the COR of the specific reasons why the deliverables are unacceptable. The Contractor must return revised deliverables to the COR within five (5) workdays.

10.0 Performance Requirements Summary

The contractor shall meet or exceed the requirements stated in this contract. The COR will measure performance through monitoring. The contractor must fully document and explain any deviations from the stated objectives. The contractor’s services shall be considered successful if performance provides the expected outcomes within the performance standards.

Project Management

Contractor delivers on the agreed upon schedule 100% of the time.

Status Reporting

10.1 Quality Control Plan

The contractor shall develop, deliver, maintain, and adhere to a Quality Control (QC) Plan to ensure prior to delivery that their deliverables will meet the requirements of the contract. The Contractor shall submit QC Plan as part of the technical proposal, which will identify the minimum performance indicators, indices, and metrics to be used. The QC Plan will be finalized after contract award. The QC Plan shall be delivered in Word and PDF format. The contractor’s QC Plan shall consist of the following information at a minimum:

· A description of the review/audit process, its documentation, methods of internal review, identification of staff position(s) performing the reviews, and the frequency of the reviews.

· A description of the approach and procedures for communicating with the Government.

handling corrective actions; and identifying and implementing potential improvements to the program services.

· A process for project tracking in terms of the deliverables identified in the proposal.

· A description of the performance requirements for each phase of the project and/or labor

· category.

· A description of the performance objective for each Performance Standard in Section 6.0 Performance Requirements Summary.

· A description of the quantifiable Acceptable Level of Performance for each Performance Standard (Reference: Section 10.0 Performance Requirements Summary).

· A description of the method of surveillance including who will perform the surveillance, the frequency, and the process for accomplishing the surveillance.

Staffing Needs and Key Personnel

11.0 Staffing Needs/Skill and Relevant Experience

The contractor shall be responsible for employing qualified personnel to perform the services required throughout the life of this contract. The Contractor shall have the personnel, organization, and administrative control necessary to ensure that each task is completed satisfactorily. If questions arise that the Contractor is using other than qualified personnel, the Contractor shall provide proof that personnel possess the proper qualifications and experience.

The Contractor’s personnel must have demonstrated experiences, documented in their resume, referencing the required skills for successfully completing these tasks. All personnel must be fully trained and ready for the tasks for which they are performing and demonstrates good verbal and written communication skills.

The minimum qualifications of Contractor personnel are set forth below:

All Contractor/subcontractor personnel shall wear company picture identification badges as to distinguish themselves from Government employees. When conversing with Government personnel during business meetings, over the telephone, or via electronic mail, Contractor/subcontractor personnel shall identify themselves as such to avoid situations arising where sensitive topics might be better discussed solely between Government employees. Contractors/subcontractors shall identify themselves on any attendance sheet or any coordination documents they may review. Electronic mail signature blocks shall identify their company affiliation. Where practicable, Contractor/subcontractors occupying collocated space with their Government program customer shall identify their workspace area with their name and company affiliation, or at a minimum, "Contractor" after name.

12.0 Key Personnel

(a) The contractor shall provide personnel that possess the skills, experience, and education necessary to effectively perform the work for this contract.

(b) The Contractor shall obtain the consent of the Contracting Officer prior to making key personnel substitutions. Replacements for key personnel must possess qualifications equal to or exceeding the qualifications of the personnel being replaced unless the Contracting Officer approves an exception.

(c) Requests for changes in key personnel shall be submitted to the Contracting Officer at least 15 working days prior to making any permanent substitutions. The request should contain a detailed explanation of the circumstances necessitating the proposed substitutions, complete resumes for the proposed substitutes, and any additional information requested by the Contracting Officer. The Contracting Officer will notify the Contractor within 10 working days after receipt of all required information of the decision on substitutions. The task order will be modified to reflect any approved changes.

Contractor may propose additional Key Personnel if necessary to meet the objectives/tasks of the requirement. If a new Key Personnel labor category is proposed, Contractor must provide a justification and rationale.

The Contractor must submit resumes of Key personnel and these resumes must be accepted by the COR prior to the start of work on this contract.

The Contractor shall focus on ensuring resources are technically capable to meet the requirements outlined within the contract. Once resources have been allocated, no substitution shall be made without prior notification to and the concurrence of the COR. During the first ninety (90) days of performance, the Contractor shall make no substitutions of key personnel unless the substitution is necessitated by illness, death, or termination of employment.

All proposed substitutes must meet or exceed the qualifications of the position to be replaced. The COR shall be notified in writing of any proposed substitution at least thirty (30) days in advance of the proposed substitution. The notification shall include the following:

· Explanation of the circumstances necessitating the change prior to the removal or substitution.

· A complete resume of the proposed substitute; and,

· Any other information requested by the COR to enable him/her to judge whether the Contractor is maintaining the same high quality of personnel

KEY PERSONNEL QUALIFICATIONS

Key Personnel Qualifications for this contract are defined below. The Contractor shall provide information on their approach for finding, obtaining, and providing technical personnel with the required skill levels to fulfill the requirements of this contract by time of award. Key Contractor personnel must be able to demonstrate hands-on experience, knowledge, skills, and abilities as described below:

12.1 Key Personnel Qualifications

The Contractor shall provide a Project Manager who shall be responsible for the performance of all work. The Project Manager shall have full authority to act on all contract matters relating to daily operations of this contract. Accordingly, at a minimum, the points of contact shall have the technical knowledge of the requirement and be in the position to receive assignments, guidance and direction from the CO and COR, and shall be allocated enough hours to the requirement to ensure successful performance. These points of contact shall each be an employee of the Contractor. An employee of a Subcontractor is not acceptable for either of these positions. The Project Manager shall be available between the hours of 8:00 am to 4:30 pm, Monday through Friday EST, except Federal Holidays or when the Government facility is closed for administrative reasons.

13.0 Security Requirements

The Contractor’s staff and employees and any subcontractors’ employees must meet all onboarding requirements. The Contractor must meet USDA Security Requirements.

14.0 Data Rights

If data is to be produced, furnished, acquired, or used in meeting contract requirements, delineate the respective rights and obligations of the government and the contractor regarding the use, production, and disclosure of that data.

15.0 Section 508 – Electronic and Information Technology Standards

When information technology is to be acquired, include language describing Section 508 requirements.

16.0 Management Requirements

The contractor shall manage all work performed for this contract, including work performed by subcontractors.

The contractor’s Project Manager shall attend meetings as directed and shall collaborate with the Contracting Officer’s Representative (COR) on an ongoing basis. The contractor shall establish and maintain effective communication with the C/PM and the COR.

The contractor shall manage all prime and subcontractor(s) in a manner that allows completion of objectives within the schedule, cost, quality, scope, and technical requirements.

The contractor shall coordinate its efforts with the COR, as directed by the CO/COR to ensure the success of the project.

17.0 Attachments

Attachment 1 – Acronyms and Definitions Attachment 2 – Rural Development Guidebook Attachment 3 – Additional Guidelines image1.png