PWS WI Non IT Consulting Services.docx

Performance Work Statement (PWS) Wage And Investment Non-IT Consulting Support Services

1.0 INTRODUCTION/OVERVIEW

The Internal Revenue Service (IRS) vision is to make it easier for taxpayers to meet their tax responsibilities, enhance performance in the workforce and to invest in the foundational capabilities necessary to achieve the mission and deliver quality service to taxpayers and stakeholders.

This is achieved by:

· Delivering timely service to taxpayers to resolve issues while helping taxpayers meet their tax obligations and receive appropriate tax incentives

· Effectively enforce the law to ensure compliance with tax responsibilities and combat fraud, using data and analytics.

· Becoming an employer of choice across government and industry

2.0 BACKGROUND

To help achieve these goals, the IRS and the Wage and Investment business operating division are pursuing the following strategic objectives:

· Be the best place to work in government by building a highly talented, diverse workforce and cultivating an inclusive and collaborative environment.

· Ensure a secure environment that protects the safety of our people and security of our facilities.

· Implement and maintain a robust Enterprise Risk Management Program that identifies emerging risks and mitigates them before they impact performance.

· Realize operational efficiencies and effectively manage costs by improving enterprise‐ wide resource allocation and streamlining processes.

· Invest in innovative, secure technology needed to protect taxpayer data and support taxpayer, partner, and IRS business needs.

· Implement enterprise‐wide analytics and research capabilities to make timely, informed decisions.

· Design tailored service approaches with a focus on digital customer service to meet taxpayer needs, preferences and compliance behaviors to facilitate voluntary compliance.

· Deliver clear and focused outreach, communications, and education programs to assist taxpayer understanding of tax responsibilities and awareness of emerging tax laws.

· Provide timely assistance through a seamless, multichannel service environment to encourage taxpayers to meet their tax obligations and accurately resolve their issues.

· Provide a better taxpayer experience with faster issue resolution for taxpayers.

· Strengthen refund fraud prevention and provide prompt assistance to support victims of identity theft.

· Reduce taxpayer burden and increase return accuracy at filing through timely and efficient tax administration processing.

· Improve service delivery and support effective tax administration by fostering strong relationships with our tax community and government partners.

· Enhance the quality of tax services by strengthening the outreach, education and tools provided to the tax professional community.

· Deter and promptly resolve noncompliance by protecting revenue from refund fraud and ensuring appropriate revenue collection.

· Identify trends, detect high‐risk areas of noncompliance and prioritize enforcement approaches by applying research and advanced analytics.

· Improve compliance and reduce the risk of fraud through strong partnerships with the tax professional community.

3.0 SCOPE

The Wage and Investment division identifies business and technical challenges requiring independent analysis and assessment, including many that span across multiple organizations. Possible areas may include, but is not limited to training, instructional design, business improvements, strategic planning, strategic initiatives, statistical analysis, business metrics, goal setting, program integration, and regulatory compliance. The purpose of this performance work statement is to seek expert and objective strategic, technical, program management and implementation advice and guidance to support our strategic objectives.

4.0 TASKS

Task orders for specific needs will be competed and issued against the Blanket Performance Agreement, (BPA). Performance and contractual obligations will be controlled by the BPA, Task Orders and the contractor’s GSA schedule contract. Appointed CORs will maintain each Task Order that is issued for their respective area(s).

The contractor shall assist the IRS in finding ways to address both intra- and inter-organizational challenges. The contractor shall apply its business domain experience and advise on issues while helping to align solutions to current and future strategic business and program management needs.

Desired Outcomes for the tasks being requested by the business organizations will be identified and the contractor will speak to the ability of reaching those desired outcomes as part of their deliverables. These desired outcomes will align with the objectives of task(s) being sought.

4.1 Task 1: Strategic Planning and Support

The contractor shall provide development of operational plans in alignment with the IRS Strategic Plan (2023 – 2031) which should include the IRS’ mission, vision, and values:

· The contractor shall participate in strategy development by the Government and review, advise, assist, and make recommendations to Government executives and other senior staff.

· The contractor shall provide assistance with determining the existing state of the organization by providing advice and guidance.

· The contractor shall provide assistance in defining the operational and organizational requirements of the future state of the organization relative to the strategic direction of the IRS.

· The contractor shall provide assistance with developing and implementing an action plan and change management for transitioning between the current and future state(s) of the organization.

· The contractor shall identify measures and techniques for evaluating the progress towards reaching the future state of the organization.

· The contractor shall identify goals that are Specific, Measurable, Attainable, Relevant and Time-Based (SMART).

· The contractor shall identify short and long-term goal.

· The contractor shall create a plan to achieve the goals.

4.2 Task 2: Concept of Operations (CONOPS) and Strategic Initiatives

The Concept of Operations (CONOPS) framework includes a clear vision for the organization, highlights the strategic goals of the organization, defines the initiatives aligned to the strategic goals, provides indicators of success and changes in doing business. Task Orders issued for this support may include, but are not limited to assisting with the following:

· The contractor shall provide support with identifying organizational and strategic goals.

· The contractor shall assist in meeting the initiatives outlined in the strategic goals.

· The contractor shall identify available resources.

· The contractor shall identify possible constraints on the desired goals.

· The contractor shall identify and evaluate indicators of success.

· The contractor shall identify and define stakeholder relationships and responsibilities and their roles in reaching organizational and strategic goals.

· The contractor shall identify operating processes and procedures.

· The contractor shall incorporate the CONOPS into W&I operations planning. acquisition planning, and project requirements and developmental processes.

· The contractor shall provide recommendations for end state lifecycle management.

4.3 Task 3: Organizational Studies

The contractor shall provide support in examination of the structural and sociological elements of the organization, ensuring the appropriate internal and external stakeholders are identified and engaged as needed. Task Orders issued for this support may include, but are not limited to assisting with the following:

· The contractor shall review existing documentation about the organization.

· The contractor shall review existing processes used within an organization.

· The contractor shall interview employees and customers of the organization.

· The contractor shall observe organizational behavior.

· The contractor shall analyze findings to construct a narrative about the organizational culture.

· The contractor shall provide recommendations suggesting improvement(s) to an organization.

4.4 Task 4: Statistical Analysis

The contractor shall provide statistical analysis in the collection and mathematical interpretation of various forms of internal and external data shared as part of the identified project. Task Orders issued for this support may include, but are not limited to assisting with the following:

· The contractor shall provide support of data relevant to business processes.

· The contractor shall provide support with the collection or assemblage of data relevant to business processes.

· The contractor shall provide support with the development of analytical plans to address business questions.

· The contractor shall provide analysis of data to include statistical interpretation.

· The contractor shall provide modeling using data to address a business need.

· The contractor shall provide preparation and presentation of reports with statistical content.

4.5 Task 5: Business Metrics

The contractor shall support business metrics using quantifiable means to assess the performance of a process. Task Orders issued for this support may include, but are not limited to the following:

· The contractor shall identify which measurements reflect business performance.

· The contractor shall associate measures with business goals.

· The contractor shall identify how to measure and conduct the measurement.

· The contractor shall create baseline measurements.

· The contractor shall set measurement benchmarks.

· The contractor shall conduct a gap analysis.

· The contractor shall analyze existing business metrics and identify gaps and recommend improvements.

· The contractor shall assess Return on Investment (ROI).

· The contractor shall conduct surveys.

· The contractor shall conduct focus groups.

4.6 Task 6: Business Process Improvement

The contractor shall provide support with our Business Process Improvement by improving existing business processes. Task Orders issued for this support may include, but are not limited to the following:

· The contractor shall identify the organization’s business goals, stakeholders, and Customers.

· The contractor shall identify and measure customer needs, preferences, and behaviors and map the processes.

· The contractor shall provide benchmarking and analyzing processes.

· The contractor shall redesign processes to better meet the business goals and customer needs.

· The contractor shall develop and implement an action plan and change management options.

· The contractor shall develop and implement measures to evaluate the performance of revised processes.

4.7 Task 7: Regulatory Compliance

Regulatory compliance is the organization’s conformance with laws, regulations, policy and guidance. Task Orders issued for this support may include, but are not limited to the following:

· The contractor shall provide analysis of the regulatory framework applicable to the organization and its processes.

· The contractor shall develop compliance plans.

· The contractor shall provide assistance with implementation of compliance plans.

· The contractor shall prepare compliance reports.

· The contractor shall create risk assessments.

· The contractor shall create/develop/propose tools to assist Internal Revenue Manual (IRM) Authors to more effectively and efficiently create 508 Compliant content using Adobe Acrobat: Pro DC, Arbor text Editor and Microsoft Office 365.

· Assist IRM Authors with producing 508 Compliant electronic content, perform statistical analysis to measure the performance of 508 efforts for published products; and establish a repeatable process for assessing published products for 508 Compliance and remediating as needed.

4.8 Task 8: Goal Setting

The contractor shall provide support in determining the short and long-term objectives of an organization. Task Orders issued for this support may include, but are not limited to the following:

· The contractor shall provide relating goals to the IRS’ and the organization’s mission, vision, strategic goals, initiatives, and values.

· The contractor shall identify goals that are Specific, Measurable, Attainable, Relevant, and Time based (S.M.A.R.T.).

· The contractor shall identify timeframes for short and long-term goals.

· The contractor shall create a plan for achieving goals.

· The contractor shall measure progress towards goals.

4.9 Task 9: Instructional Design

The contractor shall provide instruction to learners to acquire knowledge or skill. Task Orders issued for this support may include, but are not limited to the following:

· The contractor shall provide training opportunities that relate goals to the IRS’ and the organization’s mission.

· The contractor shall analyze who the learners are, what the desired performance of the learners is, when the learning is needed, and the environment the learning will take place in.

· The contractor shall design the objectives, lesson plan, content, assessment tools, and formats.

· The contractor shall develop the course content, materials, storyboards, graphics, and electronic tools.

· The contractor shall implement the course curriculum and assessment procedures.

· The contractor shall evaluate the course via formative and summative processes.

4.10 Task 10: Program Integration

The contractor shall provide support with developing program management plans across multiple W&I, IRS, and IT organizations. Task Orders issued for this support may include, but are not limited to the following:

· The contractor shall integrate project schedules from multiple IRS offices.

· The contractor shall develop integrated business requirements.

· The contractor shall develop risk management and mitigation processes and tracking at the program level.

· The contractor shall prepare reports on program implementation status.

· The contractor shall develop and implement contingency plans.

5.0 CONTRACTOR QUALIFICATIONS

Specified Required Skillsets (Contractor Qualifications) Contractor staff should have the necessary experience and education required for subsequent Call Orders. At a minimum, the following labor categories will be needed for most orders. Varying levels of education and skill levels may be needed to meet the requirements of each order. For example, some basic program management call orders may require minimal experience of up to 2 years, while more complex, highly visible orders may necessitate more senior level experience with ten or more years.

Labor categories are defined as Junior, Journeyman, Senior, and Subject Matter Expert (SME) based on years of experience, education, and duties/responsibilities as follows:

· JUNIOR: Applies fundamental concepts, processes, practices, and procedures on technical assignments. Performs work that requires practical experience and training. Work is performed under supervision.

· JOURNEYMAN: Possesses and applies expertise on multiple complex work assignments. Assignments may be broad in nature, requiring originality and innovation in determining how to accomplish tasks. Operates with appreciable latitude in developing methodology and presenting solutions to problems. Contributes to deliverables and performance metrics where applicable.

· SENIOR: Possesses and applies a comprehensive knowledge across key tasks and high impact assignments. Plans and leads major technology assignments. Evaluates performance results and recommends major changes affecting short-term project growth and success. Functions as a technical expert across multiple project assignments. May supervise others.

· SUBJECT MATTER EXPERT (SME): Provides technical/management leadership on major tasks or technology assignments. Establishes goals and plans that meet project objectives. Has domain and expert technical knowledge. Directs and controls activities for a client, having overall responsibility for financial management, methods, and staffing to ensure that technical requirements are met. Interactions involve client negotiations and interfacing with senior management. Decision-making and domain knowledge may have a critical impact on overall project implementation. May supervise others.

Business Analyst Provides general functional expertise necessary to interpret requirements, ensure responsiveness and achieve successful performance. Assists in leading the information technology teams with understanding business requirements and the analysis, evaluation and implementation of systems and other relevant tasks.

· All Junior roles shall have at a minimum of an associate degree.

· All Journeyman and Senior roles shall have a minimum of a bachelor’s degree.

· All SME roles shall have a minimum of a master’s degree.

· All Junior roles shall have at a minimum of 1-2 years of experience.

· All Journeyman and Senior roles shall have a minimum of 2-7 years of experience.

· All SME roles shall have a minimum 7-15 years of experience.

Consultant Assists project team members with data gathering and research, organizes data and project documents and assists project manager in the development of deliverables and supports development of process flow diagrams, project reports, training materials, instructional design, multimedia and other deliverables.

· All Junior roles shall have at a minimum of an associate degree.

· All Journeyman and Senior roles shall have a minimum of a bachelor’s degree.

· All SME roles shall have a minimum of a master’s degree.

· All Junior roles shall have at a minimum of 1-2 years of experience.

Functional Specialist Trained in business support, systems development, analysis, and/or training methodologies.

· All Junior roles shall have at a minimum of an associate degree.

· All Journeyman and Senior roles shall have a minimum of a bachelor’s degree.

· All SME roles shall have a minimum of a master’s degree.

· All Junior roles shall have at a minimum of 1-2 years of experience.

Management Consultant Provides specialized experience or expertise in multiple fields, including process analysis, redesign. Advises on project methodology and coordinates analysis results with other key personnel. Applies expertise and experience to develop approaches for solutions to client issues.

· All Junior roles shall have at a minimum of an associate degree.

· All Journeyman and Senior roles shall have a minimum of a bachelor’s degree.

· All SME roles shall have a minimum of a master’s degree.

· All Junior roles shall have at a minimum of 1-2 years of experience.

Process Improvement Analyst Uses in-depth knowledge of quality assurance to inspect and improve process design; demonstrated knowledge of software quality assurance standards/methodology and relevant technical areas. Maintains and establishes a process for evaluating business applications and associated documentation. Has a demonstrated ability to inspect business applications to ensure compliance with applicable standards for systems design, business application construction, testing and documentation plans. Conducts formal and informal reviews at predetermined points throughout the development life cycle.

· All Junior roles shall have at a minimum of an associate degree.

· All Journeyman and Senior roles shall have a minimum of a bachelor’s degree.

· All SME roles shall have a minimum of a master’s degree.

· All Junior roles shall have at a minimum of 1-2 years of experience.

Program Manager Plans, directs and supervises all technical, fiscal and administrative functions of a project, including coordinating the responsibilities and task assignments of key project personnel. Develops budgets, schedules and plans for the various analytical and engineering involved with the project.

· Program Managers roles shall have a minimum of a bachelor’s degree.

· Program Managers roles shall have a minimum of 2-7 years of experience.

Project Manager Develop and manage project schedules. Gather and report task status from project teams. Track status of contracts and project financials. Verify quality of deliverables. Augment staff as project dictates. Perform administrative and supervisory project duties.

· Project Manager roles shall have a minimum of a bachelor’s degree.

· Project Manager roles shall have a minimum of 2-7 years of experience.

Research Associate Participate in professional, scientific activities at several levels of difficulty and responsibility. Typically assigned responsibility for the coordination of various aspects of research projects involving the design, construction, assembly, and test of experimental equipment and instrument systems as well as computer software programs and hardware systems; provide information and advice to principal investigators

· All Junior roles shall have at a minimum of an associate degree.

· All Journeyman and Senior roles shall have a minimum of a bachelor’s degree.

· All SME roles shall have a minimum of a master’s degree.

· All Junior roles shall have at a minimum of 1-2 years of experience.

Support Staff / Data Entry Develop presentations, Compile meeting minutes, Support the project team by typing letters, reports, and training materials as required.

· Support Staff/ Data Entry roles shall have at a minimum of an associate degree.

· Support Staff/ Data Entry roles shall have at a minimum of 1-2 years of experience.

6.0 TRAVEL

Travel to IRS sites may be required for task orders issued under this BPA. Travel related expenses will be reimbursed in accordance with the Federal Travel Regulations (FTR) and will be controlled by issuance of written instructions from the Government. Any additive factor, i.e., General & Administrative (G&A), should be identified in the quote, but not applied. Travel in performance of a task order will only be reimbursable to the extent authorized by the task order COR.

The IRS offices which support this requirement are primarily in Atlanta, GA or the Washington, DC metropolitan area, although travel to other sites may be required. The travel ceiling for the life of the BPA is $250,000.00.

7.0 PLACE OF PERFORMANCE

The work will be performed throughout the United States, the District of Columbia, and U.S. territories including, but not limited to, the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico, The Virgin Islands, and Guam. Performance locations for individual orders under this BPA will be established at the Order level and may be performed remote or onsite.

8.0 PERIOD OF PERFORMANCE

The period of performance is anticipated to be March 1, 2024 through February 28, 2029.

9.0 CONTRACT TYPE

The RFQ will result in a multiple award BPA with no guaranteed value and will have firm-fixed price task orders which will be competed amongst BPA awardees.

10.0 GOVERNMENT PROPERTY

All data (including variables extracted from IRS databases used for analysis), reports (including) formats, and presentation materials developed specifically for the IRS will be the property of the Internal Revenue Service and may not be used by contractors without explicit permission of the IRS.

The IRS recognizes the intellectual property rights of contractors. Materials coincident to this BPA used as reference or go-by in the development of materials for the IRS, which were developed for other customers, will remain the property of the contractor(s).

The contractor shall disclose all analytical techniques and formulas used in analyzing IRS data upon request of the IRS for exclusive internal use at no additional cost. As required, IRS staff requesting such access will sign non-disclosure agreements for all such techniques and formulas if they were developed prior to and independent of this BPA.

IRS may furnish the following to the contractor:

· HSPD12 badge

· IRS laptop

· Access to Tax Data

· Statistical tools, such as: SAS, Python, R

· IRS intranet access and email account

· Workspace with desks, chairs, phones, voicemail, network connections, and standard office equipment

· As determined by an agreement between the government and the contractor, the government shall provide information that may be required in the successful performance of any task(s).

At the completion of each Task Order or within 3 working days of COR request (whichever comes first), the contractor shall return any government provided equipment, specialized or off-the-shelf software, documents, data and all other materials that were provided by the government for the contractor to use to complete the assigned tasks.

The issuance, handling, and disposition of GFP shall be conducted in accordance with FAR 52.245-1, Government Property, Alternate I, 52.245-9, Use and Charges and the requirements set forth in Section 8, Security Requirements.

11.0 CONTRACTOR EMPLOYEE ON-BOARDING REQUIREMENTS

11.1 Staff-Like Access Definition and Requirements

Only those contractors/subcontractors who require staff-like access to IRS systems, data, or facilities will follow the outlined process below. Those whose access is infrequent, or will not need staff-like access, and will be 100% escorted while in IRS space, will be managed by the Contracting Officer’s Representative (COR). Escort access is only permitted for infrequent access to IRS facilities and is NOT permitted if subjects require sensitive but unclassified (SBU) data access or systems access.

Contractors/subcontractors are not permitted to have “staff-like access” to IRS facilities, systems, or SBU data until they are determined to be both eligible and suitable to perform work as an IRS contractor by IRS Personnel Security (PS). Each contractor/subcontractor assigned to work under an IRS contract shall undergo investigative processing commensurate with the risk level designation associated with the work to be performed, and comparable to that required for Federal employees who occupy the same positions and who have the same position sensitivity designation.

“Staff-like Access” is authority granted to perform one or more of the following:

· Enter IRS facilities or space (owned or leased) unescorted (when properly badged);

· Possess login credentials to information systems (IRS or Contractor-owned systems that store, collect, and /or process IRS information);

· Possess physical and/or logical access to (including the opportunity to see, read, transcribe, and/or interpret) Sensitive but Unclassified (SBU) data, wherever the location; (See IRM 10.5.1 for examples of SBU data);

· Possess physical access to (including the opportunity to see, read, transcribe, and/or interpret) security items and products (e.g., items that must be stored in a locked container, security container, or a secure room, wherever the location. These items include, but are not limited to security devices/records, computer equipment, Identification media. For details and further security requirements, see IRM 1.4.6.5.1, Minimum Protection Standards); or,

· Enter physical areas, wherever the location, that store/process SBU information (unescorted).

Staff-Like Access is granted to an individual who is not an IRS employee (and includes, but is not limited to: contractors/subcontractors, whether procured by IRS or another federal agency, Contractors, delivery persons, experts, consultants, paid/unpaid interns, other federal employees, cleaning/maintenance employees, etc.), and is approved upon required completion of a favorable suitability/fitness determination conducted by IRS Personnel Security.

11.2 Eligibility requirements

Contractors must be eligible for IRS contract employment prior to submitting investigative forms/documentation used to determine their suitability. The contractor must communicate the eligibility requirements to their employees up front and state that only employees who meet the eligibility requirements should apply for IRS contract employment.

11.2.1 Contractor employees shall be federal tax compliant and must remain compliant while working on an IRS contract. Tax compliance will be determined by a check of the contractor employee’s federal tax accounts by trained IRS employees, to ensure that the contractor employees are not currently delinquent on their federal tax obligations.

11.2.2 Contractor employees shall be U.S. citizens or Lawful Permanent Residents (LPR), based on their designated risk level. For foreign-born subjects requiring staff-like access, they shall provide their Alien Registration number, full name, and date of birth.

a. If designated as low risk, contractors must be U.S. citizens or LPRs;

b. If designated as moderate risk, contractors must be U.S. citizens, or LPRs with a minimum of three consecutive years of U.S. residency from the date of legal entry as an LPR;

c. If designated as high risk, contractors must be U.S. Citizens.

11.2.3 Male contractors born after December 31, 1959, must be registered with Selective Service. If they are not registered, or are exempt from the requirement, they must provide a Status Information Letter from Selective Service.

11.2.3.1 Selective Service Registration Documentation – all male contractors/subcontractors requiring staff-like access who are born after 12/31/1959 must be registered with Selective Service (SS). Registration can be verified at the SS website at www.sss.gov.

Requirements include:

1. If the subject is properly registered, he must provide an official letter of verification from the SS website to the IRS. Letters can be printed/saved from the SS website upon verification of registration.

2. If the subject is foreign-born, the subject must contact the Selective Service (SS) Office and obtain the following to provide to the IRS:

a. a letter from SS stating the subject was not required to register; or,

b. a letter from SS stating the subject was required to register, but it’s too late. The subject must also provide a written explanation as to why his non-registration was not knowing and willful.

3. If the subject is a US Citizen and was required to register but is not registered, the subject must provide a written explanation as to why his non-registration was not knowing and willful and provide it to the IRS.

11.3 Suitability Screening Requirements

Once deemed eligible, contractors will be screened for suitability or fitness for duty based on their backgrounds. This process begins with timely submission of required investigative forms. The contractor shall assign a Contractor point of contact (POC) to manage this process. Contractors/subcontractors needing staff-like access are not permitted to begin work on the contract until the required forms and documentation have been completed and properly submitted to PS (incomplete/inaccurate forms will be rejected by PS); and PS has granted, at a minimum, interim staff-like access approval to the contractor/subcontractor. Only those needing staff-like access are required to submit the forms.

11.3.1 Investigative Forms/Documentation

The COR and contractor will work together to determine risk levels for each unique position type required by the contract as prescribed by PS, prior to or concurrent with submission of investigative forms.

Once the contract is entered into the tracking systems, the IRS will send the assigned Contractor POC an e-mail that will include the current investigative forms for all investigative processes, general guidance for completing documents, and instructions for properly submitting the completed documents. In addition, the Contractor POC e-mail will include instructions for what selective service registration and citizenship documentation is required from each applicant needing staff-like access. The e-mail will include the following forms, due within 10 business days of receipt (if IRS approval is required to confirm the qualifications of proposed contractor personnel, i.e. key personnel, documents must be submitted within 10 business days of receipt of this approval).

1. Risk Assessment Checklist (RAC) (this form provides PS with all required personal information about each contractor employee requiring staff-like access).

2. Master Survey / Position Designation Tool – This questionnaire asks the contractor POC and COR to identify the duties the subjects will be performing for IRS to determine risk level for the position. A separate risk assessment must be completed for each position type on the contract (i.e., Systems Administrator, Programmer, Clerk Typist, etc.).

3. Optional Form 306 (OF-306), Declaration for Federal Employment (investigative form used by PS to aid in determining subject’s eligibility and suitability for staff-like access).

4. Non-Disclosure Agreement (all contractors who will have staff-like access to, Sensitive But Unclassified (SBU) information is required to complete an agreement).

5. Form 13340, Information Provided Concerning the Disclosure and Authorization Pertaining to Consumer Reports pursuant to the Fair Credit Reporting Act (FCRA) (provides consent for PS to check subject’s financial history); and,

6. Notice 1379, Tax Check Notice (provides subject with notification of IRS’ intent to check federal tax compliance).

11.3.2 Fingerprinting and e-QIP

Following submission of the required investigative forms, the Contractor POC must ensure the following: All individuals listed on the RAC are fingerprinted within 5 business days after sponsorship in USAccess. If an individual is not able to make an appointment within this timeframe, the contractor will provide documentation to the IRS that an appointment was not available and provide the date of the scheduled appointment. Note to Contractor POC: Sometimes the USAccess email ends up in the contractor employees Spam or Junk Mail and may go unnoticed by the contractor employee. The Contractor POC should remind the contract employee to search their Spam or Junk Mail folders shortly after the RAC is submitted for the USAccess email.

Contractor/subcontractor employees who are invited by PS to complete additional investigative forms in the Electronic Questionnaires for Investigations Processing (e-QIP) system must complete and release the forms in the e-QIP system within 7 calendar days of receipt of invitation.

11.4 Submission Requirements

Submitting a contractor package with missing or incorrect information will delay the on-boarding process. PS will not start the background investigation process until all required documentation is submitted complete and accurate. The Government will reject forms that are incomplete, illegible, inaccurate, and contradict other forms in the package. The Contractor POC will send all the required forms by their associated due dates via encrypted e-mail or file transfer to the IRS.

11.5 Contractor Employee Training Requirements

Security Awareness Training is a requirement for IRS contractors (including subcontractors) to be completed within 10 business days of receiving approval of interim staff-like access to any IRS contract and annually thereafter. Contractor must complete the required contractor security training; Security Awareness Training (SAT) Form 14616 and UNAX Form 11370.

11.6 Contractor Employee Separation Contract Requirements

Contract employee separation occurs when a contractor employee is deceased, leaves for another contract/task order, the current contract expires, quits his/her job with the contractor company, cycles off IRS contracts within the contractor company, is removed for the good of the government, or is on extended absence due to military duty, pregnancy, illness, etc. The contractor POC is responsible for notifying PS and the COR within one business day of a contractor separating. This notification may be made at any time prior to the actual separation, but no later than one business day of leaving. If the contractor works on multiple contracts/task orders, notification can be combined, and the COR for each affected contract/task order shall be included on the joint notification.

When separating from the contract, the contractor employee is responsible for securing and returning the following to the COR on or before his/her last day of work on the contract, to include but not limited to:

· IRS-issued badge and/or proxy card

· IRS keys

· IRS- issued laptops

· IRS furnished documents

· IRS passports

· All IRS data

· Any other items furnished or identified by the IRS

· Any other items or materials issued by the Agency for the contract

The return of the items is part of the task order and the IRS will not pay for contractor time to return any of the above listed items.

End of Contractor on-boarding requirements language

12.0 CONTRACT ADMINISTRATION INFORMATION

The Contracting Officer (CO) has overall responsibility for administering the Blanket Purchase Agreement. The CO shall perform all contract administration.

12.1 Contracting Officer (CO)

The name and contract information of the Contracting Officer is:

12.2 Contracting Officer’s Representative (COR)

Provided at award.

13.0 ACCESS TO GOVERNMENT PROPERTY AND FACILITIES

The Contractor may be allowed limited access to the government's facilities, as specified below:

· Not projected for the support of the BPA itself.

· Each individual task order under the BPA should identify government property and/or facilities required to be accessed, as needed. The task order package should list the name and address of each IRS facility, for example:

· Peachtree Summit Federal Building, 401 West Peachtree Street, Northwest, Atlanta, GA 30308.

· IRS Building, 1111 Constitution Avenue, Northwest, Washington, DC 20224.

14.0 TASK ORDER PERIOD OF PERFORMANCE

Orders can only be issued against existing BPAs. Each order issued under the BPA will have its own period of performance. Orders issued prior to, but not completed by, the expiration or cancellation of the BPA shall be completed within the time specified in the order. An order may be awarded that extends beyond the current term of the BPA so long as the period of performance does not go beyond 12 months of the BPA expiration date.

15.0 KEY PERSONNEL

The offeror shall identify positions or roles and associated labor categories considered to be Key Positions in performing requirements issued under this BPA. The Contractor shall submit the name and resume of the Contractor employee proposed in each Key Position. All proposed Key Personnel shall submit a Letter of Commitment with their proposal. A Program Manager must be assigned to the BPA.

Labor Category

Program Manager

16.0 ON-SITE AND OFF-SITE WORKING CONDITIONS, HOLIDAYS, AND OTHER CLOSURES

The Contractor shall perform all work related to this BPA at sites identified in the task orders

· IRS facilities are smoking restricted workplaces. Due to the nature of the work, facilities, and requirements, contractor staff may only smoke in designated smoking areas.

· Normal operating hours at the IRS are 8:00 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. Eastern Standard Time, Monday through Friday, excluding Federal holidays.

Contractor staff is responsible for providing their own transportation to/from the place of performance and for any applicable parking fees at that location.

Government personnel observe the following days as holidays:

· New Year's Day

· Birthday of Martin Luther King, Jr.

· Washington’s Birthday

· Memorial Day

· Juneteenth

· Independence Day

· Labor Day

· Columbus Day

· Veterans Day

· Thanksgiving Day

· Christmas Day Federal law (5 U.S.C. 6103) establishes the public holidays listed in these pages for Federal employees. Please note that most Federal employees work on a Monday through Friday schedule. For these employees, when a holiday falls on a nonwork day -- Saturday or Sunday -- the holiday usually is observed on Monday (if the holiday falls on Sunday) or Friday (if the holiday falls on Saturday).

a) In addition to the days designated as holidays, the Government observes the following days:

· Any other day designated by Federal Statute or Executive Order

· Any other day designated by President’s Proclamation

· Presidential Inauguration Day