EIS_RFP_Section_G_Amendment_12.docx

Enterprise Infrastructure Solutions (EIS) Request for Proposals

Section G Contract Administration Data

Issued by:

General Services Administration Office of Integrated Technology Services 1800 F St NW Washington, DC 20405

October 2015

Table of Contents

General Services Administration Network Services 2020 Enterprise Infrastructure Solutions

EIS RFP #QTA0015THA3003 Amendment 12 Enterprise Infrastructure Solutions EIS RFP #QTA0015THA3003 Amendment 12 vi Enterprise Infrastructure Solutions

Introduction This section provides management and operational requirements for the Enterprise Infrastructure Solutions (EIS) contract. The functional areas covered include:

Contract Administration Ordering Billing Business Support Systems Service Assurance Inventory Management Service Level Management Program Management Training National Security and Emergency Preparedness Requirements for Climate Change Adaptation, Sustainability and Green Initiatives Additional requirements associated with this section related to data interchange, including deliverables and the data dictionary, are further defined in Section J.2 Contractor Data Interaction Plan.

For the purposes of this contract, all days are CALENDAR days unless otherwise specified.

Contract Administration Government Points of Contact The administration of this contract will require coordination between the government and the contractor. The following sections describe the roles and responsibilities of individuals who will be the points of contact for the government and the contractor on matters concerning contract administration.

Roles and Responsibilities Agency Role With regard to task orders (TOs), service orders and billing for services, agencies are responsible for:

Placing TOs according to FAR Subpart 16.505, and service orders in accordance with the terms and conditions of the contract.

Accepting or rejecting the services rendered by the contractor under TOs and service orders in accordance with Section E.2.2 EIS Services Verification Testing, and coordinating corrective actions with the contractor and GSA if required.

Coordinating resources and service providers to facilitate scheduling and communications for implementing and maintaining service. This includes:

Identifying the agency’s Local Government Contacts (LGCs) for each location involved in a particular project or other TO or service order activity, if possible.

Monitoring and facilitating coordination between the contractor and LGC and other agency vendors and service providers as appropriate.

Providing authorization as needed to allow access providers to accept orders from the contractor.

Coordinating with users, and with other contractor(s) that are providing the location with telephone switching or other telecommunications facilities, upon notification by the contractor of changes regarding the date of scheduled activities or site requirements.

Paying the contractor for services provided if the agency or sub-agency uses direct billing.

Notifying the contractor of billing errors and facilitating the resolution thereof.

Additional roles and responsibilities contained in any Delegation of Procurement Authority (DPA) issued by a GSA Contracting Officer (GSA CO) to a warranted agency Ordering Contracting Officer or authorized official.

Additional roles and responsibilities contained in any Contracting Officer’s Representative (COR) Designation Letter.

Task Order Authority / OCO As described in Section G.3 Ordering, only a warranted contracting officer or other authorized official with authority to obligate funds for the agency (or tribe, or other entity authorized to use the contract per ADM 4800.2H) and who has been granted DPA by a GSA CO may issue or modify a TO under the contract. The contractor shall ensure that an OCO or an authorized official (hereinafter referred to as “OCO”) has the required DPA prior to processing TOs; this information will be available to the contractor in GSA Systems.

OCO Duties The OCO duties include, but are not limited to, those specified in the DPA in Attachment J.3 Delegation of Procurement Authority. The OCO for each TO may designate COR(s) authorized to place service orders specified in the TO.

Appointment and Training: The COR is a federal employee with Federal Acquisition Certification – Contracting Officer’s Representative (FAC-COR) certification and complete contractor-provided training related to placement of service orders. If the agency does not use the FAC-COR certification process, the OCO may appoint an individual who is responsible for these duties. The COR will be delegated limited TO contract administration authority through a COR appointment letter by the OCO with DPA.

The COR duties may include, but are not limited to, the following tasks:

1. Understanding the contractor’s service order procedures and being fully aware of the requirements and limits delegated by the OCO.

1. Placing service orders under a TO using the appropriate billing codes.

1. Accepting services ordered and verifying that services meet technical requirements.

1. Confirming funding availability prior to service ordering.

1. Coordinating with the appropriate budget and finance offices and the OCO to execute processes and internal controls to support funding availability and to comply with the Antideficiency Act (31. U.S.C 1341) and/or other applicable laws regarding funding.

1. Executing other duties related to ordering (e.g., billing disputes), as defined by the OCO.

GSA Role GSA’s primary role is contract administration. GSA is responsible for administering this contract and will modify the contract as necessary. In addition, GSA will:

1. Ensure compliance with contract requirements.

1. Delegate procurement authority to agencies to authorize OCOs to place TOs.

1. Place TOs on the agency’s behalf, if so requested.

1. Assist in resolving conflicts between the contractor and the agency if necessary.

1. Pay the contractor for agencies that use centralized billing.

GSA Contracting Officer The GSA CO has overall responsibility for administering the contract. The right to issue contract modifications, change the terms and conditions of the contract, terminate the contract, exercise option renewals, and approve subcontractors is reserved solely for the GSA CO unless otherwise delegated in writing. The GSA CO will be identified upon award.

GSA Program Manager The GSA Program Manager will provide central technical oversight and management regarding this contract to the contractor, GSA, and agency customers.

GSA Contracting Officer’s Representative (COR) A GSA COR will be designated by the GSA CO to monitor certain technical aspects of the contract. Actions within the purview of the GSA COR’s authority include:

1. Ensuring that the contractor performs the technical requirements of the contract.

1. Performing or directing the inspections necessary to verify and validate service delivery specified under the contract.

1. Monitoring the contractor’s performance under the contract, including SLA compliance, and notifying the contractor and the CO of any deficiencies observed.

A letter of delegation will be issued by the GSA CO to the GSA COR, with a copy supplied to the contractor, stating the COR’s responsibilities and limitations.

The COR’s authority does not include the ability to authorize work not already in the contract or to modify the terms and conditions of the contract.

GSA Customer Service Representative The customer service representative for GSA is the Technology Service Manager (TSM), who works with agencies to inform them of contractor service offerings. The TSM’s authority does not include the ability to authorize work not already in the contract or to modify the terms and conditions of the contract. The TSM assigned to an agency account provides customer support to ensure the agency’s satisfaction with delivery, operation, maintenance, and billing of services.

Delegation of Procurement Authority GSA establishes a DPA from the GSA CO to the OCO, and complies with the Office of Management and Budget's (OMB) Executive Agent designation to GSA. See Section J.3.

BSS Final Contract Acceptance The contractor shall complete and pass the BSS validation testing, as stated in the contract, within 12 months from the acceptance of the BSS Verification Test Plan (see Section E.2.1). For the purposes of this section (G.2.3), BSS validation testing does not include completion of Assessment and Authorization (A&A) as referenced in Section E.2.1.2.2, Test Scenario BSS-TS13. If the contractor does not pass the BSS testing in the 12-month period, the government shall cancel the contract; however, the contractor will receive additional time due to delays caused by the government. The contractor shall not receive the Minimum Revenue Guarantee (MRG) stated in Clause H.3 if its contract is cancelled in accordance with this clause. The government shall not entertain any financial claim or settlement submitted by the contractor as a result of the contract being cancelled.

Contract Modification A contract modification may be requested by GSA, the contractor, or an agency as described in Section J.4 Guidelines for Modifications to EIS Program Contracts.

Contract Closeout Contract closeout will be accomplished within the guidelines set forth in:

FAR Part 4.804 Closeout of Contract Files GSAM Subpart 504.804-5 Procedures for closing out contract files Past Performance In accordance with FAR 42.15 Contractor Performance Information, and individual agency policy, the OCO will prepare an evaluation of the contractor’s performance for each TO that exceeds the simplified acquisition threshold of $150,000 using the Contractor Performance Assessment Reporting System (CPARS). CPARS allows the contractor to view and comment on the government’s evaluation of the contractor’s performance before it is finalized. Once the contractor’s past performance evaluation is finalized in CPARS, it will be transmitted into the Past Performance Information Retrieval System (PPIRS) at http://www.ppirs.gov/.

Ordering This section applies to all orders (services, equipment, and labor) under the contract. The contractor may only accept orders from entities listed in ADM 4800.2H Eligibility to use GSA Sources of Supply and Services.

The following steps are a high-level summary of the ordering process:

1. GSA establishes a DPA from the GSA CO to the OCO.

The OCO completes the fair opportunity process.

The OCO issues a TO that complies with FAR 16.505.

The OCO may appoint a COR(s) or other authorized ordering official on the TO to assist with the administration and placing of service orders.

Once the TO is awarded, the OCO completes account registration with the contractor.

Government may place service orders against the TO.

Fair Opportunity Process Fair opportunity will be accomplished through an RFQ (Request for Quotation) or RFP (Request for Proposal). The RFQ/RFP can be as complex as an entire agency network or as simple as a comparison of existing priced CLINs.

The OCO will follow the fair opportunity procedures and exceptions specified in FAR 16.505, including but not limited to the following:

1. The OCO must provide each awardee a fair opportunity to be considered for each TO exceeding $3,500 unless one of the exceptions in FAR 16.505(b)(2) applies.

For fair opportunity for TOs from $3.5K - $150K, the OCO must provide each awardee a fair opportunity to be considered for each TO. If the order does not exceed the simplified acquisition threshold, the OCO need not contact each of the multiple awardees under the contract before selecting a TO awardee if the OCO has information available to ensure that each awardee is provided a fair opportunity to be considered for each TO.

For fair opportunity for TOs exceeding the simplified acquisition threshold (more than $150K and less than $5.5M), each TO shall be placed on a competitive basis in accordance with the following.

1. Provide a fair notice of the intent to make a purchase, including a clear description of the supplies to be delivered or the services to be performed and the basis upon which the selection will be made to all contractors offering the required supplies or services under the contract.

1. Afford all contractors responding to the notice a fair opportunity to submit an offer and have that offer fairly considered.

For fair opportunity for TOs exceeding $5.5 million, the contracting officer shall provide at a minimum:

1. A notice of the TO that includes a clear statement of the agency’s requirements.

1. A reasonable response period (as defined by the OCO on the TO).

1. Disclosure of the significant factors and sub-factors the agency expects to consider in evaluating proposals, including cost or price, and their relative importance.

1. If award is made on a best value basis, a written statement documenting the basis for award and the relative importance of quality and cost or price.

1. An opportunity for a post-award debriefing.

The OCO will include the evaluation procedures in the RFQ/RFP and establish the timeframe for responding, giving the contractor a reasonable proposal preparation time while taking into account any unique requirements and circumstances. All costs associated with the preparation, presentation, and discussion of the contractor’s proposal in response will be at the contractor’s sole and exclusive expense.

eBuy The government may issue solicitations via GSA’s eBuy (https://www.ebuy.gsa.gov). EBuy is an online RFQ/RFP tool designed to facilitate offerings for a wide range of supplies and services. EBuy allows the government to post requirements and obtain quotes/proposals. Posting on eBuy satisfies all requirements for providing fair opportunity notice to potential offerors, even if fewer than three offers are received. Use of the eBuy system fulfills the notification requirements in FAR 16.505.

Registration in eBuy is required to view and respond to solicitations in eBuy. After registration, the contractor is strongly encouraged to monitor eBuy frequently for opportunities. Industry partners will receive notices regarding opportunities in eBuy at their registered e-mail addresses. Contractors shall respond in the manner prescribed in the request. To respond to opportunities in eBuy, use https://www.ebuy.gsa.gov.

Task Orders TOs will identify the services required and will provide specific technical details and scope of work required, including the schedule for all deliverables and the identification of any applicable equipment and labor categories, and service level performance. A TO will still be required for low-value orders that are under the fair opportunity threshold (see Section G.3.1), unless the order is funded entirely via a government purchase card (see Section G.4.8).

TOs may contain a combination of priced CLINs, Task Order Unique CLINs (TUCs), and Individual Case Basis (ICB) CLINs depending on agency-specific requirements for services, features, and performance. Agencies may require services that, although within the scope of the contract, are not available to order with priced CLINs.

TUCs are defined in Section B.1.2.2 and may be used to assist in defining special requirements for ordering and billing purposes or to combine multiple CLINs under a single overarching CLIN. TUC pricing submission details are described in Section J.4.1.

ICB CLINs are defined in Section B.1.2.14 and may be used to provide unique identifiers for services that are yet to be fully defined for a particular service under a specific TO. ICB CLINs are defined for various services on the contract (e.g., an OC-12 Access Arrangement) but require additional information to determine the price for the individual case and TO.

For each TO, the OCO is the sole and exclusive government official with authority to take actions that may bind the government. The OCO will have a DPA issued by GSA (see G.2.2.1.1 for the contractor’s responsibilities regarding the DPA). The OCO may designate a COR or authorized ordering official to assist the OCO with administering the TO. The contractor shall not accept or bill the government for TOs or service orders from an unauthorized person.

TO modifications may be necessary during the TO period to address requirements or administrative changes. The OCO for each TO will administer the modifications for that TO. The contractor shall submit TO summary data and pricing tables, and shall forward copies of the complete TO as described in Section J.2.3 Task Order Data Management.

The contractor shall meet and comply with the processes, data and systems requirements to support and maintain TOs as described in Section J.2.3.

A.1.1.1 Task Order Award All TOs awarded shall be placed directly by the OCO. Once awarded, the TO cannot be modified except by a TO modification.

Task Order Modification Agencies that are subject to the federal acquisition regulation shall execute TO modifications in accordance with FAR Part 43.

The contractor shall report TO modifications to GSA as described in Section J.2.3 Task Order Data Management.

Protests and Complaints Pursuant to FAR 16.505 (a)(9)(i) no protest is authorized in connection with the issuance or proposed issuance of an order under a TO contract, except for:

1. A protest on the grounds that the order increases the scope, period of performance, or maximum value of the contract.

1. A protest of an order valued in excess of $10 million.

GSA has appointed an ombudsman to review complaints from contractors and ensure they are afforded a fair opportunity to be considered. The ombudsman is a senior GSA official who is independent of the GSA CO and OCO.

Fair Opportunity Notice of Protest Upon protesting a fair opportunity decision to the GAO, the agency, or an order ombudsman, the contractor shall provide a full un-redacted copy of that protest to the GSA CO within three (3) business days of the protest date. For FOIA requests the contractor shall provide a redacted copy to the GSA CO.

Customer of Record The government may place orders under this contract with:

1. GSA acting as customer of record on behalf of another agency

1. The agency itself acting as customer of record

1. GSA acting as an OCO for an agency with the agency remaining as the customer of record The contractor shall support all options.

Authorization of Orders If a contractor does not have all mandatory services priced for a CBSA on its contract, and an agency issues a solicitation for a requirement in that CBSA, the contractor may not accept a TO or service order or provision services until all mandatory services for that CBSA have been added to its contract. If a contractor is missing a CBSA, the contractor may respond to a solicitation and then submit a modification for the missing CBSA in accordance with clause H.30 Expansion of Core Based Statistical Areas.

In addition to the CBSA requirement, if a contractor does not have a particular optional service on its contract, and an agency issues a solicitation including that service as a requirement, the contractor may submit a proposal or quote for the requirement provided it also submits a modification proposal to GSA to add the necessary services to its contract and so indicates in the solicitation. The contractor shall not accept a TO or service order or provision services not on its contract.

In both cases (a missing CBSA or missing service), the contractor shall include a clear notice of the pending modification in its response to the solicitation.

For catalog items, if the contractor requires a new discount class as defined in B.1.3.1, it must submit a modification proposal to GSA to add the necessary discount class. If an agency issues a solicitation including an item that the contractor has identified as requiring a new discount class, the contractor may submit a proposal or quote for the requirement provided it also submits the modification proposal to GSA to add the necessary discount class to its contract and so indicates the required modification in the solicitation. The contractor shall not accept a TO or service order or provision catalog items until the discount class has been added to the contract.

If a contractor does not have a particular item on its catalog and an agency issues a solicitation including that item as a requirement, the contractor may submit a proposal or quote for the requirement. The contractor shall not accept a TO or service order or provision catalog items until the items have been added to the catalog.

Ordering Services Within the limitations of the TO and the contract, the contractor shall accept orders for service incorporated directly within the TO or placed separately after the issuance of the TO. If an order for service incorporated directly within the TO is missing required data, with the exception of the data required in the TO as specified in Section G.3.2, the contractor shall accept supplemental information to complete the order.

This section describes the requirements for the placement, acceptance, and handling of all orders for service regardless of whether such orders are incorporated into the TO or placed separately after the issuance of the TO. In addition, process, data, and systems requirements for ordering service are described in Section J.2.4 Ordering.

Unless otherwise specified, all references to “orders” within this section refer to orders for service.

General Requirements for Ordering Services Agency Hierarchy Code (AHC) Orders submitted by the government will contain one or more Agency Hierarchy Codes (AHCs). The contractor shall reject any order submitted without an AHC for each line item. The contractor shall meet and comply with the AHC requirements as described in Section J.2.4.1.2 Agency Hierarchy Code.

Auto-Sold CLINs If the contractor’s solution to an agency requirement includes services with one or more auto-sold CLINs, as described in Section B.1.2.11 Auto-Sold CLINs, the contractor shall include those CLINs in the proposal or quote as though they had been expressly requested and ensure they are on the TO. All auto-sold CLINs shall be listed in all notifications and deliverables associated with an order. The contractor may add new auto-sold CLINs to the contract with GSA approval via a contract modification. Such newly added auto-sold CLINs shall not be applicable to any previously issued TO unless specifically added via TO modification. If a TO modification is issued to add a new auto-sold CLIN, the contractor shall issue new Service Order Completion Notices (SOCNs) for all applicable previously provisioned orders under that TO.

Customer Want Date The order for services may include a Customer Want Date (CWD), which indicates the customer’s desired install date. The contractor shall make reasonable effort to accommodate the CWD. If the order includes a CWD, the following requirements apply:

1. The contractor shall not issue the SOCN nor begin billing prior to the CWD unless the order specifies that early installation is acceptable.

1. If the time between the order and the CWD is greater than the defined provisioning interval for the service as described in Section G.8.2.2, the service provisioning SLA is waived for that service on that order.

NOTE: CWD specifications do not apply to rapid provisioning orders as described in Section G.3.3.3.2.

Service Order Completion Notification (SOCN) After completion of each service provisioning the contractor shall submit a SOCN as described in Section J.2.4. After an order has been provisioned and a SOCN submitted and accepted, no revisions to the SOCN are permitted unless one of the following applies: the customer submits an administrative change order, to correct an erroneous submission with the prior approval of the COR, or to add or remove an auto-sold CLIN.

Order Types Orders for New Services Orders for new services are defined as orders for services (CLINs) that are not currently being provided.

Orders to Change Existing Services Move Orders Move orders are defined as orders that require the removal of an existing service and/or Service Related Equipment (SRE) from one location and the re-installation of the identical service and/or SRE at another location.

Feature Change Orders Feature change orders are defined as orders that require changes to the features of an existing service as described in Section B. They fall into two categories:

Feature changes that require a change to the CLIN being billed Feature changes that do not require a change to the CLIN being billed Disconnect Orders Disconnect orders are defined as orders that require the removal of services (CLINs) currently being provided. The contractor shall accept disconnect orders from agencies at any time. Billing for the disconnected services shall stop on the completion date in the SOCN and within the provisioning intervals for disconnects as specified in Section G.8 Service Level Management.

Disconnect orders will include the customer’s desired disconnect date. If the time between the order and the customer’s desired disconnect date is greater than the defined provisioning interval for the service as described in Section G.8.2.2, the service provisioning SLA will be waived for that service on that order.

The government will automatically stop payment on these orders based on the stated disconnect date.

Equipment related to disconnect orders shall be removed within 45 days after the termination of services. For equipment sanitization, see Section C.1.8.7.1.

If a disconnect order includes the disconnection of services that appear to leave other services effectively unusable (e.g., disconnecting a circuit but not the associated equipment), the contractor shall notify the customer of the full list of associated Unique Billing Identifiers (UBIs). The contractor shall request clarification of the customer's intent to only disconnect the specified service. If the customer provides instructions indicating that the list, in whole or in part, is intended for disconnect, the contractor shall accept this as an order update.

Administrative Change Orders The contractor shall accept administrative changes to previously provisioned orders. After updating its system, the contractor shall provide the updated information to GSA as described in Section J.2.4.

Changes to administrative data associated with existing services can only occur based on an administrative change order. Administrative data is limited to data provided by the government that does not impact service delivery or pricing.

Updates to In-Progress Orders Within the limitations defined in the subsections below, order line items that have not completed the provisioning process may be updated by the government to accommodate the following situations:

Cancel the Order Change Service Delivery Location Change Service Features Change the Customer Want Date (CWD) Change in Administrative Data Cancel Orders The contractor shall accept an order from an agency to cancel a pending order at any step of the order process prior to SOCN.

If a cancel order includes the cancellation of services that appear to leave other services effectively unusable (e.g., canceling a circuit but not the associated equipment), the contractor shall notify the customer of the full list of order line items that are associated. The contractor shall request clarification of the customer's intent to only cancel the specified order line items. If the customer provides instructions indicating that the list, in whole or in part, is intended for cancellation, the contractor shall accept this as an order update.

The contractor shall not charge the ordering agency for network access orders if the cancellation order was placed 30 or more days before the later of:

1. The CWD in the initial order, or

1. The firm order commitment date.

If the government’s cancellation request does not meet the timeframe and requirements above, then the government shall pay the non-recurring charge (NRC) for the associated access arrangements using the cancellation CLIN described in Section B.4.1.13, even if it was previously waived by the contractor.

Location Change Updates Location change updates are defined as order updates that change the service delivery location from that specified in the original order. They fall into two categories:

Changes in service delivery location that impact LEC provisioning.

Changes in service delivery location that do not impact LEC provisioning.

Feature Change Updates Feature change updates are defined as order updates that require changes to the features of an existing service. They fall into two categories:

Feature changes that require a change to the CLIN originally ordered.

Feature changes that do not require a change to the CLIN originally ordered.

Customer Want Date Change Updates Customer Want Date (CWD) updates are defined as order updates that change the customer want date from that specified in the original order. If the agency delays the CWD prior to receiving the Firm Order Commitment Notice (FOCN), the contractor shall not issue the SOCN and begin billing prior to the new CWD, unless the change requested is less than14 days before the CWD of the initial order.

Administrative Data Change Updates The contractor shall accept administrative changes to in-progress orders.

Administrative data is limited to data provided by the government that does not impact service delivery or pricing.

Special Order Handling Telecommunications Service Priority (TSP) Orders

1. The contractor shall meet and comply with the requirements for Telecommunications Service Priority (TSP) orders (see Section G.11 National Security and Emergency Preparedness).

1. When TSP is specified in the order, the contractor shall provide the service in accordance with the following telecommunication service priority levels:

1. PROVISIONING PRIORITY (5, 4, 3, 2, 1, or E),

1. RESTORATION PRIORITY (5, 4, 3, 2, or 1), or

1. BOTH for both provisioning and restoration as specified in the order from Service Delivery Point to Service Delivery Point (SDP).

1. Restoration of service shall be in accordance with the TSP priority levels designated for the transmission service and in accordance with NCS Directive (NCSD) 3-1, TSP System for NS/EP and NCS Manual 3-1-1, “Service User Manual for the TSP System.” NS/EP, including urgent or emergency delivery order service, shall be separately negotiated on an individual case basis.

1. Expedited service:

1. The contractor shall provide expedited service implementation when the ordering agency requires priority provisioning for NS/EP circumstances or other circumstances in which the TSP system is invoked.

1. The contractor shall make best effort to implement the ordered service(s) by the CWD, based on essential priorities as set certified by the DHS Program.

Rapid Provisioning Orders Certain services, including self-provisioned services, lend themselves to rapid provisioning, which streamlines the provisioning process and only requires the Service Order Acknowledgement (SOA) and SOCN. If the contractor completes the provisioning process and issues a SOCN within twenty-four (24) hours of order submission, the SOA is not required.

An order is subject to rapid provisioning if all the following conditions apply:

1. The service ordered is specified as subject to rapid provisioning in the contract or the TO.

2. The order does not contain a TSP (see Section G.3.3.3.1).

3. The order does not contain an Administrative Change Order (see Section G.3.3.2.3.5).

As part of its proposal, the contractor shall specify which services it is offering as subject to rapid provisioning and the defined provisioning interval for each such service. The following restrictions apply to the contractor-defined provisioning intervals for rapid provisioning:

1. The provisioning interval shall not exceed 48 continuous hours.

2. The proposed provisioning interval shall be used to calculate SLA compliance as described in Section G.8.2.2.

3. Any CWD (see Section G.3.3.1.3) specified in the order does not apply, and early installation is acceptable.

Task Order Projects The agency will indicate in the TO requirements whether the service orders under that TO are to be managed as a Task Order Project.

At the agency’s discretion, upon award of the TO, the contractor shall prepare a Task Order Project Plan (TOPP). This plan identifies the contractor’s project management processes, scheduling, procedures, tools, and implementation of the TO on the contractor’s network. The contractor shall deliver the TOPP to the OCO of the TO (or service order) for approval and signature; the OCO’s signature indicates agreement to the implementation schedule and as-of billing date for each item in the TO.

For each Task Order Project, the contractor shall provide the OCO with a single point of contact for service implementation. The contractor shall ensure that the point of contact or the designated alternate is accessible by telephone (office or mobile) or pager during the time periods when service implementation activities are taking place. The contractor shall coordinate with the OCO, customers, subcontractors, vendors, and other service providers during the service implementation. The contractor shall inform the OCO and the LGC on the order when activities, including installation and cutover testing, are scheduled at a building. If the contractor changes the installation or activation date, the contractor shall notify the OCO and provide a revised date.

Unless the OCO requests an alternative outline, the contractor shall include in the TOPP at a minimum the following information, and any additional information the contractor deems appropriate:

1. Name and information for the contractor’s primary point of contact for implementing the plan and coordinating with the agency as well as escalation contacts.

1. Name of the OCO who awarded the TO.

1. The TO number.

1. Description of the specific activities required by all parties, including the contractor, the agency, vendors, and the incumbent service provider, to implement the project.

1. Specification of government equipment (hardware/software) required by location for this project.

1. Key areas of risk for the specific project, the contractor’s processes and procedures to minimize risk, and the contingency plan to fallback to previous services, if any, in the event of failure of newly installed services.

1. Comprehensive inventory of services to be implemented along with SDP, proposed activation date, as-of billing date, testing and acceptance timeframes by the contractor and by the customer, and approach to implementation, such as hot-cutover or parallel operation.

1. Installation and service implementation schedule and as-of billing dates.

1. If applicable, interconnectivity or network gateways required for the implementation.

1. Any special technical requirements.

1. A site-specific design plan to include:

1. Site preparation and implementation requirements for each building. Identify where site surveys will be required, whether surveys will be conducted via physical site visits, telephonically, or other means, and what information will be collected. Indicate what the ordering agency’s responsibilities will be for site surveys.

1. Interim and final configuration to include hardware (type, manufacturer, model), software, special circuit arrangements, environmental and electrical requirements, equipment room layouts, Main/Intermediate Distribution Frame / riser cable diagrams (if needed), and any special design requirements.

1. Numbering plan and dialing plan. Identify blocks of telephone numbers, if any, that will have to change.

1. Interface equipment for CPE, including identification and location of special systems integration requirements.

1. A site-specific cutover test plan that describes the contractor’s general approach to cutover testing and pass/fail criteria for each service during service implementation as described here and in Section E Inspection and Acceptance.

Testing and Acceptance of Services Ordered The contractor shall meet and comply with the requirements for the verification testing of all associated EIS services based on the methodology defined in Section E.2.2 EIS Services Verification Testing. The contractor shall also meet and comply with the criteria for acceptance testing defined by the agency on the TO.

Performance Management For completion timeframes associated with orders for services as defined in Section G.3.3 Ordering Services, the contractor shall meet and comply with requirements for service provisioning intervals as defined in Section G.8 Service Level Management.

Billing This section describes the billing process, which includes:

1. Submission of billing invoice data by the contractor (see FAR 2.101 for the definition of “invoice”).

1. Verification and validation of billing by the government.

1. Resolution of any billing disputes and adjustments.

In addition to the billing functional requirements described herein, the contractor shall meet and comply with the processes, data, and systems interface requirements described in Section J.2.5 Billing.

Billing Prerequisites The following information must be taken into consideration by the contractor to process and deliver billing details and adjustments.

Billing Cycle The contractor shall comply with the government’s billing period, which runs from the first through the last day of the calendar month. The contractor shall bill the government in arrears at the end of every month after providing services. All billing shall be rendered based on calendar month cycles.

Billing Start Date and End Date The contractor shall submit the SOCN to the government prior to billing for the associated service. The SOCN contains the order completion date:

For new services, this date is the billing start date For disconnected services, this date is the billing end date Unless otherwise specified in the TO, the NRC price billed shall be that which was in effect at the time the service order was placed and the MRC shall be that which is in effect for the billing month.

The contractor shall begin billing both NRC and MRC on the billing start date with the following exceptions:

· The contractor shall not begin billing for services if the government rejects the services within three (3) days of receipt of the SOCN. A longer period for test and acceptance may be specified in the TO. If the SOCN is rejected, the contractor shall issue a new SOCN for services, with an updated order completion date, after correcting the reasons for rejection.

· A TO that specifies direct billing may also specify alternate billing start date requirements provided the adjustment does not violate the 90-day billing requirement described in Section G.4.1.3. In such cases, the contractor shall comply with the billing start date requirements specified in the TO.

90-Day Billing Requirement The contractor shall submit a proper Billing Invoice (BI) deliverable (see Section J.2.5 Billing) for all services and SREs up to 90 days after issuance of the SOCN. The contractor shall not receive payment for a single billing charge or portion of a billing charge invoiced after 90 days. The GSA CO may waive this 90-day billing requirement on a case-by-case basis for centrally billed agencies. The OCO may waive this 90-day billing requirement on a case-by-case basis for direct billed agencies. This 90-day requirement applies to both initial invoicing and all billing adjustments.

Unique Billing Identifier As described in Section J.2.5, the Unique Billing Identifier (UBI) shall be included on all billing. The contractor shall create and assign a UBI for each billed record and provide it with each of the component(s) associated with the record to identify all components of a billed service.

Agency Hierarchy Code Orders submitted by the government will contain an AHC as described in Section G.3 Ordering. The contractor shall include the AHC for each line item in all billing. The contractor shall meet and comply with the AHC requirements as described in Section J.2.4. The government will not pay the contractor for any order billed without an AHC for each line item.

Agency Service Request Number Orders submitted by the government may contain one or two Agency Service Request Numbers (ASRNs). If provided by the government, the contractor shall include ASRN data in billing records throughout the service lifecycle as described in Section J.2.4.

Electronic Billing The government intends to use electronic invoicing for all TOs. In addition to the billing deliverables described in Section J.2.5, the contractor shall input invoice summary data into a designated government system. The contractor shall support input into any of the following systems as specified by the GSA CO:

WebVendor Vendor and Customer Self Service (VCSS) system Invoice Processing Platform (IPP) Other systems as specified in the TO The contractor shall not submit and the government will not accept paper invoices except as authorized by the OCO.

Billing Methods As defined in Section J.2.3 Task Order Data Management, agencies select either direct billing, where the contractor bills the agency directly for all charges and is paid by the agency; or centralized billing, where the contractor bills GSA and is paid by GSA. The contractor shall support agency requests to change from one billing method to the other at any time at no cost to the government via TO modification provided the agency has not elected to utilize fully loaded CLINs as defined in Section H.14 and H.23. The billing method selected by an agency is independent from its ordering method.

Central Billing Method The contractor shall deliver billing to GSA for all charges incurred by all central-billed agencies. GSA will verify billing, validate the charges, pay the contractor directly, and rebill the customer agency. GSA is responsible for collecting the Associated Government Fee (AGF) from central-billed agencies.

Direct Billing Method The contractor shall bill the agency directly for all charges incurred by the agency and its sub-agencies. The contractor will be paid directly by the agency.

The contractor shall be responsible for collecting the AGF and remittance of the total AGF amount collected for the month to GSA by electronic funds transfer (EFT).

Billing Functional Requirements In addition to the functional requirements below, the contractor shall comply with the processes, deliverables and data exchange requirements for billing as defined in Section J.2.5 Billing.

The contractor shall respond within seven (7) days to a billing inquiry.

Adjustments In the event it is necessary to adjust a bill, the contractor shall follow the adjustment process described in Section J.2.5 Billing. The contractor shall apply the adjustment to the next available bill. In the event of a dispute, the Billing Disputes process shall apply (see Section G.4.4).

Monthly Billing Informational Memorandum The contractor shall provide, as needed, a Monthly Billing Informational Memorandum to coincide with the monthly delivery of billing files. The Monthly Billing Informational Memorandum is a list of information that includes, but is not limited to, items that explain changes in billing, changes to data formats, and new services added to the billing, and issues pertaining to balancing charges.

Disputes The dispute process shall apply under any of the following conditions:

1. The government disputes the content of a BI submitted by the contractor.

1. The government disputes the content of an Inventory Reconciliation (IR) submitted by the contractor.

1. The government disputes a SLACR response submitted by the contractor.

The GSA CO, OCO, or authorized ordering official may submit to the contractor a dispute notice as defined in Section J.2.6 Billing & Inventory Disputes. The GSA CO or the OCO may designate additional personnel or systems authorized to submit a dispute notice.

The contractor shall accept and process the government's disputes. The contractor shall comply with the processes, deliverables, and data exchange requirements described in Section J.2.6 Billing & Inventory Disputes. The government will accept and process the contractor's disputes. The contractor shall resolve all disputes within 180 days of the dispute notice. The government reserves the right not to make payment for disputes that have not been resolved within 180 days.

The following section describes the billing dispute process.

Billing Disputes Resolution Billing disputes begin with the initial submission of the dispute and end with the mutually agreeable resolution of the dispute. Payment adjustments will be applied on the next available bill. The government may reject a bill in whole or in part within seven (7) days of receipt. If only part of an invoice is in dispute, the government will pay the remainder of the bill and withhold only the disputed amount. Upon dispute resolution, the contractor shall submit corrected billing on the next available bill. For more information, see Section H.32 Payments and Incorrectly Invoiced Items and Prompt Payment Clause 52.232-25. The following requirements apply to billing dispute resolution:

1. The contractor shall resolve billing disputes with the agency that submitted the dispute.

1. The contractor shall work to resolve disputes within 180 days of the dispute notice.

1. In cases where a complete resolution is not forthcoming, the contractor may submit partial resolutions (less…