Request For Proposal CISS PSU Operations.pdf

693JJ920R000030

SOLICITATION, OFFER AND AWARD

4. TYPE OF SOLICITATION2. CONTRACT NUMBER 3. SOLICITATION NUMBER

7. ISSUED BY CODE 8. ADDRESS OFFER TO (If other than Item 7)

ORDER UNDER DPAS (15 CFR 700)

6. REQUISITION/PURCHASE NUMBER

NOTE: In sealed bid solicitations "offer" and "offeror" mean "bid" and "bidder".

NEGOTIATED (RFP)

SEALED BID (IFB)

5. DATE ISSUED

1. THIS CONTRACT IS A RATED RATING PAGE OF PAGES

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C. E-MAIL ADDRESS

EXT.NUMBERAREA CODE

B. TELEPHONE (NO COLLECT CALLS)A. NAME

10. FOR

INFORMATION

CALL:

CAUTION: LATE Submissions, Modifications, and Withdrawals: See Section L, Provision No. 52.214-7 or 52.215-1. All offers are subject to all terms and conditions contained in this solicitation.

(Date)(Hour) local timeuntildepository located in copies for furnishing the supplies or services in the Schedule will be received at the place specified in Item 8, or if hand carried, in the

SOLICITATION

9. Sealed offers in original and

PART IV - REPRESENTATIONS AND INSTRUCTIONS

OTHER STATEMENTS OF OFFERORS

EVALUATION FACTORS FOR AWARD

INSTRS., CONDS., AND NOTICES TO OFFERORS

REPRESENTATIONS, CERTIFICATIONS AND

LIST OF ATTACHMENTS

CONTRACT CLAUSES

PART III - LIST OF DOCUMENTS, EXHIBITS AND OTHER ATTACH.

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CONTRACT ADMINISTRATION DATA

DELIVERIES OR PERFORMANCE

INSPECTION AND ACCEPTANCE

PACKAGING AND MARKING

DESCRIPTION/SPECS./WORK STATEMENT

SUPPLIES OR SERVICES AND PRICES/COSTS

SOLICITATION/CONTRACT FORM

PART II - CONTRACT CLAUSESPART I - THE SCHEDULE

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11. TABLE OF CONTENTS

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EXT.NUMBERAREA CODE

15B. TELEPHONE NUMBER

(Type or print)AND

ADDRESS

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OFFEROR

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16. NAME AND TITLE OF PERSON AUTHORIZED TO SIGN OFFER15A. NAME

DATEAMENDMENT NO.DATEAMENDMENT NO.

and related documents numbered and dated):

amendments to the SOLICITATION for offerors

(The offeror acknowledges receipt of

14. ACKNOWLEDGEMENT OF AMENDMENTS

CALENDAR DAYS (%)30 CALENDAR DAYS (%)20 CALENDAR DAYS (%)10 CALENDAR DAYS (%)

(See Section I, Clause No. 52.232.8)

13. DISCOUNT FOR PROMPT PAYMENT

designated point(s), within the time specified in the schedule.

by the offeror) from the date for receipt of offers specified above, to furnish any or all items upon which prices are offered at the price set opposite each item, delivered at the

NOTE: Item 12 does not apply if the solicitation includes the provisions at 52.214-16, Minimum Bid Acceptance Period.

OFFER (Must be fully completed by offeror)

IMPORTANT - Award will be made on this Form, or on Standard Form 26, or by other authorized official written notice.

28. AWARD DATE

(Signature of Contracting Officer)

27. UNITED STATES OF AMERICA

25. PAYMENT WILL BE MADE BY

26. NAME OF CONTRACTING OFFICER (Type or print)

CODE 24. ADMINISTERED BY (If other than Item 7)

ITEM

(4 copies unless otherwise specified)

23. SUBMIT INVOICES TO ADDRESS SHOWN IN

41 U.S.C. 253 (c) ( 10 U.S.C. 2304 (c) (

22. AUTHORITY FOR USING OTHER THAN FULL AND OPEN COMPETITION:

21. ACCOUNTING AND APPROPRIATION20. AMOUNT19. ACCEPTED AS TO ITEMS NUMBERED

AWARD (To be completed by government)

CODE

693JJ919RQ00009705/04/2021

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693JJ9

National Highway Traffic Safety Adm Office of Acquisition Management 1200 New Jersey Avenue, S.E.

Washington DC 20590

1300 ES 06/04/2021

TAYE TEBO 202

taye.tebo.ctr@dot.gov

366-0498

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STANDARD FORM 33 (Rev. 9-97)

Prescribed by GSA - FAR (48 CFR) 53.214(c)

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12. In compliance with the above, the undersigned agrees, if this offer is accepted within _____0_________ calendar days (60 calendar days unless a different period is inserted

ITEM NO. SUPPLIES/SERVICES QUANTITY UNIT UNIT PRICE AMOUNT

NAME OF OFFEROR OR CONTRACTOR

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CONTINUATION SHEET

REFERENCE NO. OF DOCUMENT BEING CONTINUED PAGE OF

693JJ920R000030

(A) (B) (C) (D) (E) (F)

TITLE: Crash Investigation Sampling System (CISS)

Primary Sampling Unit (PSU) Operations

This Request for Proposal (RFP) is issued to procure support services for crash investigation, PAR collection, and data coding at thirty-two

(32) CISS sites for the United States Department of Transportation (U.S.DOT), National Highway

Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA)

The government invites Offerors to submit a proposal for the Crash Investigation Sampling

System (CISS) Primary Sampling Unit (PSU)

Operations

SOLICITATION #693JJ920R000030

OPTIONAL FORM 336 (4-86)

Sponsored by GSA

FAR (48 CFR) 53.110

NSN 7540-01-152-8067

Request for Proposal: 693JJ920R000030 Title: CISS PSU Operations Center

PART I – THE SCHEDULE

SECTION B – SUPPLIES OR SERVICES AND PRICES/COSTS

B.1 SUPPLIES/SERVICES

The Contractor shall furnish the necessary qualified personnel, facilities, materials, supplies, equipment, and services to execute a Cost Plus Fixed-Fee or Cost (No-Fee) Contract in accordance with the Statement of Work, Section C, and other terms and conditions of this contract.

B.1.1 TERM

The term will be a base period of twelve (12) months from the effective date of award including four (4) twelve (12) month option periods and a 6-month option of the Government’s right to extend services for a total performance period of sixty-six (66) months; if exercised.

B.2 Estimated Total Cost

The Estimated Total Cost Not-to-Exceed (NTE) ceiling amount for this Contract is as follows:

Estimated Cost: $________________________

Fixed Fee: $________________________ Total Cost Plus Fixed Fee: $________________________

Of this amount, $TBD at award is currently available and is estimated to defray the costs of performance from the effective date of award through TBD or the end of performance of the Contract.

The Contracting Officer may increase the current amount of Federal funds at any time, subject to available appropriations, without concurrence from the Contractor. The Contractor shall not incur costs to be charged to NHTSA, nor shall NHTSA be obligated to reimburse the Contractor in excess of the Federal funds available under this Contract.

B.3 PRICE SCHEDULE

B.3.1 PRICE/COST SCHEDULE

Period of Performance Direct Costs Indirect Rate X%

Fixed Fee X%

Total Costs

Base Period Contract Year 1

TBD

Option Period 1 Contract Year 2

Option Period 2 Contract Year 3

Period of Performance Direct Costs Indirect Rate X%

Fixed Fee X%

Total Costs

Option Period 3 Contract Year 4

Option Period 4 Contract Year 5

Option Period 5 Contract Year 6 (6-months)

Total Estimated Costs

(End of Section B)

SECTION C – DESCRIPTION/SPECIFICATIONS/STATEMENT OF WORK

C.1 BACKGROUND

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) is responsible for reducing the personal injury and property losses resulting from motor vehicle crashes. NHTSA relies on data to measure the characteristics and needs of the highway safety environment. Data is essential to reducing the human and economic cost of motor vehicle crashes. NHTSA has several different information collections that collect real-world crash data that support research, problem identification, developing effective countermeasures, identifying NHTSA program and rulemaking needs, developing and evaluating traffic safety programs, evaluating new technologies and supporting NHTSA highway safety grants.

In the late 1970s, NHTSA’s National Center for Statistics and Analysis (NCSA) devised a multidisciplinary approach to meet NHTSA’s data needs that used a combination of census, sample-based and State reported data to provide nationally representative traffic crash data on a timely basis. NHTSA created two types of data collection efforts: records-based systems and crash investigation-based systems. The records-based systems involved coding crash data from crash records and included the Fatality Analysis Reporting System (FARS) and the National Automotive Sampling System General Estimates System (NASS-GES). The Crash investigation-based systems involved on-site crash investigation combined with coding crash data and analysis of additional information, such as medical or vehicle crashworthiness.

Over time, NHTSA’s data collection has evolved. In 2015, NHTSA created two new data systems to replace the NASS-GES. These are the Crash Investigation Sampling System (CISS) and Crash Report Sampling System (CRSS), respectively. Under these data systems, NHTSA uses primary samples units (PSU) to collect certain information from police crash reports (PCRs) and other motor vehicle crash information. The CISS operates two main programs: CISS PSU Operations Center (PSUOC) and CISS Quality Control Center (QCC). The PSUOC manages the everyday operations of the PSU’s while the QCC manages the technical aspects of the work produced by those PSUs.

This solicitation applies only to the CISS-based PSU Operations Center.1 This procurement will provide for the day-to-day management and administration of personnel at the thirty-two (32) CISS PSUs listed in Table 1. PSU personnel consist primarily of Crash Technicians who produce cases, and cases are the work product from PSUs that contain the data elements, images and records collected during motor vehicle crash investigations. This procurement provides for the crash investigation, PAR collection, data coding, and all related work to produce cases before they receive a quality control review from the QCC.

The procurement consists of thirteen (13) primary tasks which are outlined in Section C.4 – Requirements of the solicitation. Tasks one-to-ten (1 – 10) are the foundation of contract and will be exercised throughout the contract. Tasks eleven-to-twelve (11 – 12) may or may not be exercised depending upon the needs of the Agency. Task thirteen (13) relates to transition requirements after the contract is completed. Proposals should reflect these tasks overall and by

1 NHTSA has a separate procurement to establish the Quality Control Center for CISS.

individual task with the understanding that Tasks eleven-to-twelve (11 – 12) may or may not be exercised.

Note: The same Contractor (or subcontractor) cannot be awarded both the PSU Operations Center and Quality Control Center contracts.

Table 1 CISS Locations

(Locations and Staff Requirements)

PSU Site Number PSU Location

*Engineering Technician IV (Team

Leader/Crash Technician)

*Engineering Technician III (Crash

Technician)

*Engineering Technician I

(Research Assistant)

1 Comal County, Texas 1 -- .5

2 Henry and Rock Island Counties, Illinois

1 1 1

3 Carter County, Oklahoma 1 -- .5 4 Monterey County, California 1 1 1

5 Berkshire County, Massachusetts 1 -- .5

6 Atlantic County, New Jersey 1 1 1

7 Gallatin, Hardin, and White Counties, Illinois 1 -- .5

Latah and Nez Perce Counties, Idaho Asotin and Whitman Counties, Washington

1 1 1

9 Butte County, California 1 1 1 10 Etowah County, Alabama 1 1 1

11 Chippewa and Eau Claire Counties, Wisconsin 1 -- .5

12 Hamilton County, Ohio 1 1 1

13 Cameron, Potter, and Tioga Counties, Pennsylvania 1 -- .5

14 Maricopa County, Arizona 1 1 1 15 Dallas County, Texas 1 1 1 16 Cumberland County, Maine 1 1 1

17 San Bernardino County, California 1 1 1

Bristol County, Massachusetts Newport County, Rhode Island

1 1 1

19 Delaware and Morrow Counties, Ohio 1 1 1

20 Nassau County, New York 1 1 1

21 Montgomery and Preble Counties, Ohio 1 1 1

22 Tarrant County, Texas 1 1 1 23 Sacramento County, California 1 1 1

24 Chesterfield County, Virginia Hopewell City, Virginia 1 1 1

25 Carbon and Yellowstone Counties, Montana 1 1 1

26 Delaware and Greene Counties, New York 1 -- .5

27 Dade and Lawrence Counties, Missouri 1 -- .5

28 Vermillion and Vigo Counties, Indiana 1 1 1

29 Box Elder County, Utah 1 -- .5 30 Franklin County, Alabama 1 -- .5

31 Piscataquis and Somerset Counties, Maine

Albemarle and Greene Counties, Virginia Charlottesville, Virginia

Total Staff (32)

All CISS Staff is full-time unless otherwise noted.

*Labor categories are wage determinations under the Service Contract Act by direction of the U.S. Department of Labor.

Glossary of Terms and Abbreviations Abbreviation Definition AAAM Advancement of Automotive Medicine AIS Abbreviated Injury Scale AU Analytical User CAP Contractor Acquired Property CDAN Crash Data Acquisition Network CDS Crash Data System CDR Crash Data Recorder CID Crash Investigation Division CISS Crash Investigation Sampling System CO Contracting Officer COR Contracting Officer’s Representative COTS Commercial off-the-shelf Software CRSS Crash Report Sampling System

DMV Department of Motor Vehicles DOT Department of Transportation DSL Digital Subscriber Line EMS Emergency Medical Service FAR Federal Acquisition Regulation FARS Fatality Analysis Reporting System GCS Glascow Coma Scale GES General Estimates System GFE Government Furnished Equipment LSV Low Speed Vehicle MDE Microcomputer-based Data Entry MY Model Year NASS-GES National Automotive Sampling System - General Estimates System NASS-CDS National Automotive Sampling System - Crashworthiness Data System NCSA National Center for Statistics and Analysis NHTSA National Highway Traffic Safety Administration NTS Not-in-traffic-surveillance PAR Police Accident Report PSU Primary Sampling Unit PSU-OPS PSU Operations Center QCC Quality Control Center SCI Special Crash Investigation SMEs Subject Matter Expert SS Special Studies SSR State Specific Report SUV Sport Utility Vehicle SWT System-Wide Training VIN Vehicle Identification Number WBT Web-based Training

C.2 OBJECTIVES

The objective of this contract is to provide timely, efficient, and effective support for the PSU Operations Center (PSUOC) for NHTSA’s Crash Investigation Sampling System (CISS). The activities include the establishment and operational guidance of personnel at the thirty-two (32) CISS PSUs, the administrative oversight, staffing, and management of work locations, and the standard data collection activities using CISS Data Systems.

C.3 PURPOSE

The purpose of this contract is to acquire services to operate the PSUs for the CISS to enhance and execute a cohesive program and quality evaluation support:

1. To ensure timeliness, accuracy, consistency, and completeness in coding and data entry among all coding staff,

2. To ensure proficiency in the use of information retrieval tools, and

3. To maintain and continue the standardization across all data collection PSUs.

C.4 SPECIFIC REQUIREMENTS

This section describes the performance that is required under this contract. There are thirteen (13) performance areas that are discussed in further detail:

1. PSU Operations Center and PSUs;

2. Establish PSU Staff;

3. Data Collection Coding Activities;

4. PSU Personnel Management and Replacement;

5. PSU Area Documentation;

6. PSU Local Cooperation;

7. In-House Quality Control;

8. Non-Sample Jurisdiction Counts;

9. Meeting and Workshops;

10. Reporting Requirements

11. Training Requirements;

12 Special Studies; and

13. Transition

C.4.1 PSU Operations Center and PSUs

The Contractor shall establish a PSU Operations Center (PSUOC) to manage the PSUs located throughout the country. The PSUOC shall consist of a program manager, administrative personnel and forward operating managers (FOMs) as outlined in Section G.10 – Key Personnel. Within six (6) weeks after contract award, the Contractor shall establish offices centrally located within the geographic boundaries of each specified CISS PSU. The Contractor shall be responsible for leasing and/or maintaining the existing leases at each PSU facility. The Contractor shall be responsible for acquiring new furniture and equipment or maintaining existing articles at each CISS site.

The offices shall be situated within a reasonable commuting distance from the major police agencies and hospitals. The CISS PSU office space shall be sufficient to accommodate all staff members. The office space shall be secure and include a climate-controlled area for computers and other environmentally sensitive hardware, which may be used in the future.

A dedicated computer line shall be provided for computer communications. The Contractor is responsible for installation of communication lines (if not already installed) to connect to the wide area network used for the electronic data collection system. The Contractor is responsible for installation of communication lines to connect to the wide area network used for the electronic data collection system and high-speed internet and (backup) mobile connectivity as specified in Attachment J.2, CDAN Requirements.

All computer equipment and software required for work under this contract (whether furnished by the government or purchased by the Contractor using contract funds) will remain government-owned equipment. The Contractor shall be responsible for maintaining and accounting for all equipment acquired under this contract (either as (GFE) or

Contractor Acquired Property (CAP)). Within six (6) months of Contract award, the Contractor shall prepare a Form HS 324 and HS 145 listing all property valued over $500 acquired for use under this contract and submit that form to NHTSA.

The Contracting Officer’s Representative (COR) shall be consulted before major equipment is acquired to ensure its suitability and best source for supplies. Prior to making any major equipment acquisitions (over $500), the Contractor shall request and receive approval from the Contracting Officer (CO) and the COR.

The Contractor shall ensure CISS PSU personnel are provided with local transportation while on the job. NHTSA will not provide vehicles or funds for direct vehicle purchase. NHTSA will, however, provide funding for vehicle leasing. Transportation charges will be reimbursed in accordance with the Federal Acquisition Regulation (FAR) 48 CFR Part 31. The Contractor is not responsible, nor will the government reimburse, for transportation of CISS PSU personnel to and from homes and their respective CISS PSU work sites.

C.4.2 – Establish PSU Staff

C.4.2.1 – Crash Technicians Within eight (8) weeks of contract award, the Contractor shall have qualified personnel in place to fill positions for the CISS field sites as shown in Table 1. CISS field sites shall consist of Crash Technicians. Crash Technicians are fully trained investigators that are assigned cases on a weekly basis to investigate. The investigation involves inspections of vehicles (exterior, interior & safety systems) that have been involved in crashes, the scenes where the crash occurred, the interviewing of crash victims, and the collection of supporting materials to generate thorough reconstructions of the events. All crash technician positions are full-time, unless otherwise noted.

The Contractor shall use its best effort to staff the PSUs with personnel already certified through training at the NHTSA training facility (C.4.11.1 – Basic Training) or others with commensurate experience and training that closely relates to CISS investigative work.

Commensurate experience for CISS investigative work would include police, criminal justice or insurance investigation as well as automotive design, maintenance, or repair.

Experience in related fields such as civil or mechanical engineering, physical science, automotive technology, or one of the behavioral sciences is desirable as well. A bachelor’s or equivalent degree in one or more of these areas would also fulfill this need.

If an offeror submits a proposal that includes untrained and inexperienced PSU Crash Technicians, they shall add an additional $125,000 for each untrained staff member to the Price Schedule (B.2), since these additional costs will be necessary to train such individuals. The training of new technicians consists of a mixture of five (5) non-consecutive weeks of training both virtual and at the NHTSA Crash Investigation Training Academy in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma. These training weeks are intermixed with module learning and assignments prescribed by NHTSA. This process takes around six (6) months during which time trainees do not contribute to data collection. It is therefore NHTSA’s goal to optimize the resources already expended on past training to technicians who have completed this process and have a thorough understanding of CISS protocols. Furthermore, reduced turnover decreases data quality inadequacies and supports the agency’s mission to save lives, prevent injuries, and reduce vehicle-related crashes.

C.4.2.2 – Crash Technician Assistants Part-time or full-time clerical support will be required at each CISS PSU site. The activities of the CISS PSU include numerous administrative and record keeping duties, which are the responsibility of the clerical support staff or a designated crash technician. These contractor personnel are referred to as Crash Technician Assistants (CTA).

The CTAs also may be responsible for sampling (C.4.3.2 – CISS Data Collection Activities

- Sampling), data coding, maintaining inventories of supplies and equipment, acquiring hospital records, updating case status records, etc. CTA’s shall also be proficient in the Crash Data Acquisition Network (CDAN) electronic data file. The CDAN file is the primary repository of data from all CISS-related programs and contains programs to list police crash reports and data from crash investigations. If clerical support staff is used during periods of high workload or personnel shortages to maintain full operations, then formal training shall be required.

C.4.2.3 – Qualifying PSU Personnel and Policy Compliance All Contractor personnel shall be subject to a Department of Transportation (DOT) Federal Government Public Trust background investigation consistent with DOT Order 1630.2C, Personnel Security Management. All contractor personnel shall obtain and maintain a government Personal Identity Verification (PIV) card. Any individual who fails to pass the DOT background investigation will be unable to perform under this Contract. The DOT Background investigations will be performed at no cost to the Contractor. Each contractor personnel shall obtain a local driver record check from the jurisdiction where each individual is licensed to drive.

All Contractor staff shall comply with Federal and DOT cybersecurity policy and training requirements. This includes completing Annual Security Awareness Training, completing the Rules of Behavior (ROB), adhering to the rules for use of government furnished equipment to enter data, and the proper securing of all personal identifiable information (PII).2 Each PSU shall be staffed as specified by NHTSA. The Contractor staff shall perform the principal functions of the PSU which include sampling, crash investigation, case preparation, and computer data entry. Crash investigation requires vehicle and scene measurements, vehicle and scene photography, conducting interviews, and obtaining medical records.

2 PII is information that can be used to distinguish or trace an individual’s identity, such as their name, Social Security number, biometric records, etc., alone, or when combined with other personal or identifying information which is linked or linkable to a specific individual, such as date and place of birth, mother’s maiden name, etc.

C.4.3 – Data Collection Activities

C.4.3.1 Data Collection Activities - Overview The primary activity of CISS crash technicians shall be to collect data from motor vehicle crashes and enter that data into the CDAN file. CISS provides detailed information concerning the crashworthiness of vehicles involved in tow-away crashes. The program within CDAN that stores the crash listing is CISSWeb. The crash listing is comprised of cases that are selected by a NHTSA-developed sampling algorithm during weekly sampling activities, a process referred to as Sampling. Sampling consists of technicians visiting NHTSA-specified, randomly selected police jurisdictions weekly and logging their crash reports according to a prescribed stratification schema (Attachments J.10 and J.11).

Details on these crash reports are entered into the program for logging the crash reports – the Police Accident Report Sampling Engine (PARSE) – which contains the algorithm to randomly select cases. After cases are selected, crash technicians will code data collected from police reports, interviews, medical records, scene inspections, and vehicle inspections into CISSWeb. Each crash technician is assigned one-to-two (1-2) cases per week.

All data collection activities shall conform to the provisions set forth in the Agency Procedures for System Security, Risk Management, Rules of Behavior, Incidence Response, Asset Protection and Data Protection for Data Collected under the Crash Investigation Sampling System, U.S. Department of Transportation, National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, Washington, D.C., April 2020 (or most current edition) (Attachment J.7), the Crash Data Acquisition Network (CDAN) Rules of Behavior (ROB) 2020 (Attachment J.8) and any specific agreements between NHTSA, state, local, and contracting officials.

C.4.3.2 Data Collection Activities - Sampling The PSU teams shall review police crash reports from selected police jurisdictions on a weekly basis. These reports are provided to the PSU by police jurisdictions electronically or in hardcopy form. The PSU enters key data from the reports into PARSE which contains an embedded computerized sample algorithm that selects the crashes to be investigated each week. During weekly sampling, the PSU staff reviews and interprets the crash report to apply the CISS coding requirements to the data. Each crash technician must maintain a sampling accuracy no lower than 95%. PSU crash technicians and CTA’s will be tested annually by NHTSA, or NHTSA-designated contractors. If a member of the Contractor’s staff falls below 95% on a test, the staff member must stop performance under this contract and be retrained by the QCC. The Contractor may not be reimbursed for labor costs from the time the individual falls below 95% until the time the individual is retrained and achieves a level of 95% or greater; however, NHTSA reserves the right to reimburse the contractor on a case-by-case basis. If a Contractor’s staff member fails to maintain a level of at least 95% after receiving remedial training, then that individual may be removed from the contract. The Contractor shall be responsible for ensuring that the sampling process is not interrupted during the replacement of departing employees or training of new employees.

C.4.3.3 Data Collection Activities – Data Collection For each case selected, the crash field technicians shall attempt to locate and document the crash scene within four (4) days of selection date; measure and photograph the damaged vehicles within two (2) days of the selection date; interview involved drivers and occupants within six (6) days of the selection date; and obtain medical records for the sourcing of injuries when made available by medical facilities. The CISS PSU team shall conduct an in-house quality review (C.4.7 – In-House Quality Control) of the coded data via the CISSWeb system. The electronic case shall be released by the CISS PSU crash field technician to the QCC electronically through CDAN thirty-five (35) days after selection for a thorough quality control review. Falsification of data during collecting and coding processes will not be tolerated by NHTSA and is considered a breach of contract requirements. The QCC is responsible for reinvestigations and any falsification detected during their inquiries will be shared with the Contractor by the COR.

C.4.3.4 Data Collection Activities – Protection of Privacy In the course of collecting, reviewing and processing data, Contractor personnel will have access to sensitive information concerning people connected with the cases being researched. It is essential that the privacy of this information be maintained. Only Contractor personnel and individuals authorized by NHTSA shall be permitted access to case information. Police crash reports, medical records and other sensitive information shall not be left out where they may be viewed by unauthorized personnel. Sensitive information shall be stored in locked filing cabinets or a secure portion of the PSU facility when not in use. After receipt of a case has been confirmed by the QCC or other assigned designee, all PSU files for that case shall be destroyed within thirty (30) days. All requests for case information from outside the Contractor shall be referred to NHTSA.

C.4.3.5 Data Collection Activities – Monitor PSU Performance Crash Technician Performance: Performance goals for each PSU shall be established annually in consultation with the PSU staff, QCC, and COR based on unique characteristics and, if available, historical data collection experience at the PSU site. PSU’s performance goals for data completion rates shall not be below fifty (50) percent and the performance goal for data quality shall not be below eighty (80) percent. NHTSA will use performance standards to assess underperformance among crash field technicians so that retraining or probationary procedures can be applied and shortcomings corrected.

If an individual crash technician’s performance is below minimum performance thresholds for two (2) consecutive calendar quarters, then probation may be warranted and the Contractor shall provide a written plan for correction. The plan shall be sent to the COR with a copy to the respective PSU. If a crash technician’s performance is below the minimum performance standard for four (4) consecutive calendar quarters, the Contractor shall make an assessment on whether the crash technician should be removed from the CISS program.

The Contractor is responsible for monitoring the timeliness of all data transmitted by the teams. Contractor management shall monitor the rates at which the sampling accuracy goals are being met in PARSE, cases are being listed, and data entered into CISSWeb, and any updates and special circumstances are being entered into the team’s folder on CDAN shared space – each PSU has a private electronic team folder within CDAN on Shared Space intended to store sensitive materials. The QCC contractor will monitor these rates concurrently and will send reminders to the teams as to which cases, reports, etc., are overdue as defined by the submission dates established each year by NHTSA.

Trainee Performance: Trainees are personnel that are not fully qualified to work as Crash Technicians. CISS Basic Training (C.4.11 – CISS Basic Training Requirements) is approximately six (6) months in duration and trainees have no caseload assigned to them during these first six (6) months. Following basic training, each trainee is subject to a six-month probationary period. The QCC contractor is responsible for reviewing the performance of trainees during basic training and the subsequent probationary period.

During the probationary period, each crash technician will perform sampling and fieldwork on a reduced caseload basis (one case per week) before they are qualified to assume a full caseload. The QCC contractor will work closely with them to assess and incrementally improve their skills and address any shortcomings. The QCC contractor will conduct site visits following the second and third weeks of basic training as well as at the end of basic training. In addition, the QCC will analyze each trainees’ aptitude of CISS protocols and concepts and evaluate their retention of crash investigation principles. Based on this analysis, the QCC will make recommendations to the Contractor regarding whether to qualify the trainee to full Crash Technician status, offer remedial training, or remove the trainee from the project. The QCC will provide the COR, the NHTSA Training Coordinator (C.4.11.1 – Basic Training), and the Contractor with the results of its findings and justification behind their recommendations. The COR and the NHTSA Training Coordinator will discuss the results with the Contractor to determine the potential courses of action, e.g., qualify, retrain or remove, to be taken.

Crash Technician Assistant Performance: CTA’s support the PSU primarily in sampling activities, varied data coding assignments, and the timely acquisition of medical records.

They must meet the sampling accuracy goals outlined in C.4.3.2 (Data Collection Activities

– Sampling) and the medical record acquisition goals of the PSU, which are based on historical performance. Their activities may be PSU-specific and will vary based on whether they are full-time or part-time employees. Their performance shall be regularly monitored by the Contractor and any performance issues addressed. On an annual basis, the QCC contractor will audit the accuracy of each crash technician assistant and report results to the Contractor. The COR and the Contractor will discuss the results of such finding to determine the potential course of action to address inadequate performance.

C.4.4 – PSU Personnel Management and Replacement

C.4.4.1 PSU Personnel Management The Contractor shall be responsible for the management and support of PSU personnel.

The Contractor shall use best efforts to hire and retain the best-qualified individuals since PSU team stability is the cornerstone of data collection success. The Contractor shall provide continuous support to the PSUs.

C.4.4.2 PSU Personnel Replacement When it is necessary for the Contractor to hire replacement personnel for a PSU, the Contractor shall hire replacements who must commence work no later than six (6) weeks before the next scheduled CISS basic training. Under certain circumstances, the Contractor may select existing Contractor staff who are experienced crash technicians to transfer and fill vacancies. The COR may also waive all requirements under such unusual circumstances. When no experienced technicians are available as replacements, candidates may be hired consistent with the procedures in Section 4.2 above. If a PSU has no trained personnel for a period, the Contractor shall be responsible for maintaining the sampling requirements and a caseload of at least one (1) case per month.

Every trainee shall be on probation until the successful completion of all basic training activities and post-basic training probationary field work of approximately six (6) months.

The Contractor is responsible for ensuring that all trainees complete the following:

(1) Completion of the NHTSA basic training modules review along with pre-tests and post-tests at the Contractor's PSU;

(2) Completion of five (5) separate one-week field training courses either virtually or at a location specified by NHTSA;

(3) Other homework and field exercises as required;

(4) Successful completion of the CISS basic competency evaluation;

(5) Satisfactory completion of casework during probationary period;

(6) Adherence to the CISS Caseload Progression Cycle (Attachment J.9, CISS

Caseload Progression Cycle); and

(7) Annual completion and Bloodborne Pathogens training and competency certification.

As appropriate, trainees may require computer familiarization courses. They shall also review applicable manuals for the office computer and associated computer programs.

Review of the NHTSA CISS basic training modules is also recommended for newly hired crash technician assistants.

C.4.5 – PSU Area Documentation

During the first six (6) weeks of the contract, the Contractor shall document area characteristics or become familiar with existing characteristics of areas already operational with an emphasis on those police jurisdictions that have been selected for CISS sampling.

The required information shall include, but is not limited to, those items listed in Attachment J.6 – Area Documentation. Detailed road maps or mapping applications and other supporting materials shall be available at the Contractor and PSU office to assist.

Many police jurisdictions are concerned about permitting access to their crash reports and the potential for disruption of their normal police activities. Special emphasis should be placed on problems that are unique to each PSU. Problems related to collecting crash reports, collecting data, obtaining and maintaining cooperation, the size and accessibility of the geographic area, the safety of team in high crime areas, and unique circumstances of local conditions shall be documented in detail.

C.4.6 – PSU Local Cooperation

C.4.6.1 Maintain CISS Cooperation of Local Officials One of the most important responsibilities for the Contractor is the establishment and maintenance of community cooperation. The Contractor, on an on-going basis, shall understand which area police agencies report traffic crashes; the tow yards, police impounds or private towing services and garages that are authorized to receive vehicles;

the hospitals and clinics that treat crash victims; and any boards or associations that may be helpful in fostering community support. The information shall be maintained at the PSU and by the Contractor with copies sent to NHTSA through Shared Space on CDAN.

State and local statutes shall also be maintained and regularly updated as highway safety and privacy issues evolve.

Within three (3) weeks after the award, the Contractor shall visit each PSU to advise and assist the CISS PSU staff in maintaining and improving on cooperation with local police agencies, hospitals, tow yards, and other pertinent officials. Examples of this include any PSU-specific historical information and privacy policies, methods of medical information acquisition, and templates that may have been used to obtain medical or other data at certain locations. Historical information such as this is stored in each PSU’s team folder in CDAN and should be updated regularly.

The Contractor shall be responsible for negotiating, documenting, and maintaining cooperation agreements with each police agency and relevant hospitals and tow yards.

Copies of these agreements shall be kept on file at the PSU office and the authorized Contractor facility. To properly operate within the PSU, the PSU staff shall have permission to obtain electronic traffic crash reports, scan or copy crash reports and other selected reports for further investigation, paying a fee if necessary. The Contractor shall obtain all available medical records from medical providers and obtain autopsy reports from the Office of the Coroner or Medical Examiner, paying a fee if necessary. If possible, the Contractor should make its best efforts to obtain medical records available without patient releases. Any changes to these formal agreements shall be documented so that accurate records are always available describing the level of cooperation, contact personnel information, and the working agreement in effect. The Contractor shall inform the COR of any changes in medical or police jurisdiction conditions that may affect data collection.

The Contractor shall document changes in local statutes that relate to highway safety, cooperation, or privacy issues.

The Contractor should recognize that periodic modifications to sampling protocol by NHTSA might require substitutions in the specific agencies that are included in sampling.

If any NHTSA changes in a primary sampling police jurisdiction require amendments to an existing agreement, the Contractor shall obtain a new or modified agreement within ninety (90) days after notice from the COR that changes are required.

C.4.6.2 Maintaining Community Cooperation Throughout the duration of the contract, the Contractor shall maintain cooperation with all local officials at each PSU. The Contractor shall expand upon and improve agreements using best efforts to achieve 100% cooperation. Local cooperation is the foundation of the

CISS program, the Contractor shall use best efforts to gain or improve cooperation with the local communities to maintain and increase support.

The Contractor shall obtain a copy of all area documentation, pertinent maps, and state laws that may affect data collection activities. The Contractor shall be familiar with the local medical providers, police and tow yard operators, and local organizations such as hospital boards, trucking associations, and similar organizations that may be helpful. The Contractor shall notify the COR immediately of any problems that may affect cooperation.

If deemed necessary and appropriate, the Contractor shall also seek exposure in local newspapers, radio and/or television to enlist general community support for the NHTSA data collection program. It is vital that this sensitive task be performed in close coordination and with the prior approval of the COR. The COR shall be informed immediately of negative replies to requests for cooperation.

C.4.7 – In-House CISS Quality Control

PSU personnel shall perform quality review of all case materials after the initial completion of a case at a PSU site. The review shall follow an “In-House Quality Control Procedure” plan. A draft In-House Quality Control Procedure” plan shall be submitted to the COR no later than four (4) weeks after award. Within two (2) weeks after submission, the COR will return the plan with edits and comments. Within two (2) weeks following the return of the draft plan, the Contractor shall submit the final plan to the COR for approval.

In general, the Contractor’s “In-House Quality Control Procedure” shall have the personnel at each PSU shall review each other's cases. PSU’s containing only one technician will have their cases reviewed remotely via CDAN by another one-technician team and vice versa. Crash technicians shall examine each case for completeness and accuracy. All paper references to a case or an update to that case shall be destroyed as soon as the case has been officially approved by the QCC. When any consistent errors, negative trends, missing data, or any other potential shortcomings are identified at the PSU level, the Contractor, in coordination with the QCC, shall look at the issues more closely and then be responsive to any corrective actions suggested by the QCC. This can result in additional training to correct deficiencies and closer analysis of cases until the issues are resolved. The team is encouraged to make recommendations on potential work processes, data element collection and coding efforts, and field procedures can be improved. These recommendations should generally be included in the Monthly Progress Report (C.4.10.1) and submitted to the respective PSU.

C.4.8 – Non-Sample Jurisdiction Counts

Many CISS PSUs will cover large geographic areas that will include numerous police jurisdictions. It is not feasible to include every police jurisdiction in the weekly sampling activities because of the amount of time that would be devoted to reviewing and listing a large number of crash reports and/or traveling long distances each week. To account for the crashes that are reported by police jurisdictions not regularly included in the weekly sample, and to ensure that each geographic location reflects a true sampling representation of the PSU areas, “non-sample jurisdiction counts” are required. On a quarterly basis, PSU staff members shall visit all non-sample police jurisdictions (those that are not sampled weekly) within the geographic boundaries of each PSU and list every crash report which has occurred since the last quarterly visit using the same stratification schema as weekly sampling. NHTSA will use these listings to improve the accuracy of the estimates made from the automated data files for periodic updates of the jurisdiction sample. On an annual basis, NHTSA will provide the Contractor with a schedule for non-sample counts.

C.4.9 – Meeting and Workshops

C.4.9.1 Project “Kick-Off” Meeting Within four (4) weeks after award, the Contractor shall meet with the COR, Contracting Officer, and other interested NHTSA personnel in person or virtually through a web-based video conferencing platform. The purpose of this meeting is to discuss the:

• administration of the contract;

• project’s objectives;

• planned course of action;

• milestones and deliverables, project schedule and time allocations for each task;

• responsibilities of subcontractors (if any) and individual staff members;

• anticipated resource allocations among the tasks;

• draft research, analysis, and risk plans;

• other matters the Contractor or Government identifies.

The Contractor shall anticipate two (2) business days for this meeting. The Contractor shall have technical personnel present who can discuss the technical details of its management plan, program objectives, and quality control procedures to NHTSA personnel.

C.4.9.2 NHTSA Works hop The Contractor shall attend an annual training workshop. The Contractor shall have their entire staff attend the workshop and assist in the training of crash technicians during the fieldwork (actual hands-on training in the field) aspects of the training and conduct presentations on topics agreed upon in advance of the workshop when requested by NHTSA. The training will focus on new or changing data elements and requirements to enhance the data set, changes in field procedures, new and/or modified investigation techniques, case review topics, quality control enhancements, and improvements and any areas that have been deemed problematic. The Contractor shall submit topics for an agenda to the COR four (4) months prior to the workshop.

C.4.9.3 CISS Case Presentation/Meeting Occasionally during the contract period, up to five (5) crash technicians may be requested to conduct a one-day presentation on cases of special interest that they have investigated.

The presentations shall be made virtually or at a location determined by the COR. In-person trainings will involve travel for one crash field technician from each PSU to and from the presentation site. The Contractor should plan on one (1) case presentation per PSU crash technician during each contract year.

C.4.9.4 Crash Field Technicians Meetings For each PSU, the Contractor shall schedule on an annual basis a two-day "reverse site visit" for all crash technicians. The Contractor shall require that PSU personnel and management meet for training. The meeting shall involve, but not be limited to, a review of PSU operations and performance expectations. The Contractor shall submit details of each meeting time and agenda to the COR for approval.

C.4.10 – Reporting Procedures

C.4.10.1 Monthly Progress Reports The Contractor shall submit a monthly progress report to the COR that describes performance, timeliness and data quality for each PSU and each of its crash technicians.

Data quality and completion rates for vehicle inspections, occupant interviews, medical records, timeliness of submitted cases, and data quality constitute the components for performance standards shall be itemized. Minimum performance standards for crash technicians and performance goals for each PSU shall be established annually in consultation with the QCC and COR based on unique characteristics and, if available, historical data collection experience at the PSU site. This report should consist of metrics related the completion status of cases by each PSU, acquisition rates of vehicles and interviews in comparison of goals, and timeliness of submitted cases. The Contractor shall use the reports already automatically generated within CDAN as a starting point to avoid replication.

The Contractor shall report the number of hours worked along with the associated cost of staff members to meet the goals of the contract. The hours worked shall be itemized in the report for each month with a cumulative total for each staff member.

This information can be combined with the Monthly Business Progress Report outlined in F.5.1 – Monthly Business Progress Reports.

C.4.10.2 Mid-Year Performance Reports The Contractor shall submit a mid-year statistical report to the COR that summarizes the performance of the PSUOC. The report shall cover key successes and shortcomings, the status of submissions, modifications, procedures, personnel status, and any other items deemed noteworthy. The Contractor shall support case statistics with enough narrative and graphics that allow the reader to assess the performance of each PSU. The Contractor shall use the reports already automatically generated within CDAN as a starting point to avoid replication.

C.4.10.3 Annual Performance Reports The Contractor shall submit a report that summarizes the performance of the PSUOC for the year. The report shall provide detailed evaluations of each PSU and its operations. This includes a discussion of any positive and negative actions, improved performance metrics as well as an overall synopsis of activities for the year.

C.4.10.4 Site Vis it Reports The Contractor shall prepare and submit a site visit report to the COR, QCC and the CISS PSU no later than one (1) week after each site visit. This requirement applies to routine site visits from the FOM’s. The report shall contain the agenda followed during the visit, problems noted, instructions provided to the PSU and the Contractor’s assessments and recommendations. The report shall be thorough and objective providing commentary on both strengths and weaknesses with specific recommendations. The Contractor shall include detailed plans to resolve any quality issues with special attention to milestones and schedules in the report. The Contractor shall recommend corrective actions where appropriate and implement these actions in consultation with the COR. If serious performance problems – defined as issues with potential falsification or gross shortcomings in quality of work – are identified at a PSU, the Contractor shall document these problems in a separate email to the COR.

C.4.11 – CISS Training Requirements

C.4.11.1 CISS Basic Training Basic training for new or replacement crash technicians will be provided by NHTSA both virtually and at the NHTSA Crash Investigations Training Academy located on the campus of the Transportation Safety Institute in Oklahoma City, OK. The training process is overseen by the NHTSA Training Coordinator, who will be identified at the beginning of this contract.