RFI PWS.pdf

Performance Work Statement (PWS)

Template

For

Financial Data Subscription Services for

EBSA

Performance Work Statement (PWS) Template Mar 2023

PART 1

General Information

1.1. Description of Services/Introduction:

The contractor shall provide all personnel, equipment, tools, materials, supervision, and other items and non-personal services necessary to provide a subscription for financial data services as defined in this Performance Work Statement, except as Specified in section C-3 as government furnished property and services. The contractor shall perform to the standards in this contract action.

1.2. Background:

The Department of Labor’s (DOL) Employee Benefits Security Administration (EBSA) administers and enforces the reporting, disclosure, and fiduciary requirements of Title I of the Employee Retirement Income Security Act of 1974 (ERISA). EBSA’s oversight ensures the security of the private-sector, employer-sponsored retirement, health, and other workplace related benefits of American workers and their families. EBSA is committed to educating and assisting Americans covered by private retirement, health, and other welfare benefit plans, as well as plan sponsors and members of the employee benefits community. EBSA balances proactive enforcement with compliance assistance and works diligently to provide quality assistance to plan participants and beneficiaries. EBSA’s policy is to provide the highest quality of service to its customers. To fulfill its policy, research, and regulatory responsibilities, EBSA requires comprehensive coverage of financial markets, including equities, mutual funds, bonds, alternative investments, and pension portfolios. This financial data subscription will allow EBSA’s economists and investigators to conduct data analysis, and it will cover an array of investment vehicles, including both pension plan and retail mutual funds. This financial subscription will have an advanced ability to search for, manipulate, and download large amounts of data. This ability to evaluate a plan’s investments in a user-friendly way will help targeting plans governed by ERISA and aid EBSA’s national and regional offices in this endeavor. Furthermore, EBSA intends to use financial data to inform its current risk-ranking model. The model will help EBSA use the financial and enforcement indicators to predict the likelihood a plan incurs an ERISA violation. Therefore, acquiring this financial data subscription is important to support EBSA and its mission.

1.3. Objectives:

To obtain a subscription for Financial data services.

1.4. Scope:

The subscription will include:

• An advanced investment research platform that unites global investment data and EBSA’s proprietary information with tools for highly customized analysis.

• Tools that allow the user to evaluate investments and portfolios at the individual security level and to support research with a searchable database of public filings.

• Tools that provide an in-depth balance sheet, income statements, cash flows, and global equity analysis information.

• A comprehensive and timely review of total net assets and flow data in the marketplace.

• Real-time data from global sources, including all major equity exchanges.

• Tools that allow the user to create highly customized fact sheets, reports, data sets, spreadsheets, and presentation templates.

1.5. Period of Performance:

The period of performance shall be for one (1) 12-month base period and four (4) 12-month option periods. The Period of Performance reads as follows:

Base Period: September 27, 2026 – September 26, 2027 Option Period I: September 27, 2027 – September 26, 2028 Option Period II: September 27, 2028 – September 26, 2029 Option Period III: September 27, 2029 – September 26, 2030 Option Period IV: September 27, 2030 – September 26, 2031

The government reserves the right to extend the term of this contract action at the prices set forth in Section B in accordance with the terms and conditions contained in clause 52.217-9 entitled, “Option to Extend the Term of the Contract”.

1.6. General Information

Quality Control:

Not Applicable

Quality Assurance:

The government shall evaluate the contractor’s performance under this contract action in accordance with the Quality Assurance Surveillance Plan. This plan is primarily focused on what the government must do to ensure that the contractor has performed in accordance with the performance standards. It defines how the performance standards will be applied, the frequency of surveillance, and the minimum acceptable defect rate(s). The performance standards are listed in Technical Exhibit 1.

Government Remedies:

The Contracting Officer shall follow FAR 52.212-4, “Contract Terms and Conditions- Commercial Items” or 52.246-4, “Inspection of Services-Fixed Price” for contractor’s failure to perform satisfactory services or failure to correct non-conforming services.

Recognized Holidays:

The contractor is not required to work on federal holidays.

New Year’s Day Labor Day Martin Luther King Jr.’s Birthday Columbus Day President’s Day Veteran’s Day Memorial Day Thanksgiving Day Juneteenth Day Christmas Day Independence Day

Hours of Operation:

The contractor is responsible for conducting performance between the hours of 9:00 am – 5:30 pm Monday thru Friday (or as mutually agreed upon), except Federal holidays or when the government facility is closed due to local or national emergencies, administrative closings, or similar government directed facility closings. The contractor must at all times maintain an adequate work force for the uninterrupted performance of all tasks defined within this statement of work when the government facility is not closed for the above reasons. When hiring personnel, the contractor shall keep in mind that the stability and continuity of the work force are essential. Telecommuting or “work at home” is not authorized under this contract action unless under emergency situations as determined by the Contracting Officer’s Representative (COR).

Place of Performance:

The work to be performed under this contract action will be performed remotely at the contractor’s facility.

Type of Contract:

The government anticipates award of a firm, fixed-price contract.

Security Requirements:

No security level is required.

Physical Security.

The contractor shall be responsible for safeguarding all government property provided for contractor use.

Key Control.

1.6.8.2.1. Lost Keys

1.6.8.2.2. Key Use

Lock Combinations.

Conservation of Utilities.

Special Qualifications:

No special qualifications are required.

Post Award Conference/Periodic Progress Meetings:

The contractor agrees to attend any post award conference convened by the contracting activity or contract administration office in accordance with Federal Acquisition Regulation Subpart 42.5. The Contracting Officer, Contracting Officer’s Representative (COR), and other government personnel, as appropriate, may meet periodically with the contractor to review the contractor's performance. At these meetings, the Contracting Officer will apprise the contractor of how the government views the contractor's performance and the contractor will apprise the government of problems, if any, being experienced. Appropriate action shall be taken to resolve outstanding issues. These meetings shall be at no additional cost to the government.

Contracting Officer’s Representative:

A COR will be delegated separately.

Key Personnel:

The following personnel are considered key personnel by the government: Contract Manager/Alternate contract manager. The contractor shall provide a contract manager who shall be responsible for ensuring access to services. The name of this person and an alternate who shall act for the contractor when the manager is absent shall be designated in writing to the Contracting Officer. The contract manager or alternate shall have full authority to act for the contractor on all contract matters relating to daily operation of this contract action. The contract manager or alternate shall be available as mutually agreed upon by the parties.

Identification of Contractor Employees:

All contract personnel attending meetings, answering government telephones, and working in other situations where their contractor status is not obvious to third parties are required to identify themselves as such to avoid creating an impression in the minds of members of the public that they are government officials. They must also ensure that all documents or reports produced by contractors are suitably marked as contractor products or that contractor participation is appropriately disclosed.

Organizational Conflict of Interest:

Contractor and subcontractor personnel performing work under this contract action may receive, have access to or participate in the development of proprietary or source selection information (e.g., cost or pricing information, budget information or analyses, specifications or work statements, etc.) or perform evaluation services which may create a current or subsequent Organizational Conflict of Interests (OCI), as defined in FAR Subpart 9.5. The contractor shall notify the Contracting Officer immediately whenever it becomes aware that such access or participation may result in any actual or potential OCI and shall promptly submit a plan to the Contracting Officer to avoid or mitigate any such OCI. The contractor’s mitigation plan will be determined to be acceptable solely at the discretion of the Contracting Officer and in the event the Contracting Officer unilaterally determines that any such OCI cannot be satisfactorily avoided or mitigated, the Contracting Officer may affect other remedies as he or she deems necessary, including prohibiting the contractor from participation in subsequent contracted requirements which may be affected by the OCI.

Phase In/Phase Out Period

Part 2

Definition & Acronyms

Contracting Officer’s Representative. A representative from the requiring activity assigned by the Contracting Officer to perform surveillance and to act as liaison to the contractor

Defective Service. A service output that does not meet the standard of performance associated with it in the Performance Work Statement.

Quality Assurance. Those actions taken by the government to assure services meet the requirements of the Performance Work Statement.

Quality Assurance Surveillance Plan. An organized written document specifying the surveillance methodology to be used for surveillance of contractor performance.

Quality Control. Those actions taken by a contractor to control the performance of services so that they meet the requirements of the PWS.

Part 3

Government Furnished Property, Equipment, And Services

3.1 General:

The government will not provide facilities, equipment, materials or services.

3.2 Equipment:

3.3 Services:

3.3.1 Utilities:

Not Applicable

3.4 Facilities:

Remote. The contractor will furnish necessary equipment to perform the effort(s) outlined in this PWS remotely, at a location other than a government-owned or contractor-owned facility.

Part 4

Contractor Furnish Items and Services

4.1 General:

Except for those items specifically stated to be government furnished in Part 3, the contractor shall furnish all other items required to perform the services in this PWS.

4.2 Clearance:

Part 5

Specific Tasks

5.1 Services:

The contractor will provide a subscription for nine (9) Direct licenses and five (5) Advisory Suite licenses, with the option for up to six (6) additional, prorated Direct licenses and five (5) additional, prorated Advisory Suite licenses for one (1) 12-month base year, and four (4) 12-month option years as detailed in Technical Exhibit 3.

EBSA requires an advanced investment research platform that will include:

• An advanced investment research platform that unites global investment data and EBSA’s proprietary information with tools for highly customized analysis.

• Tools that allow the user to evaluate investments and portfolios at the individual security level and to support research with a searchable database of public filings.

• Tools that provide an in-depth balance sheet, income statements, cash flows, and global equity analysis information.

• A comprehensive and timely review of total net assets and flow data in the marketplace.

• Real-time data from global sources, including all major equity exchanges.

• Tools that allow the user to create highly customized fact sheets, reports, data sets, spreadsheets, and presentation templates.

• Technical Support

Access to the online platform will be available 365 days per year, 24 hours per day, seven (7) days per week. The contractor will provide a contract manager who will ensure access to services Monday through Friday, 9:00 am – 5:00 pm Eastern Standard Time (or as mutually agreed upon).

Part 6

Applicable Publications

6.1 Publications Applicable to This PWS:

Part 7

Technical Exhibit Index

1. Technical Exhibit 1 – Performance Requirements Summary

2. Technical Exhibit 2 – Deliverables Schedule

Technical Exhibit 1

Performance Requirements Summary The contractor service requirements are summarized into performance objectives that relate directly to mission essential items. The performance threshold briefly describes the minimum acceptable levels of service required for each requirement. These thresholds are critical to mission success.

Performance Objective Standard Performance Threshold Method of Surveillance

PRS # 1, PWS Section 5:

Access to portal, research tools, and technical support

The Contractor will ensure 24/7, 365 days/year access to online portal, data and research tools, with minimal downtime (no more than 24 hours); the Contractor will provide technical support and respond to inquiries within 24 hours.

90 – 100% *100% inspection *Validated Customer Complaint

*Surveillance Methods:

100 Percent Inspection: Inspect and evaluate performance each time task is performed Validated Customer Complaint: Complaints must be validated.

Technical Exhibit 2

Deliverables Schedule

Deliverable Frequency # Of Copies Medium/Format Submit To

PRS # 1, PWS

SECTION 5:

ACCESS TO PORTAL,

RESEARCH TOOLS,

AND TECHNICAL

SUPPORT

DAILY N/A ELECTRONIC EBSA REGISTERED

USERS