SOW_Range_Records_BPA_Setup.pdf

Nevada Bureau of Land Management Range Records Organization, Scanning, and Digitizing

Blanket Purchase Agreement Set‐up Statement of Work

1. Introduction:

The U.S. Department of Interior (USDI) Bureau of Land Management (BLM) needs support organizing and digitizing range records for Nevada. Performance of the organizing and digitizing services will require the vendor to interact with BLM personnel (i.e., Rangeland Management Specialists and other specialists).

2. Background:

The Range Program is required to maintain a variety of records including operator case files, allotment files, range improvement files, and monitoring files. In addition to the physical records that are legally required to be maintained there are advantages to having the records digitized as electronic records.

Electronic records allow more efficient use of time and assist in responding to public inquires (FOIAs).

3. Scope of Work:

The BLM Nevada State Office (NVSO) has a need for document scanning and record organization services at the NVSO and all District Offices within the State to organize, scan, and digitize a variety of official records for the Range Program. The contractor must perform the Document Conversion

Services, file organization/scanning/digitization onsite at the BLM District and Field Offices located throughout Nevada. This includes locations in: Reno, Carson City, Winnemucca, Elko, Ely, Battle

Mountain, Tonopah, Caliente, and Las Vegas. Records organization and digitizing will follow the format for indexing and filing provided the BLM. The contractor must provide all personnel/ management (i.e., labor), equipment, and supplies necessary to perform the administrative and technical processes needed to scan and digitize the records as detailed in this contract.

The purpose of this requirement is to establish a Multiple awards of Blanket Purchase Agreements

(BPAs) to meet location and availability requirements.

The rough order of magnitude for current known need to digitize and organize Range Records is:

Scanning 8X11 documents 1.6M

Scanning oversized documents 25K

File Organizing 500K

As this project is initiated at each District Office, the quantity of scanning and organizing work load is expected to increase as actual records are reviewed and prepared.

3.1 Tasks:

Task 1: Meetings and coordination

Task 2: File Organization, Scanning, and Digitizing Records Task 3: Prepare a final report

3.2. Deliverables:

Task 1: Meetings and coordination: Contractor will schedule bi‐weekly update/coordination meetings/conference calls for the duration of the project.

Blanket Purchase Agreement Set‐up

1.1. The contractor will participate in a post award kickoff meeting. The contractor and BLM will set up a meeting with all participants to be held within 2 weeks of contract award. The purpose of the meeting is to develop a schedule of work and discuss logistics.

1.2. The contractor will schedule and participate in bi‐weekly meetings. Participants in these meetings will be comprised of, at a minimum, the POC (point of contact) at the NVSO, and the identified POC at each District where work will have occurred within 2 weeks prior to, or within 2 weeks after, the meeting.

1.3. No less than 2 days prior to each bi‐weekly meeting, a progress report would be provided by the contractor to the NVSO and Districts. NVSO will provide the contractor a copy of the progress report template at the kick‐off meeting.

1.4. In addition to the bi‐weekly meetings, the contractor will schedule a wrap up meeting within 2 weeks prior to the project completion date, to confirm that the contractor has successfully completed the work required by the records organization/digitization contract. The contractor, the POC at the NVSO and the POCs from all the offices will be in attendance.

Task 2: File organization and digitizing records: The contractor will organize, scan, and digitize a variety of types of range records.

2.1. Contractor personnel must Be skilled in the use of the Contractor provided scanning equipment and digitizing software.

2.2. Contractor will adhere to NARA Bulletin 2018‐01 and NARA Bulletin 2020‐01 as applicable for file format.

2.3. Contractor personnel performing task must be skilled in problem resolution; and identifying and reporting issues that may affect the security of documents.

2.4. The contractor must perform the file organization/scanning/digitization onsite at the BLM District and Field Offices located throughout Nevada. This includes locations in: Reno, Carson City, Winnemucca, Elko, Ely, Battle Mountain, Tonopah, Caliente and Las Vegas.

2.5. The contractor must provide all personnel/management (i.e., labor), equipment, and supplies needed to organize/scan/digitize the BLM held paper documents into a searchable digital file structure.

2.6. The contractor must prepare, keep, and provide to BLM upon request an inventory of all paper documents that have been organized scanned, and digitized. The inventory document will be a searchable portable document file (pdf). This is what will be summarized in the bi‐weekly progress reports.

2.7. The contractor must disassemble the physical files to include removing any item that will prevent scanning (e.g., paper clips, staples, binder clips, sticky notes, etc.) from the documents.

There are a variety of sizes and types of paper, including but not limited to smaller than 8.5x11 or larger than 11x18, requiring some documents to be unfolded. In addition, there are varieties of

Blanket Purchase Agreement Set‐up paper thicknesses, with thin paper (carbon, mimeograph, onion skin) to construction type papers.

8.5x11 printer paper will be the most common paper encountered.

2.7.1. There will be a required physical file structure provided for each type of range record.

When physical files are disassembled for digitization, if they are not structured as they should be for the type of file they are, then the POC will be notified, and the decision will be made to restructure the file or leave it as it is.

2.7.2. The contractor must track the disassembly of the physical files in detail. After the scanning/digitization has been completed, the contractor will be required to reassemble the physical files back into the same order/format that the files were in prior to the disassembly.

2.7.3. The contractor will use caution with older or more delicate records. The contractor will avoid using an auto feed mode when there is a danger of damaging the original record.

2.7.4. Adjustments to darkness and saturation will be made for records that have ink that is faded or may otherwise be difficult to read after being scanned/digitized to ensure that the scanned/digitized record is clear and easily readable.

2.8. The contractor must process each paper document that BLM makes available for scanning/digitization, up to the limit of the cost associated with the contract.

2.8.1. The contractor will scan each document front side and reverse side (reverse side will be scanned/digitized as appropriate) in grayscale and at a minimum of 300 DPI (dots per inch).

Transparent paper that is two sided will require special handling to ensure that the digitized version is readable. Any document that has color will be scanned and digitized to ensure that color is retained. The color of the paper should be preserved unless that color renders the digitized document unreadable.

2.8.2. All text documents will be digitized as portable document files (pdf). Maps, photos, and other graphic files will be digitized as Gifs.

2.8.3. The contractor will ensure that each document includes Optical Character Recognition (OCR) so that each paper document will become a searchable pdf.

2.8.4. The contractor will title each scanned/digitized document based on the naming convention identified by BLM. In the instance where any document does not have a logical name per the convention, or has a name that is a duplicate, then the POC would be contacted to identify the path forward.

2.8.5. The contractor will develop a digital file structure named in accordance with the file structure, description, and filing instructions provided by BLM.

2.8.6. The contractor will place the digitized documents into the appropriate digital file folders.

2.8.7. The contractor will perform quality assurance with the objective of assuring that every pdf document produced is digitized successfully, the quality of the digital document is

Blanket Purchase Agreement Set‐up acceptable, and that the digital documents are in the correct order and have the correct rotation.

2.8.7.1. The contractor must correct any defects in the quality of the scanned/digitized documents. This quality assurance/quality control (QAQC) and correction will occur regularly throughout the contract and will be reported in the bi‐weekly meetings. Draft work will be saved separately. Only corrected final documents will be included in the final electronic record.

2.8.8 The BLM records to be scanned/digitized may contain information that is protected from public disclosure by federal statutes and USDI regulations. When working with the documentary material, the contractor must at all times take appropriate measures to safeguard the BLM records (electronic or paper) from unauthorized use by, or unauthorized disclosure to, individuals that do not have the appropriate access clearances/permissions.

2.8.9. At no time will the contractor remove any physical or digital file from the BLM offices.

2.9. The contractor must reassemble the physical files to include replacing any item removed prior to the scanning/digitization (e.g., paper clips, staples, binder clips, sticky notes, etc.), back into the same order/format that the paper files were in prior to the disassembly action. The contractor must follow the required physical file structure provided for each type of range record. When physical files are disassembled for digitization, if they are not structured as they should be for the type of file they are, then the POC will be notified, and the decision will be made to restructure the file or leave it as it is.

2.10. The contractor must perform an inventory confirming that all paper documents that BLM made available for contractor processing were scanned/digitized successfully. This inventory will be maintained on an ongoing basis through the life of the contract and reported on at the bi‐ weekly meetings.

2.11. The contractor must provide the reassembled physical files and the digitized version of each paper document to BLM.

2.11.1. The digitized version of the documents shall be provided to BLM on an encrypted portable USB external hard drive with 18 TB of storage supplied by the contractor. This will be done on a bi‐weekly basis to allow for the BLM to download this progress onto the server to create backup locations.

Task 3: Prepare the final digital file database

3.1 The contractor will prepare a final report which will include the inventory of all paper documents that have been placed in the digital file database. The final report will use portable file document format (pdf) that is searchable.

3.2 The searchable documents will be stored on an encrypted portable USB external hard drive with 18 TB of storage supplied by the contractor.

Blanket Purchase Agreement Set‐up

3.3 Key Personnel:

Personnel

Contractor personnel must check in when they arrive at the BLM Offices and check out at the end of the day. The guest badge issued daily by each office will be displayed at all times.

All work must be completed between regular BLM office hours (7:30am to 4:30pm) Monday through

Friday. The office will not be available on weekends or Federal holidays.

Information Security

The contractor must establish appropriate administrative, technical, and physical safeguards to protect all government information to ensure the confidentiality, integrity, and availability of government information.

The contractor must restrict access to the records to be scanned/digitized to only those individuals within the organization that have a demonstrated need to know the protected information in order to perform the scanning/digitization work. The contractor must not discuss, divulge, or in any way disclose BLM held protected information to any person or entity except those persons within the contractor’s organization as it pertains to performance of work required by this contract.

The records to be information located within the files to be organized/scanned/digitized will be protected from unauthorized use and unauthorized disclosure pursuant to the administrative and/or civil remedies/criminal penalties as identified in applicable federal statutes and the

Freedom of Information Act. Unauthorized use/unauthorized disclosure of the protected information is a violation of the applicable Federal statutes. The contractor may be held administratively, civilly, and/or criminally liable if the contractor commits, or allows the commission of, an unauthorized use/unauthorized disclosure of the protected information in violation of the applicable Federal statutes.

The contractor must report any confirmed or even suspected unauthorized use and unauthorized disclosure of the records to be scanned/digitized immediately to the contracting officer (CO) assigned to this contract.

Physical Security ‐ Contractor Personnel Background and Security Clearance

Performance of this contract requires contractor personnel to have a Federal government‐issued

Personal Identity Verification (PIV) credential before being allowed unsupervised access to a DOI

[facility and/or information system]. The Contracting Representative (COR) will be the requesting official and will make arrangements through a DOI Access Card Sponsor for personal identity verification and DOI Access Card issuance as required by Homeland Security Presidential

Directive12: Policy for a Common Identification Standard for Federal Employees and Contractors ‐ section 7.0.

Blanket Purchase Agreement Set‐up

At least two weeks before start of contract performance, the Contractor must identify all contractor and subcontractor personnel who will require [physical and/or logical] access for performance of work under this contract. Physical Access means routine, unescorted or unmonitored access to nonpublic areas of a federally controlled facility. Logical Access means routine, unsupervised access to a Level 3 or 4 federally controlled information system. The

Contractor must make their personnel available at the place and time specified by the COR or DOI

Access Card Sponsor in order to initiate screening and background investigations. The following forms and inquiries, or their equivalent, will be used to initiate the credentialing process:

• OPM Standard Form 85 or 85P, and or OF 306

• National Criminal History Check (NCHC)

• Release to Obtain Credit Information

• PIV card application (web‐based)

Before starting work under this contract, a National Criminal History Check (NCHC) will be initiated to verify the identity of the individual applying for clearance and to determine the individual's suitability for the position. If the NCHC adjudication is favorable, a DOI Access Card will be issued for that individual. If the adjudication is unfavorable, the credentials will not be issued and the contractor must make other arrangements for performance of the work. In the event of a disagreement between the Contractor and the Government concerning the suitability of an individual to perform work under this contract, DOI shall have the right of final determination.

Contractor employees must give, and authorize others to give, full, frank, and truthful answers to relevant and material questions needed to reach a suitability determination. Refusal or failure to furnish or authorize provision of information may constitute grounds for denial or revocation of credentials. Government personnel may contact the contractor personnel being screened or investigated in person, by telephone or in writing, and the Contractor must ensure they are available for such contact.

Contractor employees who have been successfully adjudicated will be issued DOI Access Cards, which must be activated at a USAccess Credentialing Center. Those Contractor employees not located within a reasonable travel time of a USAccess Credentialing Center will be screened and issued alternate credentials, such as temporary access badges.

During performance of the contract, the Contractor must keep the COR apprised of changes in personnel to ensure that performance is not delayed by compliance with credentialing processes.

Cards that have been lost, damaged, or stolen must be reported to the COR and Issuing Office within 24 hours. If reissuance of expired credentials is needed, it must be coordinated with COR.

At the end of contract performance, or when a contractor employee is no longer working under this contract, the Contractor must ensure that all identification cards are returned to the COR.

Blanket Purchase Agreement Set‐up

This requirement must be incorporated into any subcontracts that require subcontractor personnel to have routine unsupervised access to a federally controlled facility for more than 180 calendar days or any unsupervised access to a federally controlled Level 3 or 4 information system.

Identification of Contractor Employees

All contract personnel are required to identify themselves as contractors. Whether attending meetings or working in other situations where their contractor status is not obvious to third parties, they must make their status known to avoid creating an impression that they are

Government employees.

Confidentiality

During the work involved in this contract, there will be high potential to have access to information that is designated as sensitive. As such, contractors performing services shall sign a Non‐Disclosure

Agreement form prior to performing any work. In addition, it is the contractor’s responsibility to make sure their employees understand that no sensitive information disclosed. Information may be disclosed only with applicable BLM Program Lead approval, on a case‐by‐case basis.

4. Quality All Work shall be checked and technically reviewed and approved in accordance with environmental statutes, EO, DOI and BLM policies, directives, and guidelines.

PERFORMANCE

OBJECTIVE PERFORMANCE STANDARD

ACCEPTABLE

LEVEL OF

QUALITY

METHOD OF

SURVEILLANCE

Section 3 – Scope of Work

Timeliness – All documents and SOW requirements submitted within required timeframes(s).

Accuracy – all documents conform to formatting requirements, agency directives, department directives, Executive Order, and Executive Statutes as included in 4.7. Documents and submittals contain all information as specified in the PWS.

Professional – Documents and submittals are well organized, grammatically correct and demonstrate sound professional evaluation and analysis.

95% Reviewed by BLM Contracting

Officer Representative and BLM District

Office POC.

5. General Training:

The Contractor is responsible for all training for its employees except when training can only be provided by BLM.

Blanket Purchase Agreement Set‐up

6. Place of Performance:

The place of performance is BLM State, District and Field Offices throughout Nevada. Contractor must be able to attend any meetings in Reno, NV and throughout the state as needed. See attached

Specification document of BLM office locations.

7. Period of Performance:

The period of performance will be from the date of contract award, for a five‐year period.

8. Federal Holidays:

Holidays observed by the contractor shall include all legal holidays observed by the Federal Government.

9.Government‐Furnished Facilities (GFF):

The Government will provide or make available to the Contractor appropriate workspace at the facilities where work is required for performance of the contract. The Contractor shall keep all work areas clean and in neat and professional order at all times.

Upon completion of the contract, the facilities used by the Contractor shall be in the same condition as when the Contractor began work, except for reasonable wear. The initial condition of these facilities shall be established during an initial joint inventory of GFF.

The Contractor shall not alter the space except with written permission from the CO. Any such alterations or improvements become the property of the Government; however, the CO may require the Contractor to remove or dismantle such alterations or improvements and restore the facilities to their original condition upon expiration or termination of the contract. This dismantling and restoration shall be performed at the Contractor’s expense.

10. Government‐Furnished Equipment (GFE):

The Government will provide all equipment for the performance of work required by this contract except as identified as Contractor furnished equipment. The Government will provide Contractor access to local facilities or space not assigned to the Contractor, such as break areas and areas where equipment is located. The Government will not be furnishing any Equipment necessary for completion of contract tasks. All equipment and supplies will be the responsibility of the contractor to supply.

As necessary, administrative workspace within each location’s facility will be provided. This will include a desk, and chair, electrical connections for equipment. Use of bathrooms, break rooms and common space as appropriate.

11. Preservation of Historical and Archaeological Data The Historic and Archaeological Data Preservation Act of 1974 provides for the preservation of historical and archaeological data that might otherwise be lost as the result of alterations to the terrain caused by a federal or federally licensed activity or programs.

If, in connection with operations under this contract, the Contractor, subcontractors, or the employees discovers, encounters, or becomes aware of any possible historical or archaeological data, objects or sites of cultural value on the project area, such as historical ruins, graves or grave markers, fossils, or artifacts, the Contractor shall immediately suspend all operations in the vicinity of the cultural value and

Blanket Purchase Agreement Set‐up shall notify the Contracting Officer in writing, giving the location and nature of the findings. No objects of cultural resource value shall be removed.

Where appropriate by reason of discovery, the contracting Officer may order delays in the time of performance and/or changes in the work. If such delays and/or changes are ordered, the time of performance and contract price shall be adjusted in accordance with the Changes clause.

The Contractor shall be responsible for protecting the cultural resources within the affected area from damage. In addition, the contractor will be liable for all damage to the identified cultural resources caused by their actions or the actions of their agents or representatives. The Contractor shall immediately notify the Contracting Officer or his representative if any damage occurs to any cultural resource and immediately suspend work in the area in which damage has occurred until authorized to proceed. Actions taken under this paragraph shall be subject to the FAR 53.242‐15 Stop‐Work Order.

12. Interruption of Work:

ENVIRONMENTAL – The Contracting Officer, by issuance of a stop work order, may direct the Contractor to shut down any work that may be subject to damage due to weather conditions or fire danger. The

Contractor shall be given a resume work order, which shall document the date the stop work order ended. An allowance has been included in the contract time for short‐term environmental delays up to one day at a time. The count of contract time shall therefore continue during stop work of one day or less, but the count of contract time shall stop during stop work orders in excess of one day at a time. All periods of stop work by the Government shall be documented. Actions taken under this paragraph shall be subject to FAR 52.242‐15 – Stop‐Work Order.

ENDANGERED SPECIES – The Government may direct the Contractor to stop work and all operations or may redirect the work to another location in the event that listed species or proposed threatened or endangered plants or animals protected under the Endangered Species Act of 1973, as amended, or

Federal candidate (Category 1 and 2), sensitive or state listed species, identified under BLM Manual

6840 (Attachment 4), are discovered to be present in or adjacent to the project area. Actions taken under this paragraph shall be subject to FAR 52.242‐15 Stop‐Work Order.

FIRE DANGER SEASON – If the COR allows the Contractor to continue work during periods of declared fire danger or season, the Contractor shall comply with all applicable state laws relating to fire prevention and with all special conditions of work as directed by the COR.