Draft PWS_Decennial Transformation and Application Modernization_Industry Draft.docx

U.S. Census Bureau Decennial Transformation & Application Modernization

DRAFT Performance Work Statement v0.9 November 15, 2023

Draft PWS v0.9

Table of Contents

U.S. Census Bureau

DRAFT Performance Work Statement v0.9

Page i Background U.S. Census Background The U.S. Census Bureau is the Nation’s primary source of statistics about the U.S. population, housing, and economy. These measures assist the Congress, the Executive branch of the Federal Government, state and local governments, the public, and the private sector in the development and evaluation of social and economic activities. The Census Bureau’s major programs include periodic censuses, current surveys, and a wide range of reimbursable work performed on behalf of other agencies.

The reliable collection, preparation, tabulation, and dissemination of demographic and economic statistics are vital to the Census Bureau’s mission. To fulfill this critical mission and to address the changing data needs of its users, the Census Bureau has become increasingly reliant upon information technology (IT) to improve the timeliness and quality of its statistical products and to develop, process, and maintain enormous collections of basic data about the people and economy of the Nation.

Decennial Census Programs The Decennial Census is our country’s oldest, most comprehensive source of information about our population. Article I, Section 2 of the U.S. Constitution mandates that an apportionment of representatives among the states must be carried out every 10 years. The primary goal of the Decennial Census is to count everyone once, only once, and in the right place.

The U.S. Government uses the data generated by the census to apportion congressional seats, monitor compliance with civil rights and other legislation, and forecast the number of people eligible for government benefits. Tribal, state, and local governments use census figures to distribute funds for education and other social programs, determine congressional, state legislative, and voting district boundaries, and predict disaster relief needs. Island Area governments use Census data to access federal funding opportunities, to better understand the characteristics of a changing population, such as age and household composition, and to understand and address emerging needs, such as access to employment, health insurance, and internet access. In addition, decennial census data for the Island Areas of the Pacific and the U.S. Virgin Islands are the sole data source for federal agencies. Business relies on the data for product development, marketing, demand forecasting, and determination of optimum location sites. In addition, Decennial Census data are typically used as survey controls both within and outside the government, and to form the basis for the intercensal population estimates program and social research.

The Decennial Census is also the largest civilian mobilization in the nation and requires cooperation from the entire population. Success requires counting an increasingly diverse population, living in complex living situations, with growing concerns about privacy and government credibility. The Decennial Census faces other challenges including funding shortfalls, leadership changes, disruptions caused by natural disasters and pandemics, and a need to employ hundreds of thousands of federal temporary workers (Schedule A) for a short period of time as enumerators. The Decennial Census utilizes technology to hire, manage, and schedule the field operations of this workforce.

2030 Census Program Life Cycle Planning for the 2030 Census began in 2019. The 2030 Census Program is being conducted in four phases, beginning with Early Planning (FY19-FY21), followed by Design Selection (FY22-FY24), Development and Integration (FY25-FY29), and Peak Production and Close-Out (FY29-FY33). Operational design development begins in the Design Selection Phase and is critical to the successful execution of a high-quality census of population and housing. In turn, successful execution is dependent on an evidence-based, integrated operational design that addresses the changing environment and inherent logistical challenges of such a large and complex undertaking. The following graphic shows the four phases of the 2030 Census life cycle and the type of work and key milestones associated with each phase.

Decennial Information Technology Division The Decennial Information Technology Division (DITD) work directly supports the Decennial Census.

The DITD plays a key leadership role in delivering IT systems and infrastructure and provides critical program and project management functions spanning systems of systems architecture, application and data security, and data science. The functions include systems and application architecture / design, application development, application operations and maintenance, infrastructure support, monitoring and coordination, quality assurance / testing, Validation & Verification (V&V), production and workflow management, data science, data engineering, data dissemination, and systems engineering and integration activities, and security.

The DITD also provides IT strategic planning, business case development, IT project and program management, engineering management, alternatives analysis, and technology research.

Systems currently or planned to be supported by the DITD include a large portfolio of applications and tools that include, but are not limited to statistical analysis programs, near-real-time data processing applications, data warehousing platforms, reporting systems, and quality assurance systems.

Scope The Census requires a contractor to provide transformative technology support for Decennial Programs. Specifically, this support includes modernization of existing applications and development of new applications. This modernization must utilize the latest leading practices for application development, including the use of DevSecOps, cloud native coding, and scaled Agile. The Decennial Program’s goals for this contract include:

· Modernize its application landscape to support Decennial Programs so that lifecycle costs and technical debt are minimized.

· Application architectures that are optimized to take advantage of the benefits of cloud computing for large scale / real time data processing and use of AI/ML, ultimately resulting in Census’ ability to increase the speed, quality, and quantity of the data analytics used in the planning and execution of the Decennial.

· Transformation to a cloud-first organization, to include organizational change management and knowledge training / transfer on cloud to the federal workforce.

Transformation of DITD to DevSecOps practices to provide the highest levels of security, quality, and speed.

· Provide a collaborative effort across contractors, Census federal personal, and other stakeholders with a shared purpose for the completion of successful Decennial Programs.

To meet the above goals, the DTAM contract will support the development and transformation of the data management and processing ecosystem supporting the Decennial. Key focus areas include:

· Standardized architecture allowing for the efficient and accurate sending, receiving, and interpretation of data.

· Applications and architectures supporting high volume and velocity data inputs.

· Data ecosystems and applications supporting near-real time processing of data at scale.

· Data quality and data integrity embedded as a fundamental element of design for data inputs and real-time processing applications. Applications must allow for early identification and remediation, with analytics and reporting for traceability and coordination with other quality initiations across the Decennial.

· Use of business rules and analytics to make data driven decisions.

· Standardized IT Program/Project Management, requirements management, systems engineering, and operational delivery support spanning the lifecycle of the systems supporting Decennial Programs.

The following Task Areas provide the basis for services that Census will require through specific Technical Directives throughout the duration of this contract.

Task Areas This section describes the technical and support objectives and services that shall be performed by the contractor. The contractor shall develop solutions and/or provide the capabilities and support in the following functional task areas:

· Task Area 1 – Contract Management

· Task Area 2 – Project & Program Management

· Task 2.1 – IT Project & Program Management Support

· Task 2.2 – Training

· Task 2.3 – Organizational Change Management

· Task 2.4 – IT Operational Delivery Management

· Task Area 3 – Systems Engineering

· Task 3.1 – Systems Engineering

· Task 3.2 – Requirements Management and Facilitation

· Task Area 4 – Applications Management Services

· Task 4.1 – Research & Development and Innovation

· Task 4.2 – Application Architecture

· Task 4.3 – DevSecOps

· Task 4.4 – Application Testing

· Task 4.5 – Application Security

· Task 4.6 – Application Operations & Maintenance

· Task 4.7 – Cloud Migration

· Task Area 5 – Advanced Data Science and Data Management

· Task 5.1 – Advanced Data Science

· Task 5.2 – Data Management Task Area 1 – Contract Management Contract management allows cost, schedule, quality, resource, budget, and financial controls to be continuously monitored and reported throughout the performance of this contract. Adhering to contract management best practices will enable effective, integrated planning, and control mechanisms and tools. This will result in reduced risk of schedule and cost overruns, reduced likelihood and impact of negative risks and issues, and increased ability to communicate and share information between the Census Bureau, the Contractor, and other contractors and stakeholders as appropriate.

The Contractor shall:

1. Manage all activities that align to the project management standards as defined by the latest publication of the Project Management Institute’s (PMI), The Guide to the Project Management Body of Knowledge (PMBOK®), unless directed overwise by the Contracting Officer (CO) or Contracting Officer’s Representative (COR).

2. Establish a Program Management Office (PMO) that will be responsible for executing the total effort of this contract.

3. Establish and document the project organization, structure, authority, roles, responsibilities, including subcontractors reporting requirements and internal reporting relationships for each organizational element.

4. Establish project management procedures and policies, including a process for project tracking in terms of the deliverables and work products identified.

5. Collaborate, communicate, and coordinate with the Decennial Program on all activities.

6. Establish Contractor Points of Contact and define interfaces between the project(s) and the Government.

7. Provide successful collaboration across all applicable Decennial Program and IT Directorate Program/Project teams to produce high-value deliverables and work products.

8. Demonstrate independent judgment while maintaining core relationships in a multi-contractor environment.

Contract Management Plan The following list identifies the Contract Management Plan services that the contractor shall perform.

The Contractor shall:

1. Provide a Contract Management Plan (CMP) and control process that demonstrates management visibility and effective coordination from contract startup, through the cost-effective delivery of high-quality services. The CMP shall include all elements and processes the contractor will use for successful execution of this contract to include Transition-In, Startup, Contract Schedule Management, Subcontractor Management, Quality Control, Issue Escalation, Risk Management, Transition-Out, and Closeout.

At a minimum, the CMP shall provide the following elements:

a) Assumptions and constraints for project management.

b) Compliance management, to include ongoing and updated list of relevant Commerce, Census, and Decennial policies, directives and/or other government guidance that must be followed by contractor for compliant delivery of Tasks provided within this PWS.

c) Work breakdown structure (WBS), WBS dictionary, and scope management approach in alignment with Decennial Programs.

d) Issue and risk identification, monitoring, and management.

e) Cost management, cost reporting, and Task Value Management.

f) Quality management and continuous process improvement.

g) Human resource management, contact lists, and organizational structure.

h) Communications and stakeholder management, as applicable.

i) Subcontract management approach.

j) Contractual status reporting.

2. Proactively notify the CO/COR of any risks or issues that may impact service delivery or any other issues impacting the Decennial Program, within 24 hours of identification, and provide mitigation strategies where possible.

Staff & Subcontractor Management The following list identifies the Staff & Subcontract Management services that the contractor shall perform.

The Contractor shall:

1. Provide personnel, to include subcontractors, possessing the skills, knowledge, and training, with the ability to obtain security clearances, to fulfill the requirements of this contract.

2. Define all roles and responsibilities of subcontracting parties.

3. Manage the subcontractors’ reporting, billing, and performance.

4. Maintain the required level of expertise and competency of personnel, to include subcontractors, in all assignment and is current with rapidly evolving technologies.

5. Provide notification to the COR of staff exits as soon as possible but no later than twenty-four (24) hours after the exit.

6. Provide the ability to meet high demand for technical staff through existing resource pools as well as recruiting. The Contractor, and its subcontractors, shall be able to meet significant surge requirements and augment rapidly to respond quickly to unforeseen or ad hoc requirements and changing priorities.

7. Require personnel, to include subcontractors, to maintain any required professional certifications, accreditations, and proficiency relative to their areas of expertise, at no additional cost to the Government.

8. Provide support and monitor the on-boarding clearance process for all personnel, to include subcontractors. Clearance documentation submitted shall go through Contractor’s quality assurance review prior to submission to Census and have minimal issues on accuracy, completeness, and timeliness for requested deadlines.

9. Provide oversight and tracking for all mandatory Decennial Program training that is required for contractors, to include subcontractors. The Contractor’s staff, to include subcontractors, shall perform all required Census training prior to deadlines.

10. Manage and supervise all contractor staff, including subcontractors.

11. Retain documentation of records as it relates to personnel requirements and provide at the request of the Government.

12. Assist the Government with the timely tracking and receipt of Government Furnished Equipment/Government Furnished Information (GFE/GFI), Government system accesses, passwords, etc.

13. Develop and maintain a comprehensive Staffing Plan that covers a staffing approach that describes all the resources and skillsets needed for the Contractor to meet the requirements stated in this contract and how the Contractor will obtain those resources throughout the life of the contract. The Staffing plan shall be considered a living document that reflects the current staffing on the contract. At a minimum, the staffing plan shall provide the following elements:

a) A Retention Strategy to minimize staff turn-over.

b) Staffing Transition Strategy that details the transferring of responsibilities from personnel who are leaving the program to personnel who will take over the associated responsibilities.

c) A Staffing Matrix that details the capabilities of each member of the team, aligned to the performance requirements.

14. Develop, document, and update a Subcontractor Management Plan that identifies the subcontractor performance areas, and the expected percentage of the work each subcontractor will perform. Additionally, the Subcontractor Management Plan shall cover how the Contractor will:

a) Define all roles and responsibilities of subcontracting parties.

b) Manage and direct all subcontractors in order to manage and deliver all requirements necessary.

c) Define, relay, and delegate requirements and restrictions to all subcontracting parties involved in the project.

d) Coordinate collaboration and communication of project execution among the prime and subcontractors, the Decennial Program and Project teams and other Census stakeholders.

e) Avoid conflict of interest between subcontractors and other Census Project teams.

Process for Defining Yearly Requirements/Deliverables TBD – This section will be completed once the acquisition strategy has been finalized.

Compliance The following list identifies the Compliance services that the contractor shall perform.

The Contractor shall:

1. Provide overall compliance for the delivery of services for all Tasks within this Contract, to include but not limited to security, privacy, accessibility (508), and any other compliance related guidance, policies, and directives required by Decennial Program.

2. Upon knowledge of any compliance related issue, immediately notify the COR to address appropriate resolution and/or reporting.

Security All Contractor personnel, to include subcontractors, proposed to be employed under a Moderate Risk contract shall undergo security processing by the Department’s Office of Security before being eligible to work on the premises of any Department of Commerce owned, leased, or controlled facility in the United States, or to obtain access to a Department of Commerce IT system. All Department of Commerce security processing pertinent to this contract will be conducted at no cost to the Contractor.

Meetings & Reporting The following list identifies the Meetings & Reporting services that the contractor shall perform.

Kick-Off Meeting The purpose of the Kick-Off meeting is to:

· Introduce key personnel, and other significant team members for the Contractor.

· Communicate the background, scope, and schedule.

· Provide a common understanding of the contract and all obligations and responsibilities of the Contractor and the Government.

· Review the activities required to initiate and manage the contract; and

· Inform the team of any necessary administrative items.

The Contractor shall:

1. Conduct a Kick-Off meeting, within five (5) business days of contract award, with the Government at a time/date/location agreed upon by the Government.

2. Work with the COR to schedule the Kick-Off meeting.

3. Provide the Government with minutes and action items list from the meeting within three (3) business days after the Kick-Off meeting.

Weekly Status Report & Meeting The weekly status update and meetings will begin the week immediately following the Kick-Off Meeting.

The Contractor’s weekly status report shall be across all TDs and at a minimum include the following information:

1. A summary of the work accomplished in the previous week and work planned for the current and following week.

2. Risks and mitigations of risks to include barriers to completing work, and impacts on quality, schedule and cost and proposed solutions.

3. Issues and resolution to issues.

4. Staffing status.

5. Any other topics of significance to report.

6. Key Issues and opportunities and events for the upcoming week.

Additional topics may be added during the life of the contract.

Monthly Cost & Schedule Report The Decennial Program requires the Contractor to report monthly financial and schedule status.

The TD contract type will determine what the Contractor’s monthly cost & schedule report shall include. Examples of the information that will be required may include:

1. Variances greater than 10% and the maximum funding level for the project code and period of performance.

2. Funds invoiced to-date.

3. The projected balance of funds and hours through the end of the current period of performance.

4. Additional funding that may be required to continue performance through the end of the current period of performance.

The Contractor shall:

1. Develop, document, update, and provide a Financial Status Report. The Financial Status Report will identify the current and projected funding for the contract to continue through the current period of performance. The document shall, at a minimum, include:

a) Tabular and graphic presentations of planned and actual price and labor hours

b) Identification of any planned or actual variance greater than 10% and the maximum funding level for the project and the period of performance

c) Funds invoiced to-date.

d) Projected date at which 75% of funds will be consumed.

e) Projected balance of funds and hours through the end of the current period of performance

2. For requirements that require the use of Earned Value Management (EVM):

a) Meet the criteria as defined in the current, at time of award, American National Standards Institute/Electronic Industries Alliance (ANSI/EIA) Standard 748, Earned Value Management Systems.

b) Use an EVMS that complies with the criteria provided in the current version of ANSI/EI-748, is appropriately tailored to the requirements and has been self-verified. If at any time during performance of the self-verification is determined to be defective, the Contractor shall correct the defect at no additional cost to the Government.

c) Require subcontractor participation.

d) Provide EVMS reports that are in accordance with the requirements.

3. Develop a Performance Measurement Baseline (PMB), a time-phased budget plan against which the contractor’s performance is measured for each task/project.

4. Work directly with the Decennial Program to cost, schedule, and technical plan baselines that meet the Decennial program requirements and constraints.

5. Gain approval from the Decennial Program on any changes to the baseline.

6. Conduct an Integrated Baseline Review (IBR), a formal review of the contractor’s PMB. The IBR confirms the contract’s PMB covers the entire technical scope of work, the work is scheduled realistically and accurately, the proper amount and mix of resources have been assigned to accomplish all contractual requirements, and all inherent risks have been identified.

7. Schedule IBRs as early as practicable and should be conducted within 60 calendar days after (1) award, (2) the exercise of significant options, and/or (3) the incorporation of major modifications.

8. Provide access to all pertinent records and data requested by the CO/COR, or duly authorized representative, to validate and verify the accuracy and completeness of the EVMS data.

The Contractor shall ensure that labor costs, other direct charges, and travel costs are correctly associated with each Contract Line-Item Number (CLIN) and Subline Item Number (SLIN), reported correctly in monthly reports, supported by invoice support data, and correctly invoiced.

The Decennial Program may define projects within a CLIN and/or SLIN and require the Contractor to separately accumulate and report costs at the project level.

Monthly Risk Reporting The following list identifies the Monthly Risk Reporting services that the contractor will perform.

On a monthly basis, the contractor shall provide risk management support activities including, but not limited to:

1. Meet with the Decennial Program to conduct a comprehensive review of risks, issues, and mitigation plans requiring the Decennial Program management attention.

2. Assist in execution and facilitation of the Decennial Program risk management process.

3. Provide technical risk inputs into the Decennial Programs’ risk management process.

4. Assist in the update and maintenance of technical risks in the Decennial Programs Risk Register

5. Identify, assess, and monitor Decennial Programs technical risks/issues.

6. Develop mitigation plans and contingencies for Decennial Programs technical risks/issues.

7. Coordinate the resolution of Decennial Programs or Project risks/issues.

8. Provide technical insight into Project risks and ongoing performance of projects.

9. Coordinate with other Programs on risk management, where applicable Monthly Contract Administration Status Report The following list identifies the Monthly Contract Administration Status Report services that the contractor will perform.

Each month the Contractor shall prepare and submit a Monthly Contract Administration Status Report (MCASR) to the COR. The report shall include, but is not limited to, the following information:

1. Details on the Contractor’s approach or managing the contract, updated as needed to identify management responsibilities, points of contacts, activity schedules and milestones, and any associated issues.

2. Identification, summary description, and status of in-progress and newly assigned tasks.

3. Progress against agreed-to milestones, any issues that may impede progress, support required from the Decennial Program, identification of delivered work products, and pending action items.

4. A detailed report of the labor effort expended by the Contractor staff and subcontractors. This information should be provided separately for each task under this contract.

5. Any updates made to the CMP.

6. Updated staffing status to include (Onboarding / offboarding contractors).

7. Status Modification / Change request.

8. Review and discuss contract deliverables.

The MCASR must arrive prior or concurrently with the invoice for that month.

The Contractor shall ensure all data provided in the MCASR is fully aligned and consistent with the Contractor’s invoice.

Invoicing The following list identifies the Invoicing services that the contractor shall perform.

The Contractor shall:

1. Deliver a draft invoice no less than three (3) business days prior to the final invoice for review.

2. Ensure the final invoice is submitted per the schedule directed by the Government.

3. Provide a spreadsheet to validate hours billed as an attachment to both the draft and final invoice.

4. Ensure all travel receipts and government approvals are included with travel invoices.

Quality Control The contractor shall develop, deliver, maintain, and adhere to a Quality Control Plan (QCP), to ensure prior to delivery that their deliverables will meet the requirements of the contract.

The Contractor’s QCP shall consist of the following information at a minimum:

1. A description of the approach and procedures for communicating with the Government; handling corrective actions; and identifying and implementing potential improvements to the program services.

2. A process for project tracking in terms of the deliverables identified in the contract.

Cooperation Between Contractors The Government will require the Contractor, and its subcontractors, to work collaboratively with other contractors in order to accomplish of a Decennial requirement.

When necessary, the Contractor, and its subcontractors, shall be willing to share information, collect mission requirements, code, data, technical knowledge, expertise, and/or resources essential to the integration of DTAM requirements, for the development of the program to meet the terms of the contract.

The Contractor is not relieved of any contract requirements or entitled to any adjustments to the contract terms because of a failure to resolve a disagreement with another contractor.

It is anticipated the Contractor will have to jointly work with the Contractors fulfilling the following requirements:

Transition In The Contractor shall develop a Transition-In Plan (TIP) that includes how the Contractor intends to:

1. Participate in Transition-In meetings.

2. Engage in weekly transition meetings to report progress executing the below required Transition-In Plan together with the status of transition issues, planned mitigations, and resolutions.

3. Obtain System documentation from the existing contractor(s).

4. Obtain Government-owned application and database software tools, documentation, and training materials from the existing contractor(s).

5. Identify Government Transition POCs and SMEs, contract stakeholders, and current support contractors and schedule standing working meetings with individual groups to discuss transition in activities and progress and resolve outstanding issues.

6. Identify and assess transition risks.

7. Prepare mitigation plans for identified risks.

8. Report any risk to interruption of services.

9. Conduct an initial review of ongoing activities.

10. Identify and assess the current state of each task underway or supported (NOTE: For transitioning current agile story management and development, work through process stand-up and workflow with the Government Agile Product Owner.)

11. In collaboration with the Government, document related preparation activities and timeline for cutting over the support for such activities from the existing contractor(s) to the appropriate level of contractor personnel with the proper skills and levels of effort.

12. Cutover for identified ongoing activities shall be completed prior to the end of the transition period.

13. Conduct an initial review of system documentation related to the work in this PWS.

14. Identify gaps in system documentation.

15. Prepare and implement a plan for remediation of the gaps.

16. As required, create new documentation/user guides, and update existing documentation/user guides.

17. Develop approach for maintaining needed system documentation for the life of the contract in the project document repository in SharePoint or any other location designated by the Government.

18. Request any other needed documentation prior to the end of the transition period.

Transition Out The following list identifies the Transition Out services that the contractor shall perform.

The Contractor shall:

1. As tasked, facilitate the transition of contracted related activities and services to the Government or to a follow-on Contractor at the end of the contract period of performance.

2. Cooperate and work in good faith with the new, on-boarding Contractor or Contractors, or with the Government, for an orderly and efficient transition to the new Contractor or Government, which ever the case may be.

3. Provide and implement a Transition-Out Plan (TOP) that coincides with and responds to the new Contractor’s TIP or returns ownership and operation of the system and/or applications to the Government fully.

4. Upon the COR’s written notice, coordinate and implement in good faith the TOP with the Government and/or new Contractor to determine the nature and extent of the transition coordination services required and provide information and data, approved by the Government, in a timely and professional manner.

5. Accomplish all Contractor transitional services within the timeframe required by the Government.

6. Participate in a coordinated close-out effort with the Census Bureau in a meeting to address any final Government concerns and to provide any final materials requested.

Travel When anticipated, the Decennial Program will identify travel requirements. All travel shall be billed in accordance with the Joint Travel Regulation (JTR). Travel shall not be taken without prior, written approval of the COR and government technical lead using the Travel Authorization form. Reimbursement of local commuting expenses is not allowed for travel inside Washington DC metropolitan area. Local travel is defined as within 50 miles.

Data Call & Audit Support The following list identifies the Data Call & Audit Support services that the contractor shall perform.

The Contractor shall:

1. Support internal and external contract audits on work performed under this contract.

2. Support internal and external (e.g., GAO inquiries) data calls related to work performed under this contract.

3. Support the timely production and presentation of materials in support of Decennial Program data calls and oversight requests (e.g., GAO, Inspector General (IG)).

Task Area 2 – Project and Program Management The contractor shall perform the requirements described in this section with respect to Project and Program Management Services.

IT Project & Program Management Support The IT Project & Program Management Support Task Area provides contractor support to assist with a wide range of Decennial Program projects and programs that are critical to the planning, testing, and execution of Decennial Programs.

Project Management Support DITD implements project planning and control best practices based on the enterprise system development lifecycle (eSDLC) guidelines, including estimation, scheduling, risk management, change management and other PM processes for the DITD applications area. DITD seeks the following in support of this effort.

The Contractor shall:

1. Assist in developing and maintaining technical project documentation, including but not limited to:

a) Program/Project Charters.

b) Business Cases.

c) Project Plans

d) Business Continuity and Recovery Plans.

e) Systems Management Plans (e.g., Test and Evaluation, Systems Engineering and Integration).

f) Risk Management documentation (e.g., risk management plans, program/project risk, issue, and opportunity registers, risk mitigation plans, risk contingency plans).

g) eSDLC documentation.

h) Project Closeout Plans.

i) Project post-mortems, after-action reviews, retrospectives, and Lessons Learned.

j) Internal Census Bureau and Decennial Program IT policy recommendations.

k) Executive and external stakeholder program/project presentations and Program Management Reviews (PMRs).

l) Training documentation and training aids, as required, to provide proper operation, maintenance, and testing of processes, platforms, and systems.

2. Report progress, issues, and risks to senior Census management.

3. Define project milestone reviews to determine readiness to proceed with subsequent project activities.

Scaled Agile/Program Increment Planning & Management Support The Decennial Program will utilize Scaled Agile Framework (SAFe®) as its primary application development and engineering methodology. To fully support the Decennial Program in operating within a SAFe® model, the Contractor shall:

1. Provide support to system teams and stakeholders with SAFe®/agile methodologies implementation.

2. Prepare PI Planning packages, procedures, and schedules in support of the Agile Release Train (ART).

3. Design, develop, and implement SAFe® management processes, standards, and templates.

4. Create Directorate-specific solution-delivery workflows, lean-portfolio-management approaches and support a continuous learning culture.

5. Provide a pool of SAFe® certified practitioners.

IT Governance Support IT Governance Support covers areas such as, but not limited to, Memorandum of Agreement/Understanding (MOA/MOU), escalation procedures, Change Control Boards (CCBs), etc.

The Contractor shall:

1. Provide Governance support services for the Decennial Programs, including but not limited to: Preparing documentation and assisting in the support of technical governance processes and boards.

2. Provide support in the development of strategic plans, program governance, and alternative solutions for programs and projects in the Decennial Program. This includes evaluating strategic plans and program governance to provide recommendations/strategies for improvement.

3. Develop and provide technical briefings and recommendations to Governance Review Boards.

4. Facilitate the project-level Change Control Boards (CCB) and the Technical Review Board (TRB) for the Decennial Program in accordance with Decennial Program direction.

Integrated Product Teams The Contractor shall serve as a member of, or provide Subject Matter Expertise to, Integrated Product Teams (IPTs) within the Decennial Program. IPTs consist of a collection of Subject Matter Experts (SMEs) and stakeholders, including participating divisions, needed to develop and execute an operation or project. These individuals have the authority and responsibility to design, develop, test, implement and close-out the operation.

Program Management Support The following list identifies the Program Management Support services that the contractor shall perform.

The Contractor shall:

1. Provide program management and planning to support the coordination and execution of Decennial programs, projects, and activities.

2. Provide support in the development and updating of IT strategic plans, program governance, and alternative solutions for programs and projects in the Decennial Program. This includes but is not limited to:

a) Assessing IT strategic plans and program governance and provide recommendations/strategies for improvement.

b) Supporting the analysis and evaluation of IT solutions and technologies.

c) Developing recommendations/strategies for integrating large scale IT systems; and

d) Developing, revising, and/or updating program and project level documentation as required by the eSDLC and as needed by the individual project teams.

3. Assist in the establishment and implementation of processes, templates, and tools to support the initiation, planning, requirements, design, development, integration, implementation, and monitoring of eSDLC functions.

4. Leverage Decennial GFE program / project management tools.

Schedule Management Support The following list identifies the Schedule Management Support services that the contractor shall perform.

The Contractor shall:

1. Develop, deliver, and maintain project schedules that map to the Decennial work breakdown schedule.

2. Support execution and facilitation of the Decennial Program schedule management process.

3. Provide recommendation to support the effective execution of the existing schedule management process.

4. Create the IT program and project level schedule templates for incorporation into the Integrated Master Schedule (IMS).

5. Provide status and inputs on IT tasks in the IMS and residual project schedules.

6. Provide inputs into the Decennial Program Integrated Master Schedule (IMS) and residual Project schedules.

7. Identify any risks, issues or dependencies which may cause Project schedule delays and provide recommendations to the Decennial Program.

8. Monitor projects schedules so that all projects are meeting milestones in support of the Operational Deliveries.

Reporting Support The following list identifies the Reporting Support services that the contractor shall perform.

The Contractor shall:

1. Assist in monitoring and reporting the Authority to Operate (ATO) status of systems within the Decennial SoS.

2. Collect, analyze, and report metrics to the Decennial Program, which provide the insight necessary to accurately predict and effectively manage the cost, schedule, technical performance, and risks.

3. Deliver and socialize Decennial Program status reports and visualizations to Census Bureau stakeholders.

Risk Management Support Risk Management Support covers services to support Decennial Program risk, issue, and opportunity management activities, to include, but not be limited to, support of Project, Program, and DITD risk and issue boards.

The Contractor shall:

1. Identify and report program and project risks.

2. Assist in execution and facilitation of the Project, DITD, and Decennial Program risk management processes.

3. Identify, report, track, and mitigate risks associated with activities under the Contractor's control and risks that the Government directs the Contractor to monitor.

4. Support execution of the risk, issue, and opportunity management process.

5. Provide technical risk, issue, and opportunity inputs, including assessment, monitoring, contingency and mitigation planning, into the risk management process.

6. Assist in the coordination of the resolution of Project, DITD or Decennial Program risks/issues/opportunities.

7. Provide technical insight into Project, DITD, or Decennial Program risks/issues/opportunities.

8. Provide technical inputs, including assessment, monitoring, contingency and mitigation planning, into the Project, DITD, and Decennial Program risk management activities.

9. Identify, assess, manage, and monitor Project, DITD, and Decennial Program, risk, issue, and opportunity registers.

10. Coordinate with other Programs (e.g., Enterprise) on risk and issue management, where applicable.

11. Support the facilitation of the Project, DITD, Decennial Program, and IT Risk and Issues Boards (RIBs).

12. Work with risk owners to develop and implement their contingency and mitigation plans.

Change Control Management Support Managing change is one of the biggest challenges in projects and the complexity increases for a large program, such as the Decennial Program. Change management is used to identify, document, and authorize change and minimizes the likelihood of disruptions, unauthorized alterations, and errors.

The Contractor shall:

1. Provide support for change control management, including participation, information collection, and feedback for Change Control Boards, and Technical Review Boards (TRB).

2. Provide subject matter expertise into Change Control activities for Project and Program-level change requests.

3. Follow the established change management processes and standards when responding to Project and Program Change Requests (CR).

4. Assess the pre-existing Change Control process and provide improvement recommendations (e.g., people, processes, technology) to the Decennial Program.

5. Validate CR implementation across the Decennial Program and Projects.

6. Collaborate with stakeholders to establish and implement standard Decennial Change Control Processes to include tools, procedures, and documentation.

7. Support the design, development, and implementation of change management processes, standards, and templates to support efficient review of proposed changes to configurable items.

8. Identify and communicate the impact assessments of proposed changes.

Disposition Management Support As Decennial Programs complete operations, a disposition process begins by deciding what to do with each system, including its infrastructure, applications, middleware, network, code, and tools. During the disposition process, each system and its corresponding capabilities are assessed along with current and future Census Bureau needs to determine their approved disposition target state along with the rationale.

The Contractor shall:

1. Support, as applicable, the execution of the Decennial Disposition Management Plan according to schedule.

2. Plan for and assist in the archival or transfer of data.

3. Plan for and assist in the archival or transfer of software components.

4. Assist in the archival of life cycle deliverables.

5. Follow the established Decennial Program Configuration Management processes and activities for documentation.

6. Coordinate and communicate disposition and closeout activities with stakeholders.

System Project Level Testing Support Project-level testing is conducted to demonstrate the feasibility of conceptual approaches, evaluate design risk, identify alternatives, compare, and analyze trade-offs, and assess satisfaction of solution requirements. The project level test scope is comprised of various test efforts, including, but not limited to unit, component, pairwise, and integration testing.

The Contractor shall:

1. Institute a continuous evaluation of the testing process after each integration test cycle, and after an agreed number of Program Increments (PIs).

2. Perform automated testing (unit and project level). Please refer to Section 7.4.4 (Application Testing Execution) for additional information and requirements pertaining to Testing support.

Technical Writing Support Technical writing skills are needed to prepare, review, revise, and maintain technical documents, including software and systems engineering, system operations, testing, and user documentation. The Contractor shall:

1. Support Decennial Programs with technical writing, editing, and graphics design expertise throughout tasks within the PWS. Support includes but is not limited to meeting notes, contractor deliverables, work products, reports, presentation materials, metrics, and visualizations.

2. Support the creation of knowledge repositories (wikis, internal SharePoint pages, etc.)

3. Adhere to Decennial Programs code documentation / commenting standards and utilize automation tools to generate application documentation.

Training Training and plans for training are needed to address skill gaps of Census employees.

The Contractor shall:

1. Establish, update, and maintain Training Plans. Training shall be improved through continuous feedback.

2. Develop and update skills assessment of current federal staff and identify gaps between organizational skills needed compared to the current skills assessment.

3. Devise a training plan to address gaps. Training plan shall include but not limited to goals, objectives, schedule, delivery methods (e.g., experiential learning, hands on workshops, etc.) and content, and performance measurement.

4. Execute and track according to the training plan.

5. Assess the effectiveness of the training plan.

6. Develop training curriculum.

7. Develop and deliver training modules, as requested, and required by the government.

Organizational Change Management The following list identifies the Organizational Change Management services that the contractor shall perform.

The Contractor shall:

1. Develop, update, and execute knowledge transfer strategy and change management plans for federal resources that will result in minimal costs, maximum adoption, ongoing service, and long-term adoption for Decennial Programs transformation and application modernization initiatives that aligns with enterprise and Decennial objectives.

Communications The following list identifies the Communications services that the contractor shall perform.

The Contractor shall:

1. Establish, develop, and implement a communication plan to support technology transformation and application modernization for the Decennial Programs.

Workshop Facilitation The following list identifies the Workshop Facilitation that the contractor shall perform.

The Contractor shall:

1. Provide facilitation workshops for IT and organizational planning efforts.

Knowledge Management The following list identifies the Knowledge Management services that the contractor shall perform.

The Contractor shall:

1. Support the development, maintenance, and implementation of a training and organizational change management repository.

Lessons Learned The Decennial Program requires the Contractor to collect and report periodic lessons learned throughout the eSDLC in support of Decennial Programs. Lessons learned will cover project management (including integration with subcontractors, Decennial Program, and other designated stakeholders), risk management, quality management, and other areas of technical or programmatic support for which the Contractor provides services as part of this Contract.

The Contractor shall:

1. Develop an approach to collecting lessons learned that allows various methods of feedback such as facilitated sessions, surveys, focus groups, etc.

2. Develop, document, update, and provide Lessons Learned Reports as requested by the Decennial Program. The Lessons Learned Reports shall identify areas for improvement in Decennial operations and summarize the key takeaways. The document shall, at a minimum, include:

a) Identification, solicitation, and collection of lessons learned.

b) Areas for improvement across the contract

c) The impact of each lesson learned.

d) Process improvement recommendations for each lesson learned.

IT Operational Delivery Management IT Operational Delivery Management provides contractor support in the planning, tracking, management and deployment of various components, systems, and processes throughout the OD lifecycle.

Operational Delivery Management The following list identifies the Operational Delivery (OD) Management services that the contractor shall perform.

The Contractor shall:

1. Manage the execution of the Operational Delivery Management Plan (ODMP) for all ODs.

2. Assist with the development and maintenance of the ODMP.

3. Collaborate and partner with key stakeholders in the operational delivery management construct to meet OD success.

4. Facilitate Operational delivery meetings with an agreed to agenda.

5. Capture and disseminate meeting minutes and action items related to integration and implementation.

6. Actively investigate and track to resolution active action items related to integration and implementation.

7. Provide and develop executive level briefings and…